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Africa: Subsaharan
Swazi King Chooses New Teen Fiance
2005-09-27
King Mswati III has chosen a 17-year-old as his bride-to-be, selecting a teenager just a month after retreating from a campaign to encourage girls to wait until they are 18 to have sex.
Again? I'm spending a fortune buying him toasters!
Ntfonjeni Dlamini, in charge of traditional matters for the royal family, told state radio Sunday that the chosen girl is Phindile Nkambule. Students at the private high school she had attended in the capital said they had already heard she was dropping out to marry the king. In 2001, Mswati temporarily revived the ancient "umchwasho" rite, which bans sexual relations for girls younger than 18 in a bid to fight AIDS. About 40 percent of this African nation's 1 million people are infected with HIV.
Posted by:Fred

#4  It's good to be the king!
Posted by: Xbalanke   2005-09-27 16:44  

#3  "Secret Master" is right, the self-fining indicates a strong sense of right and wrong, which puts the King head and shoulders above the rest of Africa.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2005-09-27 14:08  

#2  Lemme see them honkers,baby!
Oh, God. I think I need a drink.

AB, a round of fermented milk for Secret Master!

Posted by: Red Dog   2005-09-27 02:58  

#1  I make no bones about it: I actually like King Mswati. My fellow Rantburgers may laugh, but the fact that he actually punished himself for breaking one of his own rules (he fined himself a cow, I believe) puts him heads and shoulders above most African leaders. In the U.S. a good cow is worth, what, $1200 on the open market? That must be a huge fine in emalangenis (Swazi money). Add to that the fact he tried to do something (no matter how goofy) about his little country’s AIDS problem and you probably have one of the continent’s best leaders.

Oh, God. I think I need a drink.

Posted by: Secret Master   2005-09-27 00:47  

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