Marching bands blew horns, women ululated, and men cheered as Eswatini marked King Mswati III’s 40th anniversary on the throne — an institution still revered despite mounting criticism of the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
A choir decked in yellow, blue and red formed an image of the national flag, singing the king’s praises and holding a sign wishing him a happy 58th birthday in the national stadium. The king himself addressed the crowd from an open-top car, dressed in a British military-style scarlet tunic.
“We have been through thick and thin as a nation,” Mswati told the assembled faithful. “It is important we remain united.”
Supporters praised the king’s development efforts, including free school education introduced in 2022 and mobile clinics launched the following year. Shabusiswa Sibambo, a 19-year-old well-wisher, said such programs had transformed lives across the mountainous southern African nation of 1.5 million people.
Her aunt, Busiwe Maziya, a 70-year-old subsistence maize farmer who remembered Mswati’s ascent to the throne in 1986, said her life had improved thanks to government assistance with agricultural tools and fertiliser. “Even the rainfall has been better,” Maziya said.
But critics say the celebration masks a troubling reality. King Mswati III and his dozen wives enjoy a lifestyle funded at the expense of a population where a third live below the $2.15-a-day World Bank poverty line. His royal upkeep costs tens of millions of dollars annually — and this month the government awarded an extra $3 million for it.
Wandile Dludlu, leader of Eswatini’s biggest opposition party, called the event “yet another public waste of scarce resources.” He listed what he described as unaddressed problems: widespread poverty, inequality, and high HIV prevalence rates.
“What a lost opportunity,” Dludlu said.
The anger bubbled over into violent protests in 2021, which were suppressed by security forces. The kingdom also drew unwanted international attention for jailing deportees from the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Despite the dissent, the throne retains deep cultural reverence across Eswatini, and the two-day celebration proceeded without major incident. Whether the milestone anniversary marks a turning point or simply more of the same will depend on whether the king’s promised unity translates into tangible improvements for ordinary Swatis.