PROTESTS AGAINST SWAZI KING

Protests against Swazi Kings’ tyranny Wednesday, 3rd September 2008. 12:47pm By: Toby Cohen. From Religious Intelligence website

Mbabane: Protests are taking place outside the Swaziland High Commission, objecting to the King of Swaziland’s extravagant celebrations this weekend, in a country refused democracy. The lavish 40/40 celebrations are to mark King Mswati III’s 40th birthday as well as 40 years of independence, but are especially hard to justify in a country where 40/39 is the life expectancy of men and women respectively. Action for South Africa (ACTSA) joined partners from across Swaziland and South Africa today in their calls for democracy for Swaziland, supported by the Swaziland United Democratic Front and both trade union federations. They also come in advance of national parliamentary elections on the September 19, but with political parties banned and the King's Court selecting candidates, there is no chance of the elections being free or fair. The director of ACTSA, Tony Dykes, said: “We are standing in solidarity with the people of Swaziland today to draw the world’ s attention to the appalling human rights record of this often overlooked country. We condemn the extravagant 40/40 royal celebrations when the majority of the country lives in conditions of absolute poverty and call for democracy and rights for the people of Swaziland.” In 1986, the king inherited the throne from his father, King Sobhuza II,who scrapped the constitution in 1972 and reigned for almost 61 years. King Mswati III has outraged his citizens before with his ostentatious displays of disproportionate wealth. On August 21 over 1,000 demonstrators presented a petition to the Swazi Government asking how they had paid for an entourage of 95 members of the royal household to charter a flight to Dubai, costing an estimated £136,000 (E2 million), to buy dresses for nine of the King’s 13 wives. Surrounded by democratic nations, Swaziland’s civil society is protesting such lavish celebration while 70 per cent of the population live on less than $1 a day and HIV and Aids are rife, with the country boasting the highest HIV rate in the world.