King Mswati III of Eswatini -- Wives Fleeing
A king who banned divorce in his country while his own wives flee across the border.
Key Facts
What Happened
King Mswati III of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is Africa's last absolute monarch and one of the world's wealthiest royals, with a personal fortune estimated at $200 million while 63% of his population lives below the poverty line. As of 2024, Mswati had at least 15 wives in polygamous marriages -- many of whom were selected through the traditional Reed Dance ceremony, where thousands of young women dance before the king each year.
Despite -- or perhaps because of -- this system, multiple wives have fled the royal household over the years. In 2011, Angela 'LaGija' Dlamini escaped to South Africa, citing years of physical and emotional abuse. She was the third wife known to have left the king. Pro-democracy activist groups documented her allegations of sustained abuse within the palace. Other wives reportedly attempted to leave but were placed under house arrest.
Most remarkably, King Mswati III officially banned divorce throughout the entire country, declaring that the dissolution of marriage was an 'unacceptable concept' in Eswatini. This means that his fleeing wives cannot legally divorce him, and ordinary citizens are denied any legal mechanism to end their marriages regardless of abuse, abandonment, or incompatibility.
In 2025, the king's 16th wife, Nomcebo 'LaZuma' Zuma -- the 22-year-old daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma -- left the marriage after just three months, citing neglect. She returned to South Africa after the king reportedly stopped paying attention to her and focused on his other wives. The ongoing pattern of wives fleeing a marriage they cannot legally leave highlights one of the most extreme examples of institutional control over personal freedom in the modern world.
Legal Breakdown: When divorce is illegal: forced marriage and state control
Divorce Bans and Human Rights
Eswatini's ban on divorce violates international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 16) which guarantees the right to marry and to dissolve marriage freely. The Philippines and Vatican City are the only other jurisdictions that prohibit divorce, though both allow annulment under certain circumstances.
Fleeing as the Only Option
When legal divorce is unavailable, abused spouses are left with only one option: physical escape. The wives who fled to South Africa effectively became refugees from their own marriages. In any jurisdiction, when legal channels are blocked, the risk of domestic violence escalation increases dramatically.
Polygamy and Power Dynamics
The extreme power imbalance in Mswati's marriages -- an absolute monarch with unlimited resources versus young women often selected from their teens -- creates conditions where genuine consent is questionable at best. Modern family law increasingly scrutinizes power imbalances as potential indicators of coercion.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →The right to divorce is a fundamental human right -- when it is denied, abuse is almost always the result.
- →If you cannot legally leave a marriage, seek help from international organizations and foreign embassies.
- →Power imbalances in marriage can make genuine consent impossible -- recognize the signs of coercive control.
- →No cultural or religious tradition justifies trapping someone in an abusive marriage.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.