This WikiLeaks-inspired group exposes the extravagant excess of Swazi royals

By Ben Winsor from Business Insider

TOP IMAGE: A Meme from the SwaziLeaks Facebook profile.

The Kingdom of Swaziland has a total population of just 1.2 million people, 60% of whom live on just a dollar a day.

In the small southern African nation of Swaziland, a group of activists inspired by WikiLeaks is exposing the excesses of Swaziland’s opulent royal family, AFP reports.

Many members of the royal family are active on Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks — and they’re not shy about flaunting their wealth.

While 60% of the country lives on less than $1 a day, the royal family enjoys frequent extravagant holidays, underwater birthday parties in Dubai, opulent renovations, and gold-leaf everything.

Members of SwaziLeaks told AFP they were driven by the desire for accountability and to shatter the respect that many have for their royals.

Taking inspiration from the WikiLeaks cable leak — which exposed a quarter million U.S. diplomatic cables — SwaziLeaks said “[the cables] showed some of the alliances the ruling elite had with Gaddafi and other dictators, which allowed some Swazis to see inside the ivory tower that is the monarchy.”

SwaziLeaks said, “Royalty and their friends live off us, the people, like parasites will spread and be supported by evidence and not rumor. In this we hope that people will start demanding what is due to them.”

The group, which started their Twitter account in 2013, is followed by many Swazi journalists, politicians, and even some royals.

The SwaziLeaks team says they have contacts with members of staff in the Royal household, and it also appears they closely monitor the family on social media.

IMAGES: SwaziLeaks

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