Last Dance for the Playboy King of Swaziland? National Geographic As Swazilands economy struggles, Africas last absolute monarch faces a growing chorus of critics. ‘In Africas last absolute monarchy—a Connecticut-size kingdom sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique—where 60 percent of the land is effectively owned by the king, the song is no exaggeration. Under Swazilands dual land tenure system, roughly 70 percent of its 1.2 million citizens live on plots that are held in trust by the king, who imposes his authority through a network of local chiefs with the power to evict their tenants without recourse. ‘Essentially a form of 21st-century feudalism, the system is one of several vehicles that critics say have enabled Mswati to accumulate a striking amount of wealth at the expense of the Swazi population. Lacking title deeds, Swazi peasant farmers are commonly displaced to make way for royal family investments, and the majority are prevented from investing in basic agricultural improvements—one reason that roughly two-thirds of Swazis, according to U.N. data, are unable to meet their basic food requirements. ‘Combined with a 43 percent rate of chronic poverty, a life expectancy at birth of just 54 years, and an HIV prevalence of 26 percent—the worlds highest rate—Swazilands problem of hunger sits in glaring contrast to Mswatis playboy lifestyle. With 15 wives, 13 royal palaces, fleets of top-of-the-line Mercedes and BMWs, and a $17 million private jet known to turn up in London, Las Vegas, and Dubai, Mswati, though the leader of one of Africas smallest countries, spends as lavishly as any head of state on the continent.’ Read the full article here news.nationalgeographic/news/2014/10/141003-swaziland-africa-king-mswati-reed-dance/
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 04:56:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015