SWAZI CENSORSHIP ON KING’S UK TRIP

The Weekend Observer in Swaziland censored itself in its reporting of King Mswati III’s attendance at Windsor Castle to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.

The newspaper reported, ‘Among the guests is King Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, whose attendance has been criticised by human rights campaigners.’

But, the newspaper did not report that these same ‘human rights campaigners’ were also complaining that King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, had been invited.

Media houses across the world have been reporting that King Mswati is being criticised in London for ‘leading a lavish lifestyle while his people starve’. 

The campaigners also highlight that the King has a personal fortune of US$100 million.

The King, who is reported to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him to London, was met with protests at his hotel and at the Swazi Consulate, where he held a dinner.

The Press Association news agency in the UK, quoted Thobile Gwebu of the Swaziland Vigil who said people in the kingdom had been reduced to eating cow dung to make sure they filled their stomachs as required for Aids medicines provided by non-government organisations (NGOs). 

The Weekend Observer is in effect owned by King Mswati.

SWAZI KING FACES NEW PROTEST

Swaziland prodemocracy campaigners are to picket the Swazi High Commission in London on Saturday (19 May 2012) when King Mswati III is due to hold a dinner.

The King is in London to attend a banquet as the guest of Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebration.

The King, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, is staying at the £400 a night Savoy hotel. He is reported to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him to London.

His visit has been met with protests and media organisations across the world have drawn attention to the fact that while the King and his 13 wives live a lavish lifestyle, seven in ten of his 1.1 million subjects live in abject poverty, earning less than US$2 a day.

According to Forbes, the King has a personal fortune estimated at US$100 million. He also has control of a trust fund in Swaziland that is estimated at US$10 billion.

Pickets organized by the Swaziland Vigil met the King when he arrived at the Savoy on Wednesday. The Vigil is also organizing a protest on Saturday 19 May at the Swazi High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London, from 6.30pm.

See also

KING MSWATI, LONDON PROTEST - PICTURES

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/king-mswati-london-protest-pictures.html

SWAZILAND LONDON PROTEST PICTURES

Photos from the protest at the Four Seasons Hotel, London, on Saturday (30 April 2011) against King Mswati III, his invitation to the British Royal Wedding the previous day, and his continuing oppression of democracy in the kingdom where he rules as sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/actsa/sets/72157626636770320/with/5682739515/

‘KING SNEAKED INTO ROYAL WEDDING’

Times Live, South Africa

30 April 2011

SOURCE

Mswati plays the artful dodger

Swazi King Mswati III had to sneak into Westminster Abbey on Friday to avoid royal wedding embarrassment.

The controversial absolute monarch, whose country is ranked among the poorest in the world, spent much of this week playing hide-and-seek with pro-democracy demonstrators tailing him across London.

Mswati was not seen entering the front of the abbey, but apparently used a side entrance to keep a low profile in case of further protest action, according to members of pro-democracy group Swaziland Vigil.

"The royal family requested that he enter privately through a back door to avoid controversy," said pro-democracy activist Fungayi Mabhunu. "I only saw a glimpse of him inside."

Although the exact seating plan inside the abbey is still unclear, it appears Mswati took his place in the 'south transept' section - dubbed "the pew of evil" by some British media owing to the presence of foreign dignitaries from several rogue states.

While some former British prime ministers were excluded from the guest list - notably Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - the list included the likes of Mswati and Zimbabwean ambassador to London Gabriel Machinga, a prominent member of Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

The king's official spokesman, Bheki Dlamini, confirmed Mswati's presence in London, but could not be reached yesterday for comment on how he arrived inside the abbey.

Earlier in the week, Dlamini added to the game of royal hide-and-seek by refusing to divulge any details of the king's visit. "That's not my territory," Dlamini told the Sunday Times when pressed for details of Mswati's travel plans.

Mswati also kept activists guessing about his accommodation plans. He and his entourage - reportedly about 50 strong - are believed to have originally booked into the ultra-swanky Dorchester Hotel, where rooms cost upwards of R5000 a night.

Protesters staged a small demonstration outside the hotel on Tuesday, only to discover that the king had switched his booking to the equally posh Four Seasons Hotel, down the road.

The Swazi government is currently in the midst of a severe financial crisis and is battling to pay for basic services such as electricity. Last month, the country's main newspaper reported that the state electricity company was owed R13.5-million and was threatening to pull the plug on several ministries.