A VIRILE MONARCH
Stephen Robinson celebrates
the coronation of the new king of Swaziland
Mbabane MOST Swazis are too polite to raise the matter directly, but several locals have been unable to disguise their disappoint- ment that only Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have been sent to attend this weekend's coronation of Crown Prince Makhosetive. The British High Commis- sioner has worked nobly to explain that Her Majesty the Queen has been rather preoccupied of late with her own 60th birthday celebrations. But Swazis, who demand much of their own king, expect a great deal from other monarchs too. The late and deeply lamented King Sobhuza did, after all, attend Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. Swaziland had also provided 4,000 soldiers to fight in the second world war. There is a feeling here that such loyalty might have been better rewarded, if not with the presence of the Queen herself, then with the Prince and Princess of Wales. Fortunately relations between Swaziland and her former colonial master remain cordial, and dissatisfaction at the absence of a big-name British Royal is unlikely to sour the festivities. The British are still in evidence elsewhere in the ,kingdom. A London public relations expert has been flown out from London to handle the 400 international pressmen who have de- scended on this tiny kingdom. Unfortu- nately, by the beginning of this week he had become so enraged by the Swazis' refusal to take any sort of decision that at (3 ne point he was threatening to fly home early. In addition, an eminent retired British diplomat has been lent by the Foreign Office to lay down the appropriate protocol. Among the many problems he faces is the correct seating plan for the state banquet, when mem veto bers beta o the South African cabinet will have ccommo- dated next to leaders of the more militant front-line states. Neither man has been helped by the days almost obsessive secrecy. Three uays before the main ceremony it was still unclear how many — if any — of the forign Journalists would be accredited. Many of the visiting dignatories had still not been allocated accommodation. No one could say at what time the actual coronation would take place except that it would be some time after noon. 'I must warn you brother,' explained the Swazi head of information when I called in for a corona- tion briefing, 'I am not allowed to say anything about the old king or the new prince.' The biggest taboo here is public specula- tion about the old king's remarkable sex life. Absolutely no official information is provided, but rumour has it that Sobhuza accumulated no fewer than 70 wives during his 62-year reign and fathered around 300 children. The new king will be expected to continue this practice, and has already chosen his first wife. For each year that he reigns he will select a new wife at the annual reed dance, when Swaziland's choi- cest maidens parade before the king. Tech- nology has caught up even with this most sacred of Swazi traditions, however, and it is said that the latest Japanese video equipment was used at last year's cere- mony so that the crown prince could make his choice at leisure.
It is difficult not to feel a certain sym- pathy for 18-year-old Crown Prince Makhosetive. Although he was selected to succeed his father over two years ago, he was not expected to be crowned until he turned 21. But serious and uncharacteristic infighting within the Swazi royal clan fol- lowing Sobhuza's death prompted a quick succession, and the bewildered Prince was plucked from his 0-level studies at Sher- bourne to face rather different responsibili- ties back home.
At the end of last year he was required to prove his manhood by slaying a lion, Swaziland's national animal. Unfortunate- ly the lion has long been extinct here, so an elderly specimen had to be imported from `Some of it got to the wrong place.' a neighbouring South African game re- serve. For safety reasons the unfortunate creature was then drugged before the Prince was allowed to lunge with his spear.
More recently Makhosetive was re- quired to undergo the ritual circumcision, and at some stage during the coronation weekend he will be made to penetrate his first wife in the presence of the tribal elders. The foreign guests, including the Kents, are apparently excused from attending this ceremony. Yet despite the eccentric customs, Swazis take their monarchy very seriously indeed and resent any suggestion that the system might be archaic. When the kingdom gained full independence in 1968, the British were anxious to leave behind a system of gov- ernment in the very best Westminster tradition. Within five years, King Sobhuza had decided the alien system was incom- patible with Swazi custom, and all political parties were abolished at a stroke. And so Swaziland has remained not so much a one-party state according to the familiar African model, as a non-party monarchy with an advisory council packed with royal favourites.
This system actually works very well indeed, and the 650,000-strong Swazi na- tion must rank as one of the happiest on the continent. Although there have been power struggles within the royal family, there is virtually no opposition to the principle of the monarchy.
Swazis are especially proud of their excellent race relations, and signs at the border posts remind visiting South Afri- cans that Swaziland is a multi-racial coun- try. Most South Africans require no such reminder for they come especially to enjoy attractions not readily available in the republic — the roulette wheel, and the excitement of horizontal racial integration with one of the numerous Swazi prostitutes who pack the tourist hotels.
Official relations with the South African government must of course remain good. The landlocked kingdom is surrounded to the north, south and west by the republic, and by war-torn Mozambique to the east. Over 90 per cent of all Swazi imports come through South Africa. The government knows full well that if it were to step out of line the country could be paralysed at South Africa's whim. Not surprisingly, the government has proved most obliging of late in removing ANC bases.
By coincidence I was travelling through Swaziland when King Sobhuza died in 1982. I clearly remember the Swazis' grief at their loss, and their fears for the future without a strong king. The recent power struggles within the royal palace have alarmed and unsettled the Swazis, and they dearly hope for a fresh start under the masculine control of Makhosetive. 'That's why we would have liked your Queen to come,' one Swazi businessman explained to me, 'because you British understand the importance of a strong monarch.'
Previous page
