King Asks Poor Swazis To pay For 11 Palaces For Wives

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 1-13-2004 | Rory Carroll

[blam]

King asks poor Swazis to pay for 11 palaces for wives

Rory Carroll in Johannesburg
Tuesday January 13, 2004
The Guardian (UK)

He did not get a private jet, but King Mswati III has found another way to drain Swaziland's treasury: a palace for each of his 11 wives. Sub-saharan Africa's last absolute monarch has reportedly asked his government for £8m to redecorate three royal palaces and build 11 new ones - a big sum for a tiny country reeling from drought, food shortages and HIV/Aids.

Most of the wives share a single palace and occupy guest houses, but before he marries again the king has decided to give each spouse her own home.

The Times of Swaziland said the 35-year-old monarch had asked the cabinet and parliament to approve funding. News agencies quoted an unnamed palace source as confirming the story.

If the projects go ahead it will be a comeback of sorts for a king who was unexpectedly forced by protests last year to abandon plans to buy a £24m executive jet.

He recently bought a fleet of BMWs costing £800,000 for his relatives.

A former British protectorate of 1.1 million people, wedged between South Africa and Mozambique, Swaziland is peaceful and has a relatively good infrastructure. But the HIV rate of 39% is the world's second highest after Botswana. With many peasants too sick to farm, the food shortage and grinding poverty have been compounded by one of the worst droughts in memory. The UN's World Food Programme, which feeds a quarter of the population, said harvests would decline for a fifth successive year.

The king has resisted pressure for greater political plurality and triggered one controversy after another, including the alleged abduction of an 18-year-old schoolgirl, Zena Mahlangu, to be his ninth bride.

Yet the influence of opposition groups is limited: the cabinet and parliament are packed with the king's relatives and judges have been sacked en masse for allegedly challenging his authority.

He remains popular with many Swazis, however, who see him as a virile father-figure. His late father, King Sobhuza II, amassed 99 wives and sired more than 200 children.

[blam]

Africa ping.

[kingu]

Wow. 35% AIDS rate, an insane monarchy, and, well, sub-saharian Africa. Seems like a really good place to be FROM.

[freedom44]

39% is absolutely ridiculous.

I didn't realize this was the last Monarch.

interesting.

[big bad easter bunny]

Can we say good use of a Tomahawk missle.

[mylife]

Can we say good use of a Tomahawk missle. Why?

They seem to be doing a good job destroying themselves

[cyborg]

Actually having multiple wives that one knows are healthy is better than street prostitutes (or American barebacking parties over on this of the ocean). Much more than I can say for Bill Clinton who is not in a culture than promotes the multiplying of wives.

[blam]

Lord! Do I want to know what is a 'barebacking party'? Never mind...I don't want to know.

[cyborg]

I always wonder where the money comes from. Also why haven't people around the world learned that multiplying wives isn't a good idea?

[cyborg]

Oh that was on my mind from another thread... and also trendy sex parties in NYC too with condoms INfrequently used... less Africans would be dropping with AIDS if they got real food (as opposed to the UN's day old mealie corn)and real health care but that's another thread!

[John Beresford Tipton]

"King asks poor Swazis to pay for 11 palaces for wives"

President asks poor taxpayers to pay for 11 million illegal aliens."

Same s*, different place.

[ambrose]

If these people want this moron to be their leader, that's their business... however, they shouldn't expect us to pick up the tab.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"If these people want this moron to be their leader, that's their business... however, they shouldn't expect us to pick up the tab."

I feel the same way about Bush, see prior post.

[MattAMiller]

Lord! Do I want to know what is a 'barebacking party'?

Barebacking is gay anal sex without a condom. Presumably a barebacking party would have a lot of this going on.

Never mind...I don't want to know.

Too late.

[big bad easter bunny]

I meant on the king, lets shorten the process.