Residents of Mazamazama in the Shiselweni region in Swaziland are reportedly being forced to drink water with human waste, just a few metres away from the Royal Palace of Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III.
According to Swaziland News, villagers said that they were using water from a pond surrounded by human waste for domestic purposes.
The report said that water challenges existed in the area despite the availability of a borehole "that cannot be utilised by residents as it is strictly reserved to provide water to the king's palace".
A representative for the constituency, Lucky Mkhwanazi, confirmed that the residents could not benefit from the borehole.He, however, said that the problem was being addressed.
"We have a water crisis at
Mbangweni, however, I can assure you that this is being addressed. The
new borehole cannot be used to provide clean water to the residents as
it is strictly reserved for the palace," Mkhwanazi was quoted as saying.
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In an interview with News24, the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SNN)
spokesperson, Lucky Lukhele, said that they were not "surprised" by the
all the developments in the country, which were entirely based on what
the king wanted.
Lukhele said they hoped that the king would have some "human decency" to at least share the country's water resources with the
poor villagers.
"Well, we are not at all surprised by this
shocking unhuman development. Swazi people have been forced to live in
far worse conditions because everything that happens in the country is based on what
the King wants. We've hope he would have some human decency
and share the country’s water resources with the poor villagers," said
Lukhele.
This came just a week after the country marked its 50 years of independence - a celebration that was marred by clashes between the police and protesters, who marched against worsening living conditions.
Police had to fire rubber bullets to disperse the more than 2 000 people who took to the streets to take part in a rare
demonstration organised by Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA)
in the administrative capital Mbabane.
