Despot claim upsets Swazi king
2004-08-29 21:25
Mbabane - Africa's last absolute monarch, Swaziland's King Mswati III, has lashed out at being named one of the world's 10 worst dictators, a Mbabane-based newspaper reported on Sunday.
The all-powerful king who has ruled by decree since his coronation in 1986 at the age of 18, rejected a report by the Daily Mirror in London last week listing him as one of the 10 worst dictators.
King Mswati, 36, who has 11 wives, was criticised for his extravagant lifestyle while the majority of his subjects live in abject poverty.
But his brother, Prince Masitsela Dlamini, warned that the "bad reporting" was damaging the reputation of the tiny mountain kingdom wedged between South Africa and Mozambique.
"We have had enough of the bad reporting. It really destroys our image as a nation and that of our king. These journalists should come to Swaziland to get first-hand information.
"You may find that they do not even know where Swaziland is," he told the Times of Swaziland.
"It is just a typical example of a case whereby a monkey thinks it knows how domestic animals such as goats live," Dlamini added.
Swaziland is grappling with severe drought and food shortages and has the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence at 38%.