‘Prince’ in court for bill
‘Swazi king’s son’ asks for evaluation
AMAN who has claimed to be the son of Swaziland King Mswati III, appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday for failing to pay a Premier Hotel bill of R16 500.
Prince Makhosini “Omari” Dlamini, whose real name is Phumelele Sangweni, 26, was arrested by the fraud division of the East London SAPS last week when Premier Hotel found he had allegedly used fake documents to check himself in at two of their hotels.
He allegedly checked in at the Regent Hotel on September 16 where he stayed for two days and raked up a bill of R5 000.
He allegedly then arrived at the King David Hotel on September 25 where he stayed until September 28 accumulating a bill of R11 500.
Sangweni was due to apply for bail yesterday on fraud charges but changed his mind at the last minute, saying instead he wanted to be referred for psychiatric evaluation.
He stayed in some of the priciest hotel suites in the US in 2010, wined and dined with Hollywood stars and was chauffeured in a R4.2-million bulletproof Maybach escorted by consulate police.
His mother, Advocate Phindiwe Dlamini, yesterday told presiding magistrate Rochelle Sam she supported the application that he be referred for psychiatric evaluation.
“I was somewhat relieved when I got a call that he has been arrested,” Dlamini told the court.
She gave the court a brief history of his troubled past, including his trips all over the world using a diplomatic passport he attained by using his status as a king’s “son”.
“From the age of seven, he has had difficulty adjusting to any new environment. He believes he is King Mswati’s son and one day he just took off and went to Swaziland to visit the royal family.
“The family immediately treated him as one of their own. At the same time, his appearance sparked controversy in Swaziland, newspapers and the general public believed he was King Mswati’s son and the future king.
“The public, hotels and restaurants gave him the same treatment as that afforded to the king.
“The situation has been exacerbated by the family themselves who treat him as one of their own,” Dlamini told the magistrate.
“Where does he get this belief that he is King Mswati’s son?” Sam asked.
“My grandfather and King Sobhuza II were brothers. My grandfather came to South Africa in the 1920s, so when my son went to Swaziland, they said ‘this is our child’.
“They also know him from the Mandela family when we visit Zinzi, because one of Mandela’s daughters is married to the king’s brother.”
The case was postponed to October 20 for a report by the senior public prosecutor on the evaluation status. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za