Swaziland – 11 June 2015

King Mswati, the mine and the $20m plane
Mswati III is a rand billionaire. When his jet was seized for millions in debt, it opened a window into how he makes so much money.
As soon as King Mswati III saw his royal jet, “a broad, endless smile” spread across his face.
This was the account provided – by Swaziland’s Observer newspaper – of the moment, last month, when the King’s McDonnell Douglas MD87 finally touched down at Matsapha International Airport in Swaziland after being out of the king’s reach for more than four months.
News24

MDLADLA IS NEW ACTING JUDGE
Top lawyer Sidumo Valentine Mdladla has been appointed acting Judge of the High Court of Swaziland.
The unveiling of Mdladla as an acting judge yesterday ended the speculation that had been going on for the past three days.
This was after our sister publication, the Swazi News, published a story that there was a top lawyer who had been appointed an acting judge but no name was mentioned.
Times of Swaziland

Swazi Chief Justice Fights for His Job
Swaziland’s suspended Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi is fighting hard to prevent an inquiry into his alleged abuse of power taking place.
He is using every avenue available to him to frustrate the hearing by the Swazi Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Observers of Swaziland will not have missed the irony that Ramodibedi is claiming his constitutional rights have been violated. Ramodibedi has presided over a legal system in Swaziland where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch and the kingdom’s constitution has been ignored on numerous occasions, often by Ramodibedi himself.
AllAfrica.com

E88M SET ASIDE FOR RDF PROJECTS
The Regional Development Fund (RDF) is on the brink of being operational again as E88 million has now been deposited in the account of Micro Projects.
Members of Parliament (MPs) received this piece of news with glee when Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development Mduduzi Dlamini gave an update in Parliament yesterday.
This was after legislators in the House of Assembly expressed concern that time was running out and their constituencies were now asking questions.
Micro Projects is a development wing within the portfolio of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, which was roped in last year as an agent that would facilitate and monitor the use of the fund.
Times of Swaziland