Reports of King Mswati fleeing Eswatini dismissed as fake news

The Eswatini government has dismissed reports that King Mswati III had fled the country amid violent pro-democracy protests that have rocked the kingdom.

This is after reports emerged on Tuesday morning that the king had boarded his private jet out of the country after protesters clashed violently with the army the day before.

The monarch was said to be “hiding in Johannesburg, in the Sandton area”, the Communist Party of Swaziland’s Thokozane Kunene told EWN.

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However, Eswatini acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku has since labeled the media reports as “false”.

“Following the false media reports circulating, I would like to take this opportunity to assure emaSwati and the international community that His Majesty King Mswati III is in the country and continues to lead in working with government to advance the Kingdom’s goals,” Masuku said in a statement on Tuesday.

Masuku further called for calm among the people of Eswatini.

“The government will update the nation on interventions on the current situation as the day progresses. In the meantime, we appeal for calm, restraint and peace from all emaSwati.”

Soldiers deployed

Eswatini deployed soldiers overnight to an industrial town near the capital to crack down on protests against the ruling authorities in Africa’s last absolute monarchy, pro-democracy activists said on Tuesday.

Protests are usually rare in Eswatini, but recent weeks have seen violent anti-monarchy demonstrations erupting in parts of the country.

“The military is on the streets,” Lucky Lukhele, spokesperson for pro-democracy grouping Swaziland Solidarity Network, told AFP.

“Yesterday was the worst night ever where a young man was shot point-blank by the army and some are in hospital as we speak,” Lukhele said.

The Swaziland Uprising.
The People said enough is enough to all the oppression we were being subjected to. We want to govern ourselves. @EFFSwazi Victory is certain. #DemocracyInSwaziland #MultipartyDemocracy#EFFSwaziland #JusticeForThabani pic.twitter.com/N715tzb5Mj

— Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland (@EFFSwazi) June 29, 2021

Shops were looted and torched overnight in Matsapha, an industrial hub on the western edge of the capital, Manzini, according to several sources.

The government last week banned protests, with national police commissioner William Dlamini warning that officers would be “zero-tolerant” of breaches of the ban.

The king, crowned in 1986 when he was just 18, has come under fire for his expensive tastes and spending while most inhabitants live below the poverty line.

In 2019, the country was rocked by a series of strikes by civil servants who accused the monarch of draining the public coffers at the expense of his subjects.

Additional reporting by AFP