A group of King Mswati's 13 wives are heading back to Swaziland after a vacation that was said to cost millions of dollars.
The wives and an entourage of about 100 people have been on a tour of Japan, Australia, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean for the past two weeks. They are due back at Matsapha this weekend (4 August 2013).
Swazi Media Commentary tracked the progress of King Mswati's private jet as it made its way across half the globe.
In the past week it has been in Papua New Guinea, Australia (Canberra and Sydney), the paradise holiday isle of Bali, the Maldives and Ethiopia before heading back to Swaziland.
The holiday trip was made in great secrecy and media in Swaziland, where the king rules as sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, have been silent about it.
King Mswati's wives take expensive holidays each year and in the past have travelled to the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
King Mswati is said to have a personal fortune, estimated by Forbes to be about US$200 million. He has 13 palaces in Swaziland, fleets of Mercedes and BMW cars and at least one Rolls Royce. Meanwhile, seven in ten of his subjects live in abject poverty earning less than US$2 a day.
Last month a report on hunger in Swaziland revealed that 40 percent of children in Swaziland were so malnourished it stunted their growth.
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