King Mswati III of Swaziland celebrated his fortieth birthday in grand style on Saturday. A dozen heads of state made their way to the little kingdom, wedged between South Africa and Mozambique for the king's birthday bash and the 40th anniversary of Swaziland's independence from Britain. A double celebration cloaked in controversy.
King Letsie III of Lesotho, the only other Southern African kingdom, expressed his satisfaction for the warm welcome in Mbabane on behalf of all the other foreign guests.
"Today is a great day for the Kingdom of Swaziland as we mark the double celebrations. On behalf of all the Heads of State, we feel elated and privileged to join the king and the Kingdom of Swaziland in this ceremony. Allow us to register our satisfaction for the elaborate preparations and the facilities provided to us and our delegations since we arrived," King Letsie said.
* Foreign leaders gather in Mbabane; King Mswati (left) is watched by Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
King Letsie was impressed by the improvements in infrastructure, which to him were an indicator that the grounds has already been prepared for development to flourish. "From what we see, it is clear that under the guidance of the king, you are poised for a great future," he said.
King Letsie said the foreign leaders would like to wish more happy years for the king and country. He saluted King Mswati III with the traditional miSwati royal greeting of ‘Bayethe’, as he finished his address. King Letsie was seated next to Mswati.
Among the guests were the presidents of Botswana, Madagaskar, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe. © GPD; Source: Times of Swaziland
Congratulations to the King Mswati III on his 4oth b'day. I was shocked and appalled
to see some of the pictures in the Internet where his own
blood daughter was walking topless!?
Unbeleivavble!! The king has lost his mind or this is a
utterly barbaric culture. 66% population are dying for lack of food and water
while the stupid king spends millions on his b'day and pampering
his wives. Completely ignorant. I don't know ho his God is but
there is only ONE God and his will punish this king.
I am praying that soon one day the people of swaziland will rise and
drag this king onto the streets and butcher him to death until
his body is unidentifiable before feeding it to vultures.
Who reads this knows this is the truth.
Humanity, compassion, justice, and truth prevails over any cultural nuances.
Posted by: USA citizen | June 20, 2009 at 04:54 PM