Mbabane - King Mswati III of Swaziland has made his first public appearance in five weeks and denied allegations that he had been poisoned by one of his eight wives, writes Seamus Martin. Speaking at a prayer meeting at his palace in the capital, Mbabane, he said: "I wish to refute many things said in my absence, including allegations that I fired one of my wives and my cooks."
The king had been taken ill at a ritual beer festival last month and South African newspapers quoted "palace insiders" as saying that his senior wife, Queen Sibonelo Mngomezulu, had colluded with members of the royal kitchen staff to poison him. The queen was reportedly jealous of the king's youngest wife, Ms Senteni Masango, whom she accused of truancy and obtaining low grades at school.
King Mswati told the prayer meeting that he had been suffering from gastro-enteritis caused by stress.