The vigil, which will take place at 1-2pm on Wednesday 3 September outside the Swaziland High Commission is in support of a call to action made by the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and both trade union federations.

The extravagant spending on the country’s 40/40 celebrations marking King Mswati III 40th birthday as well as 40 years of independence has provoked outcry in the country. On the 21st August over 1,000 demonstrators presented a petition to the Swazi Government asking how they had paid for an entourage of 95 members of the royal household to charter a flight to Dubai, estimated at costing £136,000, to buy dresses for nine of the King’s 13 wives.

Civil society in the country is protesting against so much of the country’s wealth being wasted on the lavish celebration when 70% of the population live on less than $1 a day and little is done by the government to address the HIV and AIDS pandemic in a country with the highest HIV rate in the world.

The vigil immediately precedes Swaziland’s elections which take place on 19 September. However, these elections stand little chance of being free and fair as political parties are banned and only those candidates selected by the King’s Court are entitled to stand.

Tony Dykes, Director of ACTSA said, “We are standing in solidarity with the people of Swaziland today to draw the world’ s attention to the appalling human rights record of this often overlooked country. We condemn the extravagant 40/40 royal celebrations when the majority of the country lives in conditions of absolute poverty and call for democracy and rights for the people of Swaziland.”