BY MBONO MDLULI
LOZITHA – An amount of E7 644 817 has been raised during the presentation of gifts for His Majesty King Mswati III’s 57th birthday.
This amount of money was presented in cheques by over 55 private companies, public companies, and individuals. The presentation of these gifts took place at Mandvulo Grand Hall in Lozitha Royal Palace on April 16, 2025.
On top of the money, which was presented in cheques, the king was also showered with cows, which were 171 in number. The cows were presented by around 60 organisations and individuals, who reside within Eswatini and outside the country.
Over 10 individuals and organisations were also given an opportunity to present different gifts. Cabinet ministers presented a dining room suite and other companies and individuals presented lounge suites, imicwembe, and other gifts.
His Majesty the King was impressed by the gifts he received from the nation. He said he was happy that Emaswati wanted to celebrate with him on this day.
What also made him happy was that his birthday would be during the Easter holidays, which begin this coming Friday, ending next week Monday. He is of the view that it will be ideal for the country to dedicate the Easter holidays to praising God, through Jesus, who died for humanity’s sins, so that people could be saved.
The king said after the Easter holidays, the King’s birthday would then be celebrated on April 25, 2025. His Majesty praised Emaswati for the gifts, saying this showed that the nation was still united.
He said the unity was the one that was going to make this nation prosper. The king’s birthday also served as an event that fostered unity among Emaswati. The unity was shown by the gifts, which could only been presented because of the unity. The unity would go a long way in making sure that all those who would attend the event got enough food to eat
The king advised Emaswati that they should not strive to work in silos because they would not succeed. He also warned against being proud because that was against the teachings given by Jesus. He said Jesus would only lift those who humbled themselves, just like His Majesty the King.
Her Majesty the Indlovukazi was also impressed by the gifts. She said she heard that some of Emaswati donated amounts of E10 and E20. He said those donations were not in any way small because they would also have a role to play towards the success of the event.
The Queen Mother said what was also important was the fact that these gifts came from the hearts of those that donated.
She said she learnt a good lesson during the times of His Majesty King Sobhuza II. A certain old man from Gege would travelling from that place to Lobamba, where the king resided, just to present him five granadillas.
Her Majesty said at first, she would not understand why this man did this because the fruits were small in number. However, she later learned that this man gave the fruits from the goodness of his heart.
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini thanked Their Majesties for remarks, stating that they learned a lot from their wise counsels. He also thanked the nation for donating the gifts, saying this showed that the nation wanted to be with Their Majesties during the King’s birthday.
