King Mswati III Net Worth

What Is King Mswati III's Net Worth?

King Mswati III is the current King of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). He has a net worth of $200 million.

Born Makhosetive Dlamini, King Mswati III is the head of the Swazi Royal Family. Mswati's father was King Sobhuza II, who had 70 wives, but Mswati was the only child of his mother, Queen Ntfombi. Mswati was introduced as Crown Prince in 1983 and became king in 1986 at 18 years old. This made him the youngest reigning monarch at that time. He made a new constitution in 2004 that promoted freedom of speech and assembly. In 2001, Mswati invoked a chastity rite, which meant that all Swazi maidens should not have sexual relations for five years to fight against AIDS and HIV. King Mswati has had 16 wives and more than 20 children. Parliament allocated $61 million for his household budget in 2014, which drew criticism since many of the country's citizens live on little more than $1 a day. King Mswati rules with his mother as an absolute monarchy.

Early Life

Mswati III was born Makhosetive Dlamini on April 19, 1968, in Manzini, Swaziland Protectorate. His birth took place at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital. Mswati is the son of King Sobhuza II and Queen Ntfombi. Sobhuza reigned for 82 years and had 70 wives during that time. He welcomed 210 children, and around 180 of them survived infancy. Sobhuza died in August 1982, and the Great Council of State chose 14-year-old Mswati to be his successor.

Career

In September 1983, Mswati was introduced as crown prince, and in April 1986, he was crowned king a few days after his 18th birthday. He inherited an absolute monarchy, as King Sobhuza had ruled by decree since the early 1970s and banned political parties. Though Mswati is able to choose important positions such as prime minister, he must get special advice from Queen Ntfombi and council. When choosing cabinet positions, the prime minister advises him. Mswati has ruled by decree, but he decided to restore Parliament, which had been dissolved by his father. Mswati can appoint members of Parliament, or they can be elected by traditional chiefs. Mswati is close to the evangelical church, and he banned divorce and miniskirts. In 2001, he tried to mitigate the HIV/AIDS pandemic by invoking a chastity rite (umcwasho) encouraging Swazi maidens to abstain from sexual relations for the next five years. However, Mswati violated the chastity rite two months after imposing it by choosing a 17-year-old as one of his wives. In 2005, he announced a new constitution that would allow for freedom of speech and assembly, but Amnesty International has said that these freedoms are restricted. On April 19, 2018, Mswati marked his 50th birthday and the 50th anniversary of Swaziland's independence by renaming the country Eswatini, which was Swaziland's original name.

Eswatini is one of the world's poorest countries, with more than 60% of the population living below the poverty line. In early 2021, Mswati was hospitalized for COVID-19, and he thanked Taiwan for providing him antiviral medication. In mid-2021, several protests against authoritarianism broke out. The Communist Party of Swaziland claimed that Mswati had fled to South Africa just over a week after the protests began, while the Swaziland Solidarity Network said that he went to Mozambique. Acting prime minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku denied these claims, stating, "Following the false media reports circulating, I would like to take this opportunity to assure emaSwati and the international community that His Majesty King Mswati III is in the country and continues to lead in working with the Government to advance the Kingdom's goals."

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

Personal Life

Mswati married his sixteenth wife in 2024, and he has more than 20 children. National councillors chose his first two wives. In 2002, 18-year-old Zena Mahlangu disappeared from her high school, and her mother, Lindiwe Dlamini, later discovered that Zena had been taken by two men to Ludzidzini Royal Village, where she was being prepared to be Mswati's next wife. Dlamini filed a lawsuit to prevent the marriage from taking place (to no avail), and Amnesty International stated, "The king and his agents have violated the internationally recognized human rights of women and girls, including their right not to be arbitrarily detained and the right not to be subjected to forced marriage."

Mswati has earned criticism for his lavish lifestyle, and he banned photography of his cars after he attracted criticism for his purchase of a $500,000 DaimlerChrysler Maybach 62 and other luxury automobiles. He also owns a bespoke watch collection that is worth millions of U.S. dollars. During Mswati's reign, he has been criticized for allegedly committing human rights violations. His government has been accused of torture, excessive force, discrimination, extrajudicial killings, and targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Honors

King Mswati III has received several national honors, including a Grand Master of the Royal Order of King Sobhuza II (1986), Grand Master of the Royal Order of the Great She-Elephant (2002), Grand Master of the Royal Order of the Crown (2002), Grand Master of the Royal Family Order of Mswati III (2002), Grand Master of the Military Order of Swaziland (2002), and Grand Master of the Order of the Elephant (2018). In 1991, he was appointed a Knight of the Venerable Order of St John by the U.K., and in 1995, he received a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Good Hope from South Africa.

Who's Richer?

King
Mswati III

Compare!

Sheikh
of Kuwait