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50-718: Mswati III lives about ten kilometres (6 mi) away at the Lozitha Palace. The King and Queen Mother participate in annual December and January Incwala ceremonies and August and September Reed Dances at Ludzidzini Royal Village, also known as the Royal Kraal . Key attractions are the Parliament, National Museum of Eswatini, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary , and the King Sobhuza II Memorial Park. The Embo State Palace, not open to visitors,

100-468: A subtropical climate with wet summers and dry winters. In 1997 its population was 3,625. Its population in 2006 was 11,000. Across the country, 84.3% of its people are Swazi and 9.9% are Zulu . The remainder are Tsonga (2.5%), Indian (1.6%) and others (1.7%). Its official languages are Swazi and English . Two areas have been called Lobamba, the first now called "Old Lobamba" was established in 1750 in southern Eswatini. The subject of this article

150-490: A Sub-Saharan nation. As an absolute monarch, he holds the power to dissolve parties, and can veto any legislation parliament passes. According to accusations by Amnesty International , Zena Mahlangu , an 18-year-old high school student, disappeared from her school in October 2002. Her mother, Lindiwe Dlamini, learned that her daughter had been taken by two men, Qethuka Sgombeni Dlamini and Tulujani Sikhondze, and she reported

200-448: A completely susceptible population, that means that the basic reproduction number (R 0 ) of the infection must equal one. In a population with some immune individuals, the basic reproduction number multiplied by the proportion of susceptible individuals in the population ( S ) must be one. This takes account of the probability of each individual to whom the disease may be transmitted being susceptible to it, effectively discounting

250-658: A great interest in the royal guard, becoming the first young cadet to join the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) . When King Sobhuza II died on 21 August 1982, the Great Council of State (the Liqoqo ) selected the 14-year-old prince Makhosetive to be the next king. For the next four years, two wives of Sobhuza II, Queen Dzeliwe Shongwe (1982–1983) and Queen Ntfombi Tfwala (1983–1986), served as regent while he continued his education in

300-493: A specific population or populated place when that infection is constantly present, or maintained at a baseline level, without extra infections being brought into the group as a result of travel or similar means. The term describes the distribution of an infectious disease among a group of people or within a populated area. An endemic disease always has a steady, predictable number of people getting sick, but that number can be high ( hyperendemic ) or low ( hypoendemic ), and

350-399: A state of emergency that has continued ever since. Pro-democracy protests from 2021 onwards have been violently dispersed and political activists have been arrested, subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, and their homes have been raided by security forces. The government exercises total control over the broadcast media, including the only privately owned TV channel, which belongs to

400-467: 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. Despite his role in appointing such positions, Mswati is still required to get special advice from the queen mother and council when choosing positions such as prime minister; similarly, in matters of cabinet appointments, Mswati is advised by the prime minister. Mswati ruled by decree , but he chose to restore

450-514: Is a settlement that was created by Sobhuza II in the northwest section of the country. In 1903, following the Boer Wars , the British government took control of Eswatini and it was then ruled by a regent . In 1921 King Sobhuza II became leader of Eswatini, which was still under the British government's control. Eswatini became independent of the British government on September 6, 1968, which

500-575: Is sometimes open to visitors. The royal Embo State Palace was built by the British to house the polygamous Sobhuza II and his family, including 600 children. It is not open to visitors and photographs are not allowed. King Mswati III lives at the Lozitha Palace, about ten kilometres (6 mi) from the city. He visits the Royal Kraal, or Ludzidzini Royal Residence, during the Umhlanga dance and Incwala ceremonies. The royal village includes

550-489: Is the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary that has horseback and hiking trails, guided mountain-bike tours, rustic trail camps and camping in caves. Throughout the park are opportunities to observe game, including antelope , giraffe , zebras , and many types of birds. A memorial park was established in the memory of King Sobhuza II , who was the leader of the country's independence in 1968. The king's life

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600-791: Is the last remaining absolute monarch in Africa and one of the only 12 remaining absolute national or subnational monarchs in the world. Under the constitution, the king is the commander-in-chief of the defence force and commissioner-in-chief of police and correctional services and Mswati III exercises ultimate authority over all branches of the national government and effectively controls local governance through his influence over traditional chiefs. Under his reign, political dissent and civic and labor activism are subject to harsh punishment under sedition and other laws. Political parties have been banned in Eswatini since 1973 when King Sobhuza II declared

650-661: Is the legislative seat of the Eswatini government. It was made a branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on January 1, 1965, and its date of independence was January 1, 1968. The constitution was signed by King Mswati III on July 26, 2005. The king appoints the prime minister and the council. There are two chambers: the Senate and the House of Assembly. The parliament building

