The King of Swaziland, King Mswati III on Thursday renamed the country to eSwatini during his 50th birthday celebration.
The King celebrated his birthday at the same time country was also marking its 50th anniversary since gaining independence from South Africa.
Swaziland gained independence from South Africa on September 6, 1968.
50/50 Golden Jubilee celebrations in Swaziland ??King Mswati III celebrates his 50th birthday while the kingdom marks 50 years of independence pic.twitter.com/CKHmzHc5hW
— Nomsa Maseko (@nomsa_maseko) April 19, 2018
The current King was also born on April 19, 1968 and monarchy is governed by a constitution developed in 1975.
He took over the throne in April 1986 and has ruled for more than 31 years.
Last week police fired rubber bullets at protesters who were marching against worsening living conditions and the cost of celebrations to mark the independence anniversary.
More than 2 000 people took to the streets to take part in a rare demonstration organised by Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) in the administrative capital Mbabane.
Swaziland remains one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies where the king rules by decree over his subjects.
Source: Africafeeds.com
