22 Facts About Mswati III

Mswati III was born on Makhosetive Dlamini; 19 April 1968 and is the Ngwenyama of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family.

Mswati III was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his younger wives, Ntfombi Tfwala.

Mswati III was crowned as Mswati III, Ingwenyama and King of Swaziland, on 25 April 1986 at the age of 18, thus becoming the youngest ruling monarch in the world at that time.

Mswati III is known for his practice of polygamy and currently has 16 wives.

Formerly named Swaziland, in 2018 Mswati III renamed the country Eswatini by decree.

Mswati III was born on 19 April 1968 at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Manzini, the son of Sobhuza II.

Today, King Mswati III 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.

Mswati III ruled by decree, but he chose to restore the nation's Parliament, which had been dissolved by his father in order to ensure concentration of power remained with the king.

In 2006, Mswati III promulgated a new constitution that allows freedom of speech and assembly.

Mswati III has visited Taiwan seventeen times as of June 2018, and has promised to continue recognizing Taiwan instead of the People's Republic of China.

In January 2021, Mswati III contracted COVID-19, and he later thanked Taiwan for providing antiviral medication that helped with his recovery.

Mswati III did not disclose that he had been hospitalized until after his recovery.

Mswati III's reign has brought some changes in the government and political transformation.

Mswati III's reign has been criticized for its several alleged human rights violations.

Mswati III's regime has been accused of using torture and excessive force to control the masses as well as blatant discrimination against various dissenting groups.

Mswati III's regime has been accused of extrajudicial killings by his forces, along with arbitrary arrests, detentions, and unwarranted searches and seizures of homes and property.

Mswati III's government has restricted freedom of speech, assembly and association, and has harassed activists and journalists.

Mswati III has been accused of kidnapping women he desires to marry.

Mswati III has been criticized for his lavish lifestyle, especially by the media; in one report he was accused of living a luxurious lifestyle while the people of his country starve.

Mswati III owns a collection of bespoke watches worth millions of dollars.

Mswati III has a personal stake in a large portion of Eswatini's economy which is a factor in its below-average economic growth for a Sub-Saharan nation.

On 19 April 2018, King Mswati III changed the name of the country from Swaziland to Eswatini to mark its 50th anniversary of independence.