Swaziland, the poorest but tiny African country, is on the news again as its King has fallen in love with profligacy and ostentatious lifestyle.
Nationally, 58.9% of Swazis lived below the national poverty line in 2017. This follows a decline from 63% in 2009, and 69.0% in 2001.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Swaziland was worth 4.70 billion US dollars in 2018. The GDP value of Swaziland represents 0.01 percent of the world economy. GDP in Swaziland averaged 1.52 USD Billion from 1960 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 4.82 USD Billion in 2011 and a record low of 0.04 USD Billion in 1961.
Despite this, King of Swaziland, Mswati III Mswati is alleged to have bought 20 Rolls Royce vehicles for his 15 wives and a customised Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV for himself worth £12 million.
Unconfirmed Twitter reports claim “4 trucks loaded with 20 Rolls Royce and one Rolls Royce Cullinan” were delivered to the small African country.
Of all the cars delivered, each of his wives gets at least one.
A video shared online purportedly shows the cars being driven out from the point of delivery to be delivered to the new owners.
Mzilikazi wa Afrika’s post read: “HEARTBREAKING NEWS: Amidst all the economic challenges eSwazitini, King Mswati III yesterday decided to bless his wives with very expensive wheels.”
The Citezen reported that a source, from eSwatini’s Ministry of Information Communications and Technology, confirmed that the King had indeed bought the vehicles. The source reportedly said the vehicles arrived on Tuesday but was unsure on the exact number of the cars.
Just last week violent clashes broke out eSwatini with government workers complaining about the high living costs in the monarch.
News24 reported that the protests were in relation to the workers accusing King Mswati III of draining public coffers at the expense of his subjects.
