CLAIM: There is shortage of men in Eswatini
SOURCE: Social Media post
VERDICT: False
Take off to a foreign country. Get there and find at LEAST 5 women waiting to marry you. Get married and have houses ready for occupation. All at the government’s expense.
Sounds too good to be true? Yep. That’s because it is.
A letter purportedly written by Eswatini leader, King Mswati III expressing concerns over the scarcity of men in that country has been doing rounds on social media.
It reads, ‘With reference to the King Mswati III’s, Swaziland King, public declaration that his nation is greatly concerned with the scarcity of men, he is therefore informing the citizens from Southern African Nations to apply for nationality in Swaziland.
“I King Mswati III, the King of Swaziland, invite citizens from Southern African Nations to apply for nationality in my land, therefore, here’s the deal, marry at least five wives and you’re assured that my government will pay for the marriage ceremonies and buy houses for you.”
Application forms for this exercise are obtained in all public offices of all Southern African Nations excluding Malawi’.
Apart from this sounding preposterous, there are red flags which show that the letter is fake.
The southern African country is no longer called Swaziland as they renamed it to the Kingdom of Eswatini back in 2018 and refer to it as such in official communication.
The communique is littered with grammatical mistakes that should cast doubts on its authenticity. The statement also excludes Malawi men, which would be undiplomatic from a national leader in the region. And, of course, it is unlikely that the King would quote himself in a statement he is making.
The Eswatini coat of arms on the statement also looks like a child’s drawing, unlike the official one.
The Eswatini Government also denied the reports on their X (formerly Twitter) page and briefly labelled the letter as fake.
‘[FAKE INFO ALERT]: The public is notified that this circulating notice is fake,’ reads the post.
One of the most popular and well known Swati cultures is the Umhlanga (Reed dance) ceremony. Every year thousands of maidens gather at the royal palace bearing cut reeds for the Queen Mother. Column upon column of beautiful maidens clad in traditional attire that leaves them bare breasted, swaying and singing, is what most people think of when the Eswatini Kingdom is mentioned. And of course, the tantalising thought that like its King, one can marry a bevy of beautiful maidens.
However, that the culture accepts polygamy does not translate to a shortage of males in the country.
According to Worldometer, as of March 11th 2024, the estimated population of the kingdom of Eswatini is 1,218,617. Data dating back to 2021 shows that the sex ratio of that country is 97,03 males per 100 females. There are 0,58 million males and 0,60 million females in Eswatini.
Foreign spouses and native Swazi nationals are required to provide a legalized means of identification. This identification document must carry their picture and their name.
Marriages are not allowed to be committed through fraud, coercion, identity theft, threats, or other illegal means. If such a marriage is performed, it will be penalized and can result in imprisonment or the payment of fines by the affected spouses. During the marriage application and registration, both spouses are required to also provide certification.
The King has 15 wives and there is no limit to a number of partners one may want to marry. Also, it is legal for a foreigner to marry an Eswatini national, however the government does not pay for any marriage ceremony.
Other rules regarding marriage in Eswatini can be found here
Conclusion
A letter purportedly written by King Mswati III claiming that there is scarcity of men in Eswatini is fake. The government has not invited men from Southern Africa to relocate on the condition that they marry at least five Swati women.
And fun fact: women live longer than their male counterparts in Eswatini.
