Swazi official faces sedition charge

The girl was chosen by the king at an annual ceremony

Swaziland's attorney general has been charged with sedition after ordering the dismissal of three judges hearing a case about a girl allegedly abducted to marry the king.

The director of public prosecutions said the action by Phesheya Dlamini had caused the Swazi Government to be viewed with contempt at home and abroad.

The attorney general said he was acting on instructions.

Legal observers believe he was following orders from the palace and has been made a scapegoat because of the bad publicity surrounding the case.

The king already has nine wives

King Mswati has denied sending Mr Dlamini to intimidate the judges.

The attorney general, who is appointed by the palace, is due to appear in court on Monday on charges of sedition and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

It is the latest twist in a case which has raised tensions between Swazi traditionalists and advocates of change.

Absolute powers

In the original landmark case, Lindiwe Dlamini was seeking the return of her 18-year-old daughter who, she alleged, was abducted to become the 10th wife of King Mswati III.

However she has now effectively now dropped her court challenge and said her daughter seemed resigned to her fate.

The daughter, Zehna Mahlangu, was made a royal fiancee in a traditional ritual last weekend.

She was chosen by the king at the annual reed festival, when girls dance bare-breasted in front of the king.

The case called into question the king's absolute powers and brought the royal family into conflict with the judicial system.

Judges at the high court last week refused to obey an order to either drop the case or resign.

Chief Justice Stanley Sapire said the attorney general had formally apologised to the court after he and other officials had ordered the judges to drop the case or face dismissal.

King Mswati is above the law but has come under pressure in recent years to introduce democratic reforms and abandon polygamy.

According to official biographers, King Mswati's father, Sobhuza, had scores of wives during his 61-year reign, which ended when he died in 1982.