Too swish for Swaziland?

2005-02-03 09:29

Mbabane - Said to be one of the ten most expensive cars in the world, the Maybach 62 is sleek, glamorous and - some might argue - a little out of place in a country where two thirds of the population lives below the poverty line.

But if that country is Swaziland - and the person behind the wheel, so to speak, is King Mswati the Third - this argument would not stand in the way of him signing on the dotted line.

The Maybach, produced by the German-American car manufacturer Daimler-Chrysler, has become the latest addition to the royal fleet - and Mswati took his first spin in the vehicle last week.

"The king drove up the main street of the capital in this beautiful car, and he was flanked on either side by bodyguards in cars which were almost as magnificent," said cashier Martha Dlamini.

She witnessed the motorcade passing through Mbabane en route to Mswati's palace at Nkayoyo, on the outskirts of the city.

Added his own features

According to Daimler-Chrysler, the Maybach's features include a DVD player, television set and cordless telephone. To this, the king has added a few features of his own choosing: heated leather seats, a refrigerator and a bar.

Only 1 000 of the hand-built cars are assembled annually, at a cost of about $350 000. However, the version bought by Mswati has apparently cost $500 000.

His purchase of the Maybach comes at a time when over a quarter of Swaziland's 970 000 people are dependent on non-governmental organisations for food aid, and many who are HIV-positive go without the anti-retroviral drugs needed to prolong their lives.

The Southern African kingdom currently has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate, of about 39%.

At the same time, increased competition abroad is undermining Swazi exports, while foreign investment in the country is static - and unemployment put at 40%. Mswati's recent decision to sign into law a bill that taxes charitable and educational organisations, which had previously been exempt, reveals the budgetary shortfall that government is facing.

Small wonder then that as the king was getting the feel of his luxury sedan last week, the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) was conducting a march just a few blocks away. This was to lobby against a proposed constitution that would reportedly entrench the system of absolute monarchy which has allowed Mswati to indulge his lavish tastes.

"Government expenditure remains insensitive to the concerns and priorities of poverty reduction. Fiscal indiscipline starts from the top down," said SFTU Secretary General Jan Sithole.

In 2002, Mswati sought to buy a $45m luxury jet. While protests from donors and Swazis caused this plan to be abandoned, a deposit of almost $4.7m has yet to be accounted for.

The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the largest of the banned political parties, has called on the international community to institute sanctions against the royal family. - IPS

- SAPA