Koning Mswati kry nuwe speelding
Koning Mswati kry nuwe speelding

Koning Mswati kry nuwe speelding

Francoise Steynberg
Erika Gibson

Koning Mswati III se “nuwe” straler het nie net meer as genoeg plek vir sy 13 vroue nie, maar sal waarskynlik ook sy onbekende aantal kinders, hul oppassers, sy kokke en al sy lyfwagte kan huisves.
Die Airbus A340-300, voorheen van China Airlines in Taiwan, het boonop genoeg reikafstand om direk van Swaziland na Taiwan te vlieg.
Dit is Mswati se tweede vliegtuig. Die ander “ou” McDonnell Douglas DC-9 gaan voortaan net vir korter vlugte gebruik word. Die Swazi-parlement het vroeër vanjaar gesê Mswati het die groter vliegtuig nodig om na sy internasionale belange om te sien.
“Onsin,” sê Bongani Masuku, uitvoerende komiteelid van die People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), een van Swaziland se opposisiepartye.
“Die koning moet sy eie bankrekenings in die buiteland gaan versorg, terwyl sy vrouens waarskynlik in New York en Parys wil gaan inkopies doen.”
Mswati se nuwe speelding is heelwat meer uitspattig as pres. Jacob Zuma se Boeing-sakestraler, Inkwazi, wat pal in onbruik is. Die aanskaffing van ’n tweede straler het skipbreuk gely toe die lugmag die proses gestop het. Krygkor se opsies aan die lugmag het nie aan die vereistes voldoen nie, het Siphiwe Dlamini, woordvoerder, gesê.
Mswati se straler was voorheen ’n passasierstraler wat aan diens onttrek is weens die hoë opera­sionele koste, terwyl lugdienste eerder kleiner, meer ekonomiese modelle verkies.
Die vliegtuie is nou teen die “spotgoedkoop” prys van sowat R208 miljoen in die mark – heelwat minder as wat Swaziland vir die straler begroot het.
Die straler het onlangs van Taiwan in Hamburg, Duitsland, aangekom waar die kajuit opgeknap word. Dít kan meer as die vliegtuig self kos, sê kenners.
Die kleiner Inkwazi se binneversiering het meer as tien jaar gelede sowat R240 miljoen gekos en dit was nie erg luuks nie. Die Mswati-straler se kajuit is omtrent drie keer groter.
Masuku beskryf die aankoop as ’n gruwelike onreg teen die arm inwoners van Swaziland.
“Die gemiddelde lewensverwagting is sowat 35, hoofsaaklik weens armoede, ’n gesondheidstelsel wat in duie gestort het en growwe ongelykheid tussen ryk en arm. Tog word Mswati as die 15de rykste monarg ter wêreld gereken en Forbes-tyd­skrif reken sy rykdom is meer as R1,6 miljard – waarskynlik meer, want niemand weet nie. Die koning lewe in ’n ander wêreld as die res van Swaziland. Hy neem die besluite en die parlement is net daar vir die vertoon met geen seggenskap nie.”
Dit is ook nie sy eerste onderonsie oor sy rykmanspeelgoed nie. Verlede jaar is in Kanada op sy DC-9 beslag gelê omdat hy vir Shanmuga Rethenam, ’n sakeman, glo nog R56 miljoen vir die binneversiering van dié vliegtuig geskuld het. Mswati het vroeër in die parlement gesê dié straler was ’n “geskenk”.
Die hof in Kanada het luidens die Swaziland Observer later ten gunste van Mswati beslis en die vliegtuig is vrygestel.
Swaziland is een van min lande wat steeds bande met Taiwan het.
 - Netwerk24

