MBABANE: King Mswati and his delegation that include Cabinet Ministers,his children,security personnel and other members of the royal family allegedly spent over R50million in allowances,travel costs and accommodation at the United Kingdom’s Savoy Hotel.
Eswatini,the tiny Kingdom situated in Southern Africa ruled by the extravagant absolute Monarch has about 70% of the population living below the poverty line, political parties are banned from participating in elections and human rights defenders are arrested or killed for demanding democracy.
When asked by this Swaziland News to clarify how much Mswati spent on the whole trip, King’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said finances for international trips were handled by Government hence he was not sure of the amount.
“We don't handle finances and hotel bookings for the King’s travel internationally but Government.We wouldn't be sure,” said the King’s Spokesperson.
Information in our possession suggests that the King travelled with over fifty(50) members of his delegation and some members of the King’s delegation were accommodated in rooms that costs more than fifteen thousands Rands(R15,000.00) per-night.
A online investigation conducted by this publication on the prices at Savoy Hotel uncovered that currently, ordinary rooms cost at least R15,804.00 per-night.
But the King,his wife LaMbikiza,children and others booked Very Important Person (VIP) rooms,standard VIP rooms cost around R30,000.00 per-night.
The King left the country on Thursday morning to attend the coronation of King Charles III, he was among the invited Very Important Persons(VIP)guests from Commonwealth countries.
Members of the King’s delegation are expected to pocket over one hundred thousand Rands(R100,000.00) each as traveling allowances and this amount to over R5million,their accommodation and other additional Hotel bills will costs the financially struggling taxpayers least over R1million per-night.
Other monies will cater for the King’s allowance and his private jet traveling costs.
Meanwhile,eSwatini diasporas based in the United Kingdom(UK) and led by the President of the Swaziland Liberation Movement(SWALIMO) Mduduzi ‘Magawugawu’ Simelane welcomed Mswati with a protest.
The protest was in demand for democracy in eSwatini and justice for the dozens of civilians who were allegedly killed by Mswati’s regime including human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.
The protesters were singing a song titled “Who is the murderer?, the King of Swaziland”.
Magawugawu is among the three(3) eSwatini Members of Parliament(MPs) who were charged with terrorism for demanding democracy inside Parliament,he was subsequently forced into exile while the two other incarcerated MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube were denied bail by Mswati’s courts.
Speaking to this Swaziland News on Sunday, SWALIMO President Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane who was among the organizers of the protest in the United Kingdom(UK) thanked Swazi Lives Matter,Global Afrika Congress,The Republicans,SWALIMO and all the sympathizers of the struggle for democracy in eSwatini.
“This coronation afforded us two days of agressive advocacy and activism. We thank the mentioned big organisations for embracing and consolidating our program alongside theirs. It took two days as on the first night our people held a strong picket at SAVOY Hotel where Mswati was housed and the second day was on the main day.The message has been sent wide and far and we urge our fellow democracy loving people to keep up the fight,” said the SWALIMO President when speaking to this publication on Sunday afternoon.
Reached for comments,Mandla Hlatswako,the Chairman of Letfu Sonkhe Institute for Strategic Thinking and Development said the costs of the King’s United Kingdom(UK)trip could have purchased the much-needed drugs in hospitals.
The senior member of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) said it was surprising to see the King traveling to a country where the Monarchy surrendered Executive powers to the people through Parliament and further submitted itself to be at the service of the people.
“For the King to go and witness a democracy in operation,it must be indictment upon him if you look at how he is ruling his own country, where he wants us as the society to not just be his subject but, to be his servants.The kind of expenditure that is involved in the King going to spend the time that he spent, just that one visit is all that we need to buy the drugs that will run Mbabane hospital possibly, for more than a month,”said the Letfu Sonkhe Chairman.
A protest against Mswati in the UK.