King Mswati III

King Mswati III

Swaziland

Population: 1,123,913

Age Structure: 0-14 years: 39.4% (male 223,420/female 219,420)
15-64 years: 56.9% (male 308,251/female 331,623)
65 years and over:3.7% (male 15,261/female 25,938) (2009 est.)

Population Growth Rate: -0.459%

Birth Rate: 26.25 births/1,000 population

Death Rate: 30.7 deaths/1,000 population

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 26.1%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 190,000

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 10,000

Ethnic groups: African 97%, European 3%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): male:10 years, female:10 years

Born: April 19, 1968 age 41

Father: King Sobhuza II (who had 70 wives)

Mother: Queen Ntombi Tfwala

Schooling: Masundwini Primary School and Sherborne School

Marriage: 14 wives concurrently

Children: 23

Royal House: House of Dlamini

How did he come into power? In Swaziland no king can appoint his successor. Only an independent special traditional Council called the Liqoqo decides which of the wives shall be "Great Wife" and "Indlovukazi" (She-Elephant / Queen Mother). The son of this "Great Wife" will automatically become the next king. King Mswati's mother was the “Great Wife”. When he was a young boy, Mswati and his mother moved to one of King Sobhuza's residences of Etjeni near Masundwini Palace. As a young prince, Makhosetive attended Masundwini Primary School and Lozitha Palace School. He took the Swaziland Primary Certificate examination in December 1982 at Phondo Royal Residence and got a First Class with merit in Mathematics and English. He developed a great interest in the royal guard, becoming the first young cadet to join the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF). When King Sobhuza II died in 1982, the Great Council of State selected the 14-year-old prince Makhosetive to be the next king. For the next four years, two wives of the late King Queen Dzeliwe Shongwe (1982–1983) and Queen Ntombi Tfwala (1983–1986), served as regent while he continued his education in England attending Sherborne School and then was called back to take over.

How has he stayed in power? Today he is Africa's last absolute monarch in the sense that he has the power to choose the prime minister, other top government posts and top traditional posts. Even though he makes the appointments, he still has to get special advice from the queen mother and council. Because Mswati is in the Royal family the country does not believe that they can remove him from being King, which has now turned into a dictatorship.

Explain the types of human rights problems most people have with this dictator. What are specific examples of recent human rights violations with this dictator? Mswati is also known for his having 14 wives, which has drawn sharp criticism from opponents, considering that he is the role model of a country whose AIDS infection rate has jumped to more than 25%, including 70,000 AIDS orphans. Swaziland has terrible conditions in including food shortages, but Mswati considered buying himself a private jet in 2001 for $45 million dollars but those plans were canceled; he has also petitioned the legislature for $15 million dollars in funds for the construction of a grand palace to house his relatives. While dealing with political battles Mswati has troubles with his own advisors. For example, in 2001 Mswati banned certain periodicals, only to admit later that he never read the decree. Mswati has also eliminated bail for certain crimes, including unlawful public demonstrations and has made punishments for defamation of the government much stricter.

How would your life be different if you lived in this country? My life would be extremely different. Women are not thought of highly in this country and that would create issues for me because I know that I could not live happily in a country where I do not have freedom of speech, religion, and women's rights. One Prime Minister commented on Women's rights and said, “ the protest was against the Swazi culture and an act by disrespectful women who have taken the fight for women a bit too far.” Swaziland also has a very high HIV/AIDS rate mostly from rape.

Should the United Nations or the United States take any action to remove this dictator?

I don't think that we should because he does not seem like a huge threat to other countries. The United Nations or United States could go to the country and help them out with food shortages, and medication. But according to these stats (left side bottom scorecard http://www.dictatorofthemonth.com/Mswati/Feb2005MswatiEN.htm ) he is not a threat to other nations.