700-572: Is told through an exhibit of photographs. Three of the king's vintage cars are in the museum and his mausoleum is within the park. Malkerns Valley is an arts and crafts center located seven kilometres ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2  mi) south of Lobamba. Lobamba is famous for two ceremonies that are held there: the Reed Dance , celebrated in August and September in honour of the Queen Mother, and

750-551: The 2021 Eswatini protests broke out against authoritarianism and the suppression of opposition. The Communist Party of Swaziland alleged he had fled to South Africa on the night of 28–29 June, whereas the Swaziland Solidarity Network claimed he fled to Mozambique . Both of these claims were denied by acting prime minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku . The king currently has 16 wives and 45 children. An Eswatini king's first two wives are chosen for him by

800-711: The Incwala , in December and January in honour of the King. These ceremonies include dancing, singing, and celebrations with traditional attire. Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive ; 19 April 1968) is the Ngwenyama (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family . He heads an absolute monarchy , as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune from prosecution. He

850-537: The International Council of Museums . The museum houses a memorial to the revered King Sobhuza II and Swazi and South African artifacts. It has a collection of photographs that include subjects of the Mbabane and Manzini Regions and British colonial administrators. A 16th-century head of Krishna , discovered nearby, is located in the natural history wing and provides evidence of trade with

900-522: The MR3 highway and MR103 road. There are small local airstrips and a railroad that operates between Eswatini and Mozambique. The Matsapha Airport is 23 kilometres (14 mi) from Lobamba. The next closest domestic and international airport is Maputo International Airport in Mozambique, which is 216 kilometres (134 mi) away. One of the tour operators in Eswatini is Swazi Trails, which has tours of

950-498: The east . The natural history wing includes highveld and lowveld dioramas to illustrate the diverse Eswatini ecosystems and feature rarely seen nocturnal animals. Its nature-centric exhibits integrate environmental and cultural impacts. A recreation of a Swazi homestead is located outside the museum. Also located near the Parliament building is the Somhlolo stadium for football and other major events. Just outside Lobamba

1000-633: The Forbes 2009 list of the World's 15 Richest Royals, King Mswati is worth a reported $ 200 million. In January 2004 the Times of Swaziland reported that the king asked his government to spend about $ 15-million to redecorate three main palaces and build others for each of his 11 wives. The Prime Minister's Office issued a press statement saying the article in the Times of Swaziland was "reckless and untrue" and that

1050-489: The HIV and AIDS pandemic in 2001, the king used his traditional powers to invoke a time-honoured chastity rite ( umcwasho ) under the patronage of a princess, which encouraged all Swazi maidens to abstain from sexual relations for five years. This was last done under Sobhuza II in 1971. This rite banned sexual relations for Swazis under 18 years of age from 9 September 2001 to 19 August 2005, but just two months after imposing

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1100-501: The High Court, but Swaziland's Attorney-General Phesheya Dlamini intervened. She has since had two children, and formally became the king's wife in 2010. Amnesty International said: The king and his agents have violated the internationally recognized human rights of women and girls, including their right not to be arbitrarily detained and the right not to be subjected to forced marriage. On 19 April 2018, King Mswati III changed

1150-528: The LGBT community, labour leaders, and activists against child labour, among other groups. The courts took little or no action to punish Mswati's actions or the officials who committed the abuses. Mswati has been accused of kidnapping women he desires to marry. In addition, in 2000 he allegedly called for a parliamentary meeting to debate if HIV-positive people should be "sterilized and branded". Mswati has been criticized for his lavish lifestyle, especially by

1200-646: The Lobamba royal village, nature reserves, game parks, and craft centres. Nabo Bashoa runs minibus tours. African Life. Some of the Sons of the Late Chief Bokweni Mamba. National Dancing at Lobamba (1951) The National Museum of Eswatini, located in Lobamba next to the Parliament building , was built in 1972 and expanded in 1986 and 1990. The museum was made a non-profit institution in 1974 by

1250-568: The United Kingdom, attending Sherborne School ( International College ), before he was called back to ascend to the throne. Mswati was introduced as crown prince in September 1983 and was crowned king on 25 April 1986, aged 18 years and 6 days, thus making him one of the youngest reigning monarchs of the late 20th century, The king and his mother, whose title is Indlovukati ("Great She-Elephant"), rule jointly. Today King Mswati III

