Bheki
Makhubu, a magazine editor in Swaziland (eSwatini), has
written that absolute monarch King Mswati III is ‘unhinged’. He also called the
king ‘a first class narcissist who no longer identifies with his people’.
Makhubu made his comments in the November 2019 edition
of the Nation, a magazine that supports democracy in the kingdom.
Makhubu gained international
attention in 2014 when he and writer and human rights lawyer
Thulani Maseko
were
sentenced to two years in jail after writing
and publishing articles in the Nation that were critical of the Swazi judiciary.
They were released
by the Swazi Supreme Court on 30 June 2015 after they had
served 15 months of their sentences.
In his latest article, Makhubu criticised the king for
taking delivery of a fleet
of 15 Rolls-Royce cars for himself and his wives while
public servants were being beaten by police on the streets as they marched for
more pay. The cars were reported to have cost about US$6 million.
He wrote, ‘In truth, luxury does not even begin to
describe those vehicles. Custom made to order, some of them even arrived in the
most ridiculous of colours, such as pink.’
Makhubu’s article is significant because freedoms of
the media, speech and information are severely restricted in the kingdom. State
broadcasting is heavily censored by the Government whose members are not elected
by the people, but chosen by King Mswati. Of the only two daily newspapers in
Swaziland, one is in effect owned by the King.
Makhubu wrote, ‘After 33 years on the throne, wielding
absolute power over a docile people who accept his every word as gospel, King
Mswati has now assumed a godly status. He sees himself as the 14th
Apostle, after the 12 who followed Christ on earth and the 13th who
said he has seen the Almighty in His glory in heaven on the road to Damascus.’
Makhubu added, ‘It is difficult to shake away a sense
that, as our government continues to moan about a depressed economy, with
ordinary people continuing to sink deep into grinding poverty, King Mswati has
himself detached from all this. He doesn’t believe he owes us anything.’
He concluded, ‘Our king is feeding alone at the
trough. Our king has abandoned us.’
In 2015 a
report from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
concluded the arrest and detention, trial, conviction and
sentencing of Makhubu and Maseko, ‘involved
multiple violations of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland, the
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Principles and Guidelines on
the Right to a Fair Trial in Africa and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights.’
Bheki Makhubu in chains during his 2014
trial: Picture source Facebook
See also
Making
media freedom in Swaziland is more than a dream
Supreme
Court frees jailed writers
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