The South African news agency quotes the Justice Minister Chief Maweni Simelane as saying the search was on for a freelance hangman from the 14-state Southern African Development Community.

The freelancer would then be called upon when needed.

The minister said more than 200 people - none of them from Swaziland - have expressed an interest, from as far afield as Canada, Britain and Japan.

Unemployed hangmen

Most interest though has come from South Africa, which banned the death penalty after the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994 leaving a large number of South African hangmen without jobs

Amongst requirements listed in the job specification were strength, bravery and - oddly - a classical education.

The government says an upsurge in the number of death sentences delivered by courts forced it to revive the practice of hanging criminals.

Swaziland currently has eight prisoners facing death sentences.