Sikhanyiso took possession of a customised Kia Soul SUV at a cost of E450,000 (US$45,000). Newspapers in South Africa reported the car would usually cost E350,000 but the Princess demanded extras, including passenger video screens as part of an entertainment centre with a premium sound system.
King Mswati rules
Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch and 70 percent of his
subjects have incomes of less than $US2 a day. Thousands of people in the Swazi
textile industry are about to lose their jobs because the United States has
withdrawn favourable trade benefits under the Africa
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) because of Swaziland’s poor record on
workers’ and political rights.
In November 2014 a
United Nations report said Swaziland was the seventh
hungriest country in the world. A total of 35.8 of Swaziland’s 1.3 million
population are undernourished, the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization said.
The Independent
Group of newspapers in
South Africa reported Princess Sikhanyiso took possession of the car in a
ceremony covered by both the kingdom’s daily newspapers.
The Independent
reported, ‘At a ceremonial
presentation of the car at a Kia dealership in Mbabane, the Minister of
Transportation, who was appointed by Mswati, presided over the lifting of a red
veil draped over the princess’s vehicle.
‘The princess,
attended by security personnel wearing traditional warrior attire, expressed
her delight at the car.’
King Mswati and his
Royal Family have been criticised for years outside of Swaziland for their
lavish spending. The King himself has a fleet of Mercedes and BMW cars. In 2009
it was revealed he bought up to 20 Mercedes Benz S600
Pullman Guards at a cost estimated to be US$250,000 each.
The cars can
resist an attack with small arms projectiles, a grenade or other explosive. One cars’ website described the Pullman Guard as ‘The car of choice for up-and-coming
dictators.’
In April 2013, The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), a banned
political party in Swaziland, reported
32 BMW cars had been delivered to King Mswati ahead of his 45th
birthday celebrations.
The previous year the King was
embroiled in a row when he took
delivery of a private jet plane, worth an estimated
US$46 million.
The King claimed that the McDonnell
Douglas DC-9 twin-engine jet was a gift from an
admirer, but declined to say who it was. This led to speculation that the jet
had been purchased out of public funds.
See also
DISBELIEF OVER SWAZI KING’S NEW
JET
SWAZI KING'S
GRENADE-PROOF CARS
COST OF
SWAZILAND KING’S NEW CARS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2009/04/cost-of-swaziland-kings-new-cars.html
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