1300-457: The ban, he violated this decree when a 17-year-old liphovela (royal fiancée) was chosen, who became his 13th wife. As per custom, he was fined a cow by members of her regiment, which he duly paid. Mswati has visited Taiwan seventeen times as of June 2018, and has promised to continue recognizing Taiwan instead of the People's Republic of China . Eswatini is predominantly rural and is one of

1350-457: The disease can be severe or mild. Also, a disease that is usually endemic can become epidemic . For example, chickenpox is endemic in the United Kingdom, but malaria is not. Every year, there are a few cases of malaria reported in the UK, but these do not lead to sustained transmission in the population due to the lack of a suitable vector (mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles ). Consequently,

1400-423: The endemic steady state, depending on a number of factors, including the virulence of the disease and its mode of transmission . If a disease is in an endemic steady state in a population, the relation above allows the basic reproduction number (R 0 ) of a particular infection to be estimated. This in turn can be fed into a mathematical model for the epidemic. Based on the reproduction number, we can define

1450-465: The epidemic waves, such as the first wave, second wave, etc. for COVID-19 in different regions and countries. It has been claimed that endemic COVID-19 implies that the disease severity would be mild. However, endemicity has no inherent relationship with disease severity. Endemic COVID-19 could be mild if previously acquired immunity reduces the risk of death and disability during future infections, but in itself endemicity only means that there will be

1500-667: The government and political transformation. However, critics such as the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) believe that these changes are solely aimed at strengthening and perpetuating the traditional order. His attendance at the May 2012 Sovereign Monarchs lunch, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II , caused some controversy, given criticisms of his regime's human rights record. Eswatini has been described as having been gripped by years of fiscal indiscipline, government corruption, and lavish lifestyles of

1550-407: The immune sector of the population. So, for a disease to be in an endemic steady state or endemic equilibrium , it holds that In this way, the infection neither dies out, nor does the number of infected people increase exponentially . An infection that starts as an epidemic will eventually either die out (with the possibility of it resurging in a theoretically predictable cyclical manner) or reach

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1600-439: The matter to the police. Some time later, she was told that her daughter was at Ludzidzini Royal Village and was being prepared to be the next wife of the king. She demanded that her daughter be returned to her custody, and threatened to sue. Among the criteria for a liphovela (future bride) is that the girl must not be a twin; Zena Mahlangu was half of a brother-sister twin set, and therefore not eligible. The matter went to

1650-435: The media; in one report he was accused of living a luxurious lifestyle while the people of his country starve. In the 2014 national budget, parliament allocated $ 61 million (US) for the King's annual household budget, while 63% of Swazis live on less than $ 1.25 per day. Mswati banned photography of his automobiles after he was criticized for purchasing luxury cars, such as a $ 500,000 DaimlerChrysler Maybach 62 . According to

1700-420: The name of the country from Swaziland to Eswatini to mark its 50th anniversary of independence. The name change coincided with the king's birthday. The actual anniversary took place on 6 September, though in the same year. Eswatini is the ancient, original name for the country, chosen as a departure from its colonial past. Endemic disease In epidemiology , an infection is said to be endemic in

1750-579: The nation's Parliament, which had been dissolved by his father in order to ensure concentration of power remained with the king. Parliamentarians are appointed either by Mswati himself (two-thirds of the senators and ten deputies) or elected by traditional chiefs close to power. Close to the evangelical churches, he banned divorce and the wearing of miniskirts. In 2006, Mswati promulgated a new constitution that allows freedom of speech and assembly. However, Amnesty International criticizes that such freedoms are restricted in practice. In an attempt to mitigate

1800-498: The national councillors. There are complex rules on succession. Traditionally the king is chosen through his mother as represented in the Swazi saying Inkhosi, yinkhosi ngenina , meaning "a king is king through his mother". According to tradition, he can marry his fiancées only after they have become pregnant, proving they can bear heirs. Until then, they are termed liphovela , or "concubines". Mswati's reign has brought some changes in

1850-414: The number of people infected by malaria in the UK is too variable to be called endemic. However, the number of people who get chickenpox in the UK varies little from year to year, so chickenpox is considered endemic in the UK. For an infection that relies on person-to-person transmission, to be endemic, each person who becomes infected with the disease must pass it on to one other person on average. Assuming

1900-587: The poorest countries in the world (63% of its population lives below the poverty line). An economic circle of 15,000 businessmen takes most of the country's wealth. This circle includes South African investors who have come to Eswatini to find labour at one-third the cost and a group of white businessmen who are heirs to the British settlers. In January 2021, Mswati contracted COVID-19 , and he later thanked Taiwan for providing antiviral medication that helped with his recovery. Mswati did not disclose that he had been hospitalized until after his recovery. In June 2021,

