Mourning women ordered to King's party

Widows have been ordered to remove their black mourning gowns to celebrate King Mswati's 35th birthday this week, but will remain disqualified from standing in next month's parliamentary elections. "The country will be celebrating, and therefore all widows are expected to take off their mourning gowns," said traditional leader Jim Gama in an announcement on government radio. Gama, the governor of Ludzidzini royal village, is one of the country's most powerful authorities. His pronouncements carry the weight of a fiat from King Mswati III. Gama told the Swazi Observer newspaper, owned by the royal conglomerate Tibiyo TakaNgwane, "This is not a request, but an order from the authorities of the country." He said that whether they remove their mourning outfits or not, women who recently lost their husbands were expected to remain indoors until he issued a statement allowing them to come out again. The Times of Swaziland, the country's only independent daily, characterised the women's situation as "house arrest". Traditional authorities have also instructed Chief Electoral Officer Robert Thwala to disqualify widows from standing for parliamentary office in October's elections. Thwala said widows were not permitted to be in proximity to King Mswati, who would be present at the MPs' chambers for his annual opening of parliament. Thwala did not say why widows should not come too near the king. A traditional healer, Inyoni Shabalala, told IRIN customary belief holds that widows are "unclean" because they retain the spirit of their deceased husbands, which can interfere with the powerful protective medicines administered to King Mswati during the annual Incwala (royal seclusion) ceremonies every December. "Only the passage of time and the performance of certain rituals can rid a woman of her uncleanliness," said Shabalala. An incensed women's rights activist, Siphiwe Myeni, spoke to IRIN, saying: "Talk about double standards! Widows are not allowed to hold public office because the king might happen by. But because government wants a large turnout for his birthday party, widows are supposed to stop mourning and show up at the stadium, where the king will be." King Mswati turned 35 in April, but the celebration of his birthday, a national holiday, will be held on Saturday to coincide with the 35th year of Swaziland's independence from Great Britain. Traditional lengthy mourning periods that restrict widows to their homes are being challenged in Swaziland, because modern women need to work to support their families. The Swaziland branch of Women in Law in Southern Africa has advocated for the end of mourning periods in a new draft constitution. However, King Mswati said the constitution's contents cannot clash with Swazi customs and traditions. "The mourning custom denies women their human rights. They cannot vote, because by custom women who put on the widow's black gowns are not permitted to appear in public for two years, and voting is done at public places," Zakhe Hlanze, a research assistant for Women in Law, told IRIN. But in this traditional country, many widows are happy to follow customary mourning rituals. Some are distraught that their sacred personal observances are being interrupted for the sake of the king's party. "I am very disappointed with this order. My husband died a few weeks ago. I will not stop mourning. I am just going to stay indoors until after the celebrations," Mrs M. Mtsetfwa told the Times of Swaziland. Mrs A. Mnisi, another widow, told the newspaper: "When I heard this announcement, I was shocked. I am not prepared to part with the mourning gowns, because my time has not arrived." "I hope they are aware that by defying the order they are looking down upon Their Majesties," Gama was quoted as saying by the Swazi Observer. He added that Swaziland's chiefs have been instructed to fine or otherwise punish widows who defy his order.