Africa's last absolute monarch renames Swaziland as 'eSwatini'

Swaziland King Mswati III addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017(File, Reuters)

Swaziland’s King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, said on Thursday he was officially renaming the country as the Kingdom of eSwatini.

He announced the change to eSwatini, meaning “land of the Swazis”, in the local Swati language at Golden Jubilee celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence and of his 50th birthday.