MSWATI’S MILLION-DOLLAR BIRTHDAY WHILE HOSPITALS RUN DRY

It is both heartbreaking and infuriating to witness King Mswati III choosing to spend millions of public funds on a lavish birthday celebration while public hospitals across Eswatini are facing a crippling drug shortage. In a country where poverty is widespread and access to basic healthcare is already a challenge, this gross display of opulence is not just insensitive—it is a betrayal.

As Head of State, Mswati cannot escape accountability for the healthcare crisis currently strangling the nation. Yes, we can—and should—hold people like Swazipharm Director Kareem Ashraff and his alleged network of thieves accountable. However, these individuals are merely the foot soldiers of a larger, more entrenched system of corruption that thrives under the protection of the absolute monarchy. These people operate under Mswati’s watch. And without his blessing, their corruption wouldn’t flourish.

The King was recently seen laughing joyfully, blowing candles on a gigantic birthday cake, surrounded by his well-fed royal family, while ordinary emaSwati struggle to find Panado or insulin in government hospitals. Patients are dying because basic medication is out of stock. Mothers are watching their children suffer because antibiotics are no longer available. Cancer patients are left in agony because chemotherapy drugs are nowhere to be found. This is not just a crisis—it is a national tragedy.

What kind of leadership celebrates luxury while the people beg for survival?

The symbolism is painful. While Mswati and his inner circle sip on champagne and pose for photographs, the majority of emaSwati are dying in silence. They are left helpless, watching their loved ones breathe their last in drug-starved hospitals. The state of our healthcare system is a direct reflection of the priorities of our leadership—or in this case, the lack thereof.

To ignore the suffering of the people while indulging in excessive personal celebrations is to declare, loudly and clearly, that the lives of the poor do not matter.

This is not just about HIV or cancer patients. It is about every citizen in Eswatini. Whether you are healthy or not, one day you might need a doctor. One day you might need medication. But under this regime, the hospitals will be empty, and the shelves will be bare. If we do nothing, we are signing our own death warrants.

The crisis is so severe that people are starting to question the very existence of the monarchy and the Tinkhundla system. When government becomes a threat to life instead of a protector, it loses its legitimacy. And no amount of police violence, military intimidation, or royal propaganda will suppress the anger that is boiling in the hearts of the people.

When you reach a point where citizens feel they are already dead inside, pointing guns at them will not scare them—it will only accelerate their pain.

It is time we demand accountability.

It is time we say no more to a regime that prioritises birthdays over blood pressure medication, cake over cancer treatment, and fireworks over the lives of its people. Mswati’s addiction to extravagance has crossed every moral boundary. A sane and compassionate King would have cancelled the party, redirected the money to hospitals, and addressed the nation with urgency and remorse.

But that’s not the Mswati we have. We have a ruler, not a leader. We have a man obsessed with power and comfort, not the wellbeing of his people. And unless we rise to demand change, we will continue to bury our loved ones while he dances in his palace.

This is not just misgovernance. It is a crime against the people.