Swazi King Mswati III and his first daughter princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland
Despite the massive criticism, the Swazi King Mswati III, 45 has chosen 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant Sindiswa Dlamini as his 15th wife.
Dlamini was selected at the annual Reed Dance, where thousands of Swazi maidens dance bare-breasted for the king’s pleasure. “I wish to confirm we have a new liphovela (royal fiancée),” Hlangabeza Mdluli, the overseer of the maidens, announced.
Dlamini was presented to the king and the Swazi people at a Reed Dance in the southern provincial capital, Nhlangano, on Saturday. The Reed Dance is a traditional opportunity for Swaziland's maidens to pay tribute to the Queen Mother. Although the King has used the occasion to choose wives a few times, the ceremony is not about him primarily. The king's own children partake in this event.