Sikhanyiso Dlamini

HRH Principal Princess Sikhanyiso
Princess of Swaziland

Princess Sikhanyiso at the 2006 Umhlanga
Reign Inkhosatana (Chief Maiden: head of the Imbali regiment), September 1997
Predecessor Principal Princess Betfusile
Born (1987-09-01) 1 September 1987
Mbabane, Swaziland
House House of Dlamini
Father Mswati III
Mother Sibonelo Mngometulu (Inkhosikati La Mbikiza)

HRH Princess Sikhanyiso of Swaziland (born September 1, 1987) is the eldest daughter of King Mswati III of Swaziland. She is the first of his 30 children, and her mother is the first of King Mswati's 10 queens, Inkhosikati LaMbikiza.

Early life and education

Sikhanyiso Dlamini was educated in Britain at a mixed private school, St Edmund's College, Ware, in Hertfordshire, where she was in Challoner House. She continued to study drama at Biola University in California.[1] In 2012, Princess Sikhanyiso graduated from Sydney University with a master's degree in digital communication. While in Australia, she resided in Glebe with her palace-appointed aide, Yemma Sholo.[2] She is the first child of Inkhosikati LaMbikiza and has more than 200 blood-related uncles and aunts through her grandfather, King Sobhuza II, who had 70 wives and 201 children. She is also one of his 1000 grandchildren in the Royal Swazi House of Dlamini.

She is the first-born of 30 children born to King Mswati III, her mother being King Mswati III's young love, Inkhosikati LaMbikiza (Sibonelo Mngomezulu). She has 200 aunts and uncles, not including their own spouses.[3]

In 2001, Mswati III instituted the umchwasho – a traditional chastity rite – in Swaziland as a means of combatting the AIDS epidemic. The princess became a focus of controversy while she was staying abroad, she was not bound by the strictures of the umchwasho.[4] While studying abroad, Princess Sikhanyiso developed a reputation for ignoring or rebelling against her native country's traditions.[5] Sikhanyiso wears Western-style jeans and miniskirts, something women in Swaziland are banned from doing.[6]

Controversies

On December 14, 2003, a report appeared in the Times of Swaziland claiming that Princess Sikhanyiso had gone on a trip to the U.S. and Britain, and that the Swazi government had spent close to E1 million (US$100,000) on her trip. The prime minister's office subsequently issued a press statement to refute these claims.[7]

At the end of the ban in 2005, Princess Sikhanyiso, then 17, celebrated with a party involving loud music and alcohol at the Queen mother's residence. As punishment for the princess's disrespect of the royal residence, during which Mswati announced his engagement to a new wife-to-be, an official overseeing traditional affairs beat Princess Sikhanyiso with a stick.[8]

The following year, the Princess criticized the institution of polygamy in Swaziland, saying, "Polygamy brings all advantages in a relationship to men, and this to me is unfair and evil". The Princess was subsequently "gagged" by the Royal Palace and the press was not allowed to contact her.[9] She is an aspiring actress and rapper and is commonly known as "Pashu" in Swaziland.[10][11]

She was featured in a 2007 documentary titled Without the King about the monarchy in Swaziland, the disparity between the royals' wealth and the widespread poverty of their subjects, and Swaziland's AIDS crisis.[12][13]

In late September 2013, she had a three-hour-long Twitter conversation with proscribed Swazi organisation, the People's United Democratic Movement.[14] Afterwards her Twitter account was deleted without explanation.

Achievements

The King supported the Princess with her launch of the Imbali Foundation in April 2014.[15] The foundation focuses on the health, education, and spirituality of Imbali YemaSwati (the regiment of Swazi maidens headed by the Inkhosatana or Chief Maiden). The Princess runs the beauty pageant Miss Swaziland Tourism.[16] The Swaziland Deaf Association requested her patronage for Miss Deaf Africa and received the government's support.[17]

During the Princess' brief stay in Malaysia for an internship program at Limkokwing University, she recorded a single titled "Hail Your Majesty" in honour of her father, the king. The debut of the tribute song received a standing ovation at Limkokwing during the conferment of an honorary doctorate to King Mswati III on July 4, 2013.[18]

The Princess is a member of the board of directors of MTN Swaziland, a multinational mobile telecommunications company.[19] She has appointed a businessman from Malaysia, the director of MyStartBiz Sdn Bhd, Muhammad Qadeer, as her Special Envoy for Investment Promotion in the Kingdom of Swaziland.[20]

Discography

  1. "Abeze Kim" (feat M'du and Prince Lindani)
  2. "Hail Your Majesty"

Ancestry

Styles of
Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland
Reference style Her Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Ma'am

References

  1. ↑ Busari, Stephanie (May 29, 2008). "British blue blood top 'Hottest Royal' list". CNN. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  2. ↑ Frost, Carleen (May 5, 2012). "Royal rapper Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland masters Sydney". Sydney Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Matsebula, Bhekie (December 4, 2001). "Profile: Troubled King Mswati". BBC News. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ Matsebula, Bhekie (December 17, 2001). "Swazi princess dons chastity tassel". BBC News. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Swazi women fear losing their trousers". BBC News. June 24, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Profile: Swaziland bans 'rape-provoking' miniskirts". The Age. December 25, 2012. Retrieved Dec 25, 2012.
  7. ↑ "The Issue of 'E1 Million Spent on Princess Sikhanyiso' and The Issue of 'Building' Royal Palaces" (Press statement). Swaziland Prime Minister's office. January 26, 2004.
  8. ↑ Domestic whippings in Swaziland, Aug 2005 - CORPUN ARCHIVE szd00508
  9. ↑ "The princess's polygamy slur". Mail & Guardian. 1 September 2006.
  10. ↑ Princess Sikhanyiso P. Dlamini - Voice Over Talent
  11. ↑ Pashu - ReverbNation
  12. ↑ Scheib, Ronnie (April 23, 2008). "Without the King". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  13. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (April 25, 2008). "An Extravagant Ruler of a Modest Kingdom". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  14. ↑ "Swaziland Princess tweets with terrorists". Royalty in the News. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  15. ↑ Tshabalala, Nontobeko (June 22, 2014). "King approves Imbali Foundation". Times of Swaziland. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  16. ↑ Manyathela, Thobeka (June 22, 2014). "Imbali Foundation to Host Miss Tourism SD". Times of Swaziland. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  17. ↑ Masuku, Kwazi (June 30, 2014). "DPM Pledges Support for Miss Deaf Pageant". The Swazi Observer. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  18. ↑ Yee, Pete (July 10, 2014). "'Royal Rapper' Sikhanyiso shines". Limkokwing University. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  19. ↑ Dlamini, Welcome (June 4, 2012). "Sikhanyiso for MTN board". Times of Swaziland. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  20. ↑ Motau, Phephile (November 10, 2015). "Princess Sikhanyiso Appoints Malaysian to promote country". Times of Swaziland. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
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