Pictures: King Mswati III of Swaziland leaving a lavish lifestyle while his people starve

Photos are beginning to come through from the picket in London to protest that King Mswati III of Swaziland has been invited to take part in the Jubilee celebrations of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth.

The King, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, is staying at the Savoy Hotel, where rooms cost about £400 per night. He is reported to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him from Swaziland.

King Mswati III of Swaziland and Inkhosikati LaMbikiza of Swaziland attend the Armed Forces Parade and Muster on Saturday May 19, 2012 in Windsor, England. Queen Elizabeth II is watching thousands of Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force troops parade outside her Windsor Castle home to mark her Diamond Jubilee. The parade is part of a series of events to celebrate the queen’s 60-year reign, which culminate in nationwide Jubilee celebrations on a 4-day weekend beginning June 2.

The Swazi Vigil organised a protested outside the hotel today (16 May 2012).

The co-ordinator of the Swazi Vigil Thobile Gwebu said people in Swaziland had been reduced to eating cow dung so that they could fill their bellies as required for the AIDs medicines provided by NGOs. She said the King had recently taken delivery of a DC-9 twin-engine aircraft claiming it was a gift from ‘anonymous sponsors’

 LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 18: King Mswati III of Swaziland and Inkhosikati LaMbikiza attend a dinner for foreign Sovereigns to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee at Buckingham Palace on May 18, 2012 in London, England. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall hosted the event.

The Swaziland Vigil is also planning to picket the Swaziland High Commission on Saturday 19 May when King Mswati is due to hold a dinner.

Censorship On King’s UK Trip

 Swazilanders and Bahrainians join human rights campaigners in a protest protest outside Buckingham Palace in London against the invitations of royal dictators from around the world to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee dinner at Buckingham Palace, Friday, May 18, 2012. The list for Friday’s dinner includes Swaziland’s King Mswati III, accused of living in luxury while his people go hungry while critics are aghast at the choice for Friday’s lunch at Windsor Castle of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, whose Gulf nation has been engaged in a brutal crackdown on political dissent. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

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.

 WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Queen Elizabeth II walks past King Mswati III of Swaziland and Inkhosikati LaMbikiza of Swaziland as she attends the Armed Forces Parade and Muster in Home Park on May 19, 2012 in Windsor, England. Over 2500 troops took part in the Diamond Jubilee Muster in Home Park.

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’.

 WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 18: King Mswati III of Swaziland and Inkhosikati LaMbikiza arrive at a lunch For Sovereign Monarchs in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, at Windsor Castle, on May 18, 2012 in Windsor, England.

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.

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Posted by admin on May 20 2012. Filed under Africa & World Politics, Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry