mswati iii (born as prince makhosetive on 19 april 1968) is the king of eswatini and head of the swazi royal family. he was born in manzini, eswatini, to king sobhuza ii. mswati was supported by apartheid south africa early on during his rule. in the 21st century, he has been criticized by many activists for how he runs eswatini. he is a polygamist who forced swazi women to marry him and has put people in prison for being critical of his government in newspapers.