1950-410: The proposal was for the construction of 5 State Houses, not Palaces, and the cost was only €19.9 million. Later that year the go-ahead was given to build five new buildings at a cost of more than $ 4-million out of public funds . In August 2008, hundreds of Swazi women marched through the capital to protest the cost of a shopping spree taken abroad by nine of the King's thirteen wives. The demonstration

2000-585: The queen mother's Royal Kraal, dwelling clusters, and a parade ground for ceremonies. Lobamba has a police station and is served by The Royal Eswatini Police Service. During the British colonial era Lord Selborne , High Commissioner for South Africa signed a proclamation in 1907 for what became the Eswatini Police Force. After Eswatini's independence in 1968, the force was renamed the Royal Eswatini Police Force. Its name

2050-400: The royal family. Almost all media outlets are controlled, directly or indirectly, by Mswati III. Mswati III lives an opulent and lavish lifestyle which stands in sharp contrast to the lives of most Emaswazi people. In 2022, an estimated 32% of the population lived below the $ 2.15/day international poverty line (measured by price-purchasing parity (PPP) in 2017) while 55% of the population

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2100-692: The royal family. The nation has also been described as being on the brink of economic disaster due to these factors. Mswati's reign has been criticized for its several alleged human rights violations. His regime has been accused of using torture and excessive force to control the masses as well as blatant discrimination against various dissenting groups. His regime has been accused of extrajudicial killings by his forces, along with arbitrary arrests, detentions, and unwarranted searches and seizures of homes and property. His government has restricted freedom of speech, assembly and association, and has harassed activists and journalists. The government has reportedly targeted

2150-565: The son of Sobhuza II (who had 70 wives during his reign of 82 years), and the only child of Ntfombi Tfwala , also known as Inkhosikati LaTfwala, one of Sobhuza's younger wives. He was born four months before Swaziland attained independence from the United Kingdom . When he and his mother were discharged from the hospital, they went to live at one of Sobhuza's residences, Etjeni, near the Masundwini royal residence. His birth name

2200-724: Was Makhosetive (lit. "Kings of Nations", in reference to the heads of state who visited Eswatini that year for the independence celebrations), and his half-siblings included Mantfombi , a future queen of the South African Zulus . As a young prince, Makhosetive attended Masundwini Primary School and later Lozitha Palace School. He sat for the Swaziland Primary Certificate examination in December 1982 at Phondo Royal Residence and received First Class with merit in Mathematics and English. He developed

2250-554: Was announced at a cattle byre in Lobamba by Prince Makhosini . He was the country's first prime minister and the great-grandson of Sobhuza I . With its independence, Eswatini was a member in its own right of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), British Commonwealth , and the United Nations . It was made a constitutional monarchy under Sobhuza II, who lived in the royal residence, or kraal , in Lobamba. Lobamba

2300-568: Was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his younger wives, Ntfombi Tfwala . He 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. With unrestricted political power and able to rule by decree , Mswati III (together with his mother, Ntfombi Tfwala , now Queen Mother [ Ndlovukati ])

2350-411: Was built by the British government for the polygamous King Sobhuza II , whose family included 600 children. He led the movement for Eswatini's independence from the United Kingdom and was its first prime minister. It is located in the western part of the country in the woodland "Valley of Heaven", or Ezulwini Valley . It is 16 kilometres (10 mi) from Mbabane , in the district of Hhohho and has

2400-487: Was further changed making it a service, rather than a force. Education is free, but is not required. It had low literacy rates, but they are rising. Lobamba National High School is in Lobamba. The government provides health facilities to manage endemic disease and malnutrition . Retirement, disability and survivor pensions are available through its welfare system. Many of the roads in Eswatini are unsurfaced, but there are good roads that connect principal towns, including

2450-416: Was organised by Positive Living, a non-governmental organisation for Swazi women with AIDS, and protesters submitted a petition to the finance minister arguing that the money should have been differently spent. Mswati owns a collection of bespoke watches worth millions of dollars. Mswati has a personal stake in a large portion of Eswatini's economy which is a factor in its below-average economic growth for

2500-539: Was under the lower-middle-income country poverty line of $ 3.65/day. Mswati III is known for his practice of polygamy (although at least two wives are appointed by the state) and currently has 16 wives. Formerly named Swaziland, in 2018 Mswati III renamed the country Eswatini (formally the Kingdom of Eswatini) by decree. Mswati III was born on 19 April 1968 at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Manzini ,

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