King Mswati III has not issued a decree compelling men to enter into polygamous unions, the government of eSwatini has clarified.
The government was forced to make the odd clarification following online reports that trended on Monday, alleging that the king, who himself has 14 wives and more than 25 children, had ordered Swazi men to marry multiple wives.
The sensational claim, which has since been linked to the Zambian Observer, stated in part that King Mswati III had declared that “men will from June 2019 be required to marry at least two or more wives or be jailed if they fail to do so.”
To further incentivize polygamy, the government of eSwatini had allegedly also promised to facilitate the marriage ceremonies and provide houses.
In responding to the article, the eSwatini spokesman, Percy Simelane, had this to say.
“His majesty has not made any pronouncement to that effect as it has never been an issue raised by Emaswati. We will continue to appeal for morality, responsible behavior and professionalism among journalist and the general public with access to social media.”
Mr. Simelane also further described the article as an insult to the monarchy and a disgrace to journalism. He also demanded that the newspaper retract its story.
As the original article doesn’t seem to be available on the Zambian Observer, the news site may have complied with that demand.
An Old Hoax
eSwatini, formerly Swaziland, isn’t the first country to be the subject of the hoax in recent times. In 2016, Kenyan men were apparently all ready to go to Eritrea, which was allegedly facing a shortage of men. Men would thus be required to take at least two wives, with punishment meted out to those who refused.
The Eritrean government was forced to issue a statement refuting this “ludicrous, fabricated and trite story.”
But by this point, it had already been reported across the continent as fact. Its origin was a Kenyan entertainment site, which probably posted this bit as a satire.
Besides Eritrea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have also been targeted by this hoax.
The hoax may have been spawned from a real proposal in Iraq. Devastated by years of wars, and with a surging population of war widows, against a decreasing number of unmarried men, Iraqi politicians had made a proposition to encourage men to marry a second wife. This proposition was made in 2011, but was never followed through.
It seems to have taken a life of its own in the hoaxes that keep popping up every few years.
AFRICA GLOBAL NEWS PUBLICATION
