AFP is reporting that, Swaziland's
King Mswati III has chosen an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant as his 14th
wife, a palace spokesman said Tuesday, days before a much-criticised
parliamentary vote.
"I
can confirm that the king has introduced to the nation a new liphovela (royal
fiancee)," said Ludzidzini palace governor Timothy Mtetwa.
Mswati,
a 45-year-old who is sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, introduced
Sindiswa Dlamini at a Reed Dance celebration over the weekend.
She
wore red feathers on her head -- a sign of royalty.
The
young woman graduated from Mbabane's St. Francis High School last year and is a
finalist in the Miss Cultural Heritage beauty pageant. The winner will be
announced on September 28. (Well I guess she has won)
The
king has come under fire for his household's lavish lifestyle while the tiny
mountain kingdom's 1.2 million people struggle to make a living.
Mswati
reportedly has a personal fortune of around $200 million (152 euros) and the UN
estimates that 70 percent of his 1.2 million subjects live below the poverty
line.
He
has steadfastly resisted reforms.
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