WITCHCRAFT AND MORE: A PORTRAIT OF INFLUENCES ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MBABANE 000058 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2020 TAGS: PINR PGOV SOCI WZ SUBJECT: WITCHCRAFT AND MORE: A PORTRAIT OF INFLUENCES ON KING MSWATI III Classified By: Ambassador Earl M. Irving for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: Swazi activist, former king's advisor and sugar company chief executive officer (CEO) Mandla Hlatshwayo (protect) described traditional leaders, superstition, and members of the royal family, especially his mother and wives, as the major influences on King Mswati III, while ministers remain his "servants." King Mswati III believes in muti (traditional medicine used to cast spells or curses),and attempts to use muti to attack the king are taken seriously. Although Queen Mother Ntombi is considered by many observers to be a powerful figure within the royal family, Hlatshwayo indicated that her authority has been undermined by her "associations with men," including current Foreign Minister Lutfo Dlamini. According to Hlatshwayo, Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini is the king's "loyal hangman," a relationship that dates to the prime minister's alleged attempted suicide in 1990 or 1991. A sugar businessman who managed companies partially owned by the king, Hlatshwayo stated that Mswati III uses the investment company "African Alliance" to move his money around internationally, and indicated that CEO Stephen Gidinza is quite influential and involved in all of the king's international transactions. Hlatshwayo indicated that the king has become more decisive during his years in office, especially where his interests are at issue, and he views ministers and officials who tell him he cannot do something as cowards. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C/NF) In a frank discussion with pol/econoff on January 26 in Johannesburg, Swazi activist and former king's advisor and sugar company CEO Mandla Hlatshwayo (protect) detailed his impressions of the major influences on King Mswati III. Hlatshwayo's first interactions with the current king began in the 1980s, when served as the president of the University of Swaziland's student organization and helped organize opposition to a power grab by members of the royal family attempting to unseat the former regent, one of the surviving wives of the late King Sobhuza II, also called a queen mother. Hlatshwayo was a founding member of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO),and has served the king on various advisory boards over the years, including the first constitutional committee. He acted as president of the �00A;Swaziland Sugar Association, president of the Federation of Swaziland Employers and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and as an executive within sugar companies of which the king has partial ownership. During his tenure as president of the Chamber of Commerce, Hlatshwayo made waves when he criticized the king's intent to purchase, which was later halted, an executive jet. He has a B.A. law degree from the University of Swaziland, is married to Rose Maziya and has three children. Major Influences -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) According to Hlatshwayo, traditional leaders, superstition, and members of the royal family, especially his mother and wives, are the major influences on King Mswati III, while ministers remain his "servants." Hlatshwayo suspects the king's wives' opinions matter to the king, especially his third wife, LaMbikisa, who has an advanced degree and is the only wife to whom the king proposed. Superstition and Muti -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) Hlatshwayo emphasized that superstition is very important in the king's and royal families' lives; King Mswati III believes in muti (traditional medicine used to cast spells or curses),and attempts to use muti to attack the king are taken seriously. In 1989 Prince Mfana Sibili was accused of high treason when he allegedly used muti to try to take away the king's powers. When a foreign judge, brought in to hear the case, dismissed it after hearing the charges, a traditional court was installed to convict the prince. ¶5. (C/NF) The Swazi activist stressed that "muti people" hold great sway within the royal family, and that the king must eat and drink whatever they give him during traditional ceremonies, particularly when in seclusion. If they are unhappy with the direction the king is taking the country, then the king has cause to worry. Queen Mother's Influence Lessened by Affairs -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) Traditionally seen as a balancing force to the king, a queen mother can use emotional association to influence and stabilize the king, according to Hlatshwayo. MBABANE 00000058 002 OF 003 Although Queen Mother Ntombi is considered by many observers to be a powerful figure within the royal family, Hlatshwayo indicated that her authority has been undermined by her "associations with men." Hlatshwayo told pol/econoff that when the King Sobhuza II impregnated the queen mother, then a lady-in-waiting for one of his wives, she was cast out of the royal family. Hlatshwayo remarked that her affairs with men, including with the married Foreign Minister Lutfo Dlamini, were a relic of the time when she was used to