eSwatini Royals Hit Back at Lavish Spending Criticism
A newspaper owned by the royal family has hit back at U.S. Ambassador to eSwatini Lisa Peterson after she called for the kingdom's constitution to be changed to stop absolute monarch King Mswati III's lavish spending. A staggering 63% of eSwatini's population still lives below the poverty line. But while the average person struggles to make ends meet, the monarch - who is reportedly worth more than the U.S.$200 million - has long been under fire for his lavish lifestyle, owning a fleet of luxury cars, private jets, and even his own airport.
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Swaziland:
Swazi Palace Lashes Out At U.S. Ambassador for Rebuking King Mswati
Daily Maverick, 29 July 2020
The ambassador had chided King Mswati specifically for acquiring 11 customised Rolls Royce limousines in 2019, for undertaking 'royal family trips to Disney World in the middle of… Read more »
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Swaziland:
U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland Wants Constitutional Change to Stop King's Lavish Spending
Swazi Media, 27 July 2020
The US Ambassador to Swaziland (eSwatini) Lisa Peterson has called for the kingdom's constitution to be changed to stop absolute monarch King Mswati III's lavish spending. Read more »
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Swaziland:
Ambulances Stuck By Lack of Fuel As Covid-19 Death Toll Rises
Swazi Media, 23 July 2020
Ambulances in Swaziland (eSwatini) have been grounded because of lack of fuel at the height of the coronavirus crisis. The shortage might have contributed to the death of a teacher… Read more »
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Swaziland:
Global Financial Analyst Moody's Warns of Social Unrest in Swaziland As Coronavirus Grips
Swazi Media, 20 July 2020
The coronavirus pandemic in Swaziland (eSwatini) might lead to social unrest because the government is failing to support people living outside of large cities, the global… Read more »
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Swaziland:
EU Steps Up to Feed Destitute as Govt Stumbles to Deliver Aid
Swazi Media, 15 July 2020
The European Union donated 2.4 million euros (about 46.6 million emalangeni in local currency) to Swaziland (eSwatini) as the government stumbled to feed hundreds of thousands of… Read more »
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Swaziland:
Eswatini Editor Receives Death Threats Over Pro-Government Article
CPJ, 13 July 2020
On June 14, 2020, an alleged member of an Eswatini opposition group sent threatening text messages to Welcome Dlamini, an assistant weekend editor of the privately owned newspaper… Read more »
InFocus
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In eSwatini, access to food has become increasingly difficult during the extreme lockdown that was imposed by the authorities in a bid to bolster efforts to curb the spread of ... Read more »
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Six political groups have formed the Political Parties Assembly to advocate for change. Leaders of these groups had their homes raided by police on 20 December 2019. They were ... Read more »
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eSwatini Kingdom's absolute monarch King Mswati III has spent an estimated U.S.$6 million on 15 luxury Rolls-Royce vehicles for himself and his wives. This comes as the health ... Read more »
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The Swaziland Solidarity Network has slammed recent appointments to several committees by King Mswati III, saying the monarch believes "that the country is his own farm where he ... Read more »
King Mswati III of Eswatini (file photo).
