MBABANE, Sept 4, 2008 (AFP) - The sleepy capital of the poverty stricken kingdom of Swaziland is gearing up for Saturday's celebration of 40 years of independence but many say the country has little to show for it.
The lavish event dubbed "40-40" celebrations as it tied with the king Mswati III's 40th birthday bash takes place against a backdrop of a stagnant economy, grinding poverty and an alarmingly high HIV rate.
In Mbabane visitors to the rural capital are greeted with billboards celebrating the king with messages like "well wishes to the lion of the nation" and tinsel in the national colours of Swaziland --blue, red and gold-- hung from the lamp posts.
But not all of Swaziland's inhabitants were in a celebratory mood as the anniversary of the 1968 indepence from Britain was approaching.
"There is nothing to celebrate, the independence was merely a transfer of power from the colonial rulers to traditional autocracy," said Mario Masuku, leader of one of the banned political parties, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).
"The king's resistance to allow democratic change and his super extravagant lifestyle has taken the country back by decades," said Masuku.
In the streets of Mbabane 52-year-old Edward Siyaya agreed.
"If you are not of royal blood in this country it means you are simply relegated to poverty," he told AFP.
"The king and his government are doing nothing to develop the country."
An ongoing drought, a 29-percent unemployment rate and one world's highest HIV-AIDS infection ratios cast a dark shadow over the lavish 100 million emalangeni (12.8 million dollar, 8.7 million euro) celebrations.
The drought which has plagued the country for nearly a decade has caused a shortfall in corn and agricultural production, in a country where about two thirds of its 1.14 million population live in poverty and 40 percent of adults are infected with HIV, according to UN figures.
The cost of the double celebrations has caused an outcry from the normally subdued Swazi people.
"Swaziland is like a sandpit, there are no jobs, no food or resources to grow food, no water, so what should we celebrate," Velile Nkosi asked.
"Maybe I will only attend for the free food that will be available," the unemployed teenager added.
Last month, eight of the king's 13 wives chartered a plane for a luxury shopping spree in the Asia and the Middle East.
The trip saw an unprecedented protest by mostly HIV-positive women who criticised the government sponsored shopping binge. The women's actions raised eyebrows in a country where women enjoy little freedom.
"I have never heard of women marching (...) That is un-Swazi," said Jim Gama, the governor of Ludzidzini, the Swazi traditional capital.
The ruling King Mswati III succeeded his late father Sobhuza in April 1986. His reign has been characterised by high spending to support his extravagant lifestyle and maintain his wives and children.
The king, who ascended the throne at the tender age of 18, keeps a strong traditional grip on power, responsible for the appointment of the prime minister, the legislature and the judiciary.
In the next two weeks, the kingdom will hold parliamentary elections where a new prime minister and a cabinet will be appointed. Since political parties are banned, election candidates can only stand as individuals.
Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, was named by Forbes magazine as one of the 15 richest royals in the world, with a fortune of 200 million dollars.
The king was the only African royal to make it into the prestigious list, published in August. According to Forbes, Mswati III gets his wealth from investments and real estate.
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