King Mswati of Swaziland who has 15 wives, in a new law that will take off from June 2019, has ordered the male citizens in his country to marry more than two wives or go to jail if they refuse to comply.
King Mswati III who has 25 children with his 15 wives made the declaration as Swaziland is facing a problem of higher population of women than men.
In his statement, the Swaziland King called for all men in the country to marry at least five wives and further assured them that his government would pay for the marriage ceremonies and buy houses for them.
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He also warned that any man or woman who opposes the decision “will face a life sentence”.
It’s been gathered that Swaziland has one of the lowest rates of child marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa. 5% of girls there are married before the age of 18 and 1% are married before their 15th birthday. Child marriage is most prevalent in Lubombo (where 14% of women aged 20-49 were married before the age of 18) and Hhohho (12%).
The country also has a traditional Reed Dance Festival, an annual Swazi and Zulu tradition known as Umhlanga where the King reportedly tests the virginity of underage girls and publicly celebrates their chastity before selecting a new wife.
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