The private jet of King Mswati III’s of Swaziland
has been impounded in Canada after a court attached it for unpaid debts.
The Times of
Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom ruled by
King Mswati, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, broke
the news on Friday (27 March 2015). It quoted ‘reliable
sources, who are very close to the matter but requested not to be identified.’
It reported, ‘The attachment was issued by a court held in camera in Canada, in
favour of Shanmuga Rethenam, popularly known as Shan of former Salgaocar
company.’
The newspaper
added, ‘The source said during the court case, Shan submitted that he was
being owed about E35 million (US$3.5 million) by a Swazi Company which is
operating the jet on behalf of the Government of Swaziland.’
The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Jabulile Mashwama later
confirmed this to the Swazi Parliament. Mashwama
said the jet had been taken to Canada for routine maintenance and had expected it
to be returned to Swaziland in January 2015.
The jet, an updated Douglas DC-9, has a controversial history. It was reportedly
given to the King as a birthday gift in 2012. The King and the Swazi Government
refused
to disclose who gave the plane, saying they were development
partners of Swaziland who wanted to remain anonymous.
At the time it was reported, but neither confirmed nor denied, that the jet was a
gift from Salgaocar (now known as SG Iron Ore Mining), a company that had recently been awarded a contract
by the King to mine for iron ore at Ngwenya, within a protected area inside the
Malolotja Game Reserve. This was despite fears that its work would pollute the
water supply of many rural people and also the population of Mbabane, the
kingdom’s capital.
The mine was forced to
cease trading in August 2014 after a
series of events orchestrated by Sihle Dlamini, who is Director
Administration at the King’s Office and Assistant Private Secretary to the
King. He was also the King’s personal representative on the SG Iron board of
directors.
A compensation
claim for at least US$141 million was prepared by Southern Africa Resources Ltd (SARL), which had a
50 percent stake in SG Iron Ore Mining, against the Kingdom of
Swaziland at the International
Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
See also
HOW SWAZI KING DESTROYED IRON MINE
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