Mswati finally joins the jet set

SWAZILAND is abuzz with rumour about how King Mswati III finally got the big royal jet he has been hankering after for more than a decade.

Political observers are seeing the acquisition of the Mcdonnell-douglas DC-9 as a royal middle finger being flashed at SA, which offended Mswati last year by offering Swaziland a R2.4 billion loan to save it from bankruptcy, on condition that Swaziland institute political and economic reforms, including cuts to royal spending.

The three main theories about where the jet came from are: it was a gift from an Indian company in exchange for iron mining rights; it was a gift from Teodorin Nguema Obiang, playboy son of the dictator of Equatorial Guinea who has befriended Mswati; or Mswati bought it himself with the country’s increased revenue this year from the Southern African Customs Union revenue pool.

This week Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini announced that an anonymous “development partner” had given Mswati the used twin-engine, 130seat plane as a 44th birthday gift.

“The donors of this magnificent gift have elected to remain anonymous,” he said. “When a person presents someone with a gift, he or she does not disclose the cost involved.”

Diplomatic sources in Mbabane said the DC-9 – which must be at least 30 years old because production ceased in 1982 – probably cost R8m to R16m. They said they believed Mswati had wanted it in time to make a good showing in London, when he attends Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee.

It was largely because of negative pressure from development partners that Mswati cancelled the purchase of a new Bombardier Global jet 12 years ago, costing Swazi taxpayers the $24 million that had already been deposited with the aviation company. And in December 2010 and January last year, Kuwait advanced money to Mswati to buy a jet, but the cash mysteriously went astray.