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Republikein 2024-05-15

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Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 0 vs 2 Manchester City | Aston Villa 3 vs 3 Liverpool | Manchester United 0 vs 1 Arsenal LaLiga: Girona 0 vs 1 Villarreal | Real Madrid 5 vs 0 Deportivo Alaves | Osasuna 1 vs 1 Mallorca | Barcelona 2 vs 0 Real Sociedad | Real Betis 3 vs 2 Almería | Valencia 0 vs 0 Rayo Vallecano | Atletico Madrid 1 vs 0 Celta Vigo | Cadiz 1 vs 0 Getafe SerieA: Fiorentina 2 vs 1 Monza | Lecce 0 vs 2 Udinese | Atalanta 2 vs 1 AS Roma | Juventus 1 vs 1 Salernitana | Genoa 2 vs 1 Sassuolo | Hellas Verona 1 vs 2 Torino | SS Lazio 2 vs 0 Empoli European Championships Qualifying: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United English Championship: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United Katima Mulilo: 12° | 30° Rundu: 11° | 29° Eenhana: 14° | 31° Oshakati: 14° | 30° Ruacana: 14° | 30° Tsumeb: 14° | 28° Otjiwarongo: 11° | 26° Omaruru: 14° | 29° Windhoek: 12° | 25° Gobabis: 14° | 25° Henties Bay: 19° | 34° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SE, Low tide: 03:18, High tide: 09:17, Low Tide: 15:19, High tide: 22:12 Swakopmund: 19° | 26° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 03:16, High tide: 09:15, Low Tide: 15:17, High tide: 22:10 Walvis Bay: 23° | 35° Wind speed: 25km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 03:16, High tide: 09:14, Low Tide: 15:17, High tide: 22:09 Rehoboth: 13° | 26° Mariental: 16° | 28° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 28° Aranos: 15° | 28° Lüderitz: 20° | 36° Ariamsvlei: 19° | 31° Oranjemund: 16° | 29° Luanda: 24° | 28° Gaborone: 15° | 28° Lubumbashi: 11° | 27° Mbabane: 13° | 25° Maseru: 10° | 25° Antananarivo: 14° | 22° Lilongwe: 14° | 27° Maputo: 17° | 28° Windhoek: 12° | 25° Cape Town: 15° | 22° Durban: 17° | 25° Johannesburg: 15° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 15° | 25° Harare: 12° | 25° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.12 | EUR to NAD 19.87 | CNY to NAD 2.53 | USD to NAD 18.27 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.72 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.58 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 133.76 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.56 | USD to EGP 46.78 | USD to KES 129.98 | USD to NGN 1519 | USD to ZAR 18.27 | USD to ZMW 25.05 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78632.56 Down -0.07% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1710.9 Down -2.52% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13501.46 Down -0.29% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 25339.77 Down -0.16% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9151.06 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 389.07/OZ UP +1.41% | Copper US$ 4.91/lb UP +0.67% | Zinc US$ 2 989.90/T UP 0.21% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.16/BBP DOWN -0.0002 | Platinum US$ 1 060.02/OZ UP +1.56% Sport results: Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 0 vs 2 Manchester City | Aston Villa 3 vs 3 Liverpool | Manchester United 0 vs 1 Arsenal LaLiga: Girona 0 vs 1 Villarreal | Real Madrid 5 vs 0 Deportivo Alaves | Osasuna 1 vs 1 Mallorca | Barcelona 2 vs 0 Real Sociedad | Real Betis 3 vs 2 Almería | Valencia 0 vs 0 Rayo Vallecano | Atletico Madrid 1 vs 0 Celta Vigo | Cadiz 1 vs 0 Getafe SerieA: Fiorentina 2 vs 1 Monza | Lecce 0 vs 2 Udinese | Atalanta 2 vs 1 AS Roma | Juventus 1 vs 1 Salernitana | Genoa 2 vs 1 Sassuolo | Hellas Verona 1 vs 2 Torino | SS Lazio 2 vs 0 Empoli European Championships Qualifying: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United English Championship: West Bromwich Albion 0 vs 0 Southampton | Norwich City 0 vs 0 Leeds United Weather: Katima Mulilo: 12° | 30° Rundu: 11° | 29° Eenhana: 14° | 31° Oshakati: 14° | 30° Ruacana: 14° | 30° Tsumeb: 14° | 28° Otjiwarongo: 11° | 26° Omaruru: 14° | 29° Windhoek: 12° | 25° Gobabis: 14° | 25° Henties Bay: 19° | 34° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SE, Low tide: 03:18, High tide: 09:17, Low Tide: 15:19, High tide: 22:12 Swakopmund: 19° | 26° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 03:16, High tide: 09:15, Low Tide: 15:17, High tide: 22:10 Walvis Bay: 23° | 35° Wind speed: 25km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 03:16, High tide: 09:14, Low Tide: 15:17, High tide: 22:09 Rehoboth: 13° | 26° Mariental: 16° | 28° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 28° Aranos: 15° | 28° Lüderitz: 20° | 36° Ariamsvlei: 19° | 31° Oranjemund: 16° | 29° Luanda: 24° | 28° Gaborone: 15° | 28° Lubumbashi: 11° | 27° Mbabane: 13° | 25° Maseru: 10° | 25° Antananarivo: 14° | 22° Lilongwe: 14° | 27° Maputo: 17° | 28° Windhoek: 12° | 25° Cape Town: 15° | 22° Durban: 17° | 25° Johannesburg: 15° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 15° | 25° Harare: 12° | 25° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.12 | EUR to NAD 19.87 | CNY to NAD 2.53 | USD to NAD 18.27 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.72 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.58 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 133.76 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.56 | USD to EGP 46.78 | USD to KES 129.98 | USD to NGN 1519 | USD to ZAR 18.27 | USD to ZMW 25.05 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78632.56 Down -0.07% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1710.9 Down -2.52% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13501.46 Down -0.29% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 25339.77 Down -0.16% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9151.06 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 389.07/OZ UP +1.41% | Copper US$ 4.91/lb UP +0.67% | Zinc US$ 2 989.90/T UP 0.21% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.16/BBP DOWN -0.0002 | Platinum US$ 1 060.02/OZ UP +1.56%