Mswati III

Mswati III was born Makhosetive Dlamini on 19 April 1968 at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Manzini, as the son of Sobhuza II (who had 70 wives during his life of 82 years) and Ntfombi.

When King Sobhuza II died on 21 August 1982, the Great Council of State (the Liqoqo) selected the 14-year-old prince Makhosetive to be the next king.

Healthcare

King Mswati III highlighted a substantial transformation in Eswatini's healthcare system over his reign, noting that the country had grown from approximately six hospitals and 162 clinics in the 1990s to 16 hospitals and over 330 health facilities by 2026, with a stated goal that no citizen should have to travel more than eight kilometres for health services. Life expectancy in Eswatini rose from 32 years in 1986 to 65 years in 2026 according to figures cited during the Ruby Jubilee address.

Eswatini became one of the first countries in the world to reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target, meaning 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those are on treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment are virally suppressed, well ahead of the 2030 global deadline. The King also announced that Eswatini was the first country in Africa to adopt lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, and that mother-to-child HIV transmission had been brought below five percent. On malaria, the King noted that Eswatini pioneered the End Malaria Fund initiative, launched in 2019, under which malaria cases dropped significantly. Social welfare gains cited during the period included the introduction of monthly grants and free healthcare for elderly citizens and people with disabilities, alongside a national housing programme and old-age homes.

As of 2024, Mswati had eleven wives in polygamous marriage and was thought to have twenty children. The first two wives were chosen for him by national councillors. There are complex rules on succession. Traditionally the king is chosen through his mother as represented in the Swazi saying Inkhosi, yinkhosi ngenina, meaning "a king is king through his mother".

Mswati's reign has seen a number of constitutional and governmental changes, including the adoption of the 2005 constitution. Critics, including the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) have argued that these changes were intended to strengthen and perpetuate the traditional order. His attendance at the May 2012 Sovereign Monarchs lunch, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, drew criticism from human rights campaigners over concerns about his government's human rights record.

Human rights reports by the United States Department of State have documented allegations of abuses by security forces during Mswati's reign, including torture, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, and unlawful searches and seizures of homes and property. The reports also described restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and association, harassment of activists and journalists, and discrimination against groups including LGBT people, labour leaders and campaigners against child labour. According to the reports, the courts took little or no action against officials responsible for abuses.

Mswati has faced accusations in international media that women were abducted to become his wives, most prominently in the case of Zena Mahlangu. In 2000, he was reported to have called for parliament to debate whether HIV-positive people should be "sterilized and branded".