a different lifestyle outside of the royal family. Ntombi's intimate relationship with Lutfo Dlamini is a widely held belief, also relayed to the embassy by former European Commission Head Delegate to Swaziland Peter Beck Christianson. Financial Influence -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) Hlatshwayo stated that the king uses the investment company "African Alliance" to move his money around internationally, and indicated that CEO Stephen Gidinza is quite influential and involved in all of the king's international transactions. Prime Minister Dlamini ) Loyal "Hangman" -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini is the king's loyal "hangman," an assertion that suggests that the king places absolute trust in Barnabas. Instead of looking to influence the king, the Prime Minister acts as the king's steadfast servant, a relationship that dates back to a suicide attempt by Barnabas in 1990 or 1991. According to Hlatshwayo and Swazi Coalition for Concerned Civic Organizations Coordinator Musa Hlophe, in an unsuccessful attempt kept secret from the public, Barnabas tried to commit suicide after his involvement in a corruption scandal during his tenure as Minister of Finance became known. As part of making amends to the king, Barnabas reportedly prostrated himself before the king, giving himself over as the king's servant. Swazi National Committee -------------- ¶9. (C/NF) Often portrayed as the "neck" that moves the "head" of government, the exact role of the Swazi National Committee (SNC) in government policy is often the object of speculation within Swaziland. Hlatshwayo dismissed the idea that the body, selected by the king to advise him, holds sway over King Mswati III, stating "it's not easy to defy the king." Forming a New Cabinet -------------- ¶10. (C/NF) When asked about his impressions on how the king selects a new government, Hlatshwayo intimated that the king must balance requests from his brothers and sisters with his own desires. In the end, the king needs to ensure that the interests of the royal constituency are sufficiently represented. Decision-Making Style -------------- ¶11. (C/NF) Hlatshwayo observed that the king has become more decisive during his years in office, especially where his interests are at issue. Unlike in his early years, the king now identifies and pushes specific projects, and will look to replace ministers or employees who are unable to provide progress on those projects. According to the Swazi activist, the king views ministers and officials who tell him he cannot do something, or who say a project cannot be done, as cowards. Hlatshwayo averred that the king does listen to viewpoints presented to him, and worries about the views of international community. Lack of Wisdom -------------- ¶12. (C/NF) Continuing his description of the monarch's decision making style, Hlatshwayo affirmed that Mswati III is not a reader, and will not review documents left for him. He called the king "not intellectually well-developed," and contrasted the current sovereign's scant educational background with Sobhuza II, who was educated at Lovedale College in South Africa alongside future leaders of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC). Essentially a bastard outsider to the royal family, King Mswati III was plucked from relative obscurity when members of the royal family could not come to an agreement on a successor to King Sobhuza II. After Mswati III was selected to be the next MBABANE 00000058 003 OF 003 king, a posthumous marriage of Sobhuza II to Ntombi was quickly arranged, according to our interlocutor. The Hand on the Thermostat -------------- ¶12. (C/NF) Calling the king "imbalanced," Hlatshwayo recounted an example he observed while serving as an advisor, when King Mswati III used his power over the heater to emphasize exactly who was in charge. The king, Mandla said, invited about forty officials and advisors to a basement in one of his palaces, where they all sat on the floor to attend to him. King Mswati III turned up the heater, which warmed the floor first, until the temperature in the room reached about 40 degrees Celsius, and told inconsequential stories to those gathered while they sweated, merely to show them he was in power. COMMENT -------------- ¶13. (C/NF) Hlatshwayo is a member of a prominent Swazi family and has a close association with Freedom House. We have heard that the royal family looks for a bride for the king from his clan to cement ties with it. Hlatshwayo lives in self-imposed exile in South Africa; he claims he fears for his life. He states that he angered several members of Swaziland,s ruling circles, including the Prime Minister and king, with his blunt public criticism of their leadership,s shortcomings. In 2008, while in London negotiating a sugar contract for Swaziland, rumors surfaced that he had been funding PUDEMO, and civil society contacts believe a contract had been placed on him. Because Hlatshwayo has worked in close proximity with the king and observed some of the incidents he reports firsthand, we are inclined to believe him, even though we are unable to confirm them independently. What we can say with confidence is that shamanism pervades Swazi culture, and even the king, who is above the law and constitution of Swaziland and ostensibly a Christian, is not exempted from its grip. End Comment. IRVING