The king of Swaziland Mswati III is celebrating his 25th year in power. Known for his lavish lifestyle and love of women, fast cars and luxury shopping trips, he rules a nation that is becoming increasingly restless.

Mario Masuku is nervous. He closes the door to the terrace of the restaurant and hides behind the curtains. “Did you see those armed soldiers at the door?" he asks. "They tap my phone and know that we are meeting. This is pure intimidation.” Masuku has lost count of the number of times he has been arrested.

Masuku is head of PUDEMO, the largest democracy movement in the country. Elsewhere PUDEMO would be a political party - but political parties have been banned in Swaziland since 1973. In the small kingdom between South Africa and Mozambique the king doesn’t just stand above the law, he is the law.

Luxury
The 43-year-old Mswati III marks 25 years on the throne this month. According to Forbes magazine, he is one of the fifteen richest monarchs in the world. He has married thirteen times and has built every wife her own palace. Their lives bear no comparison to those of the ordinary Swazi.

Seventy percent of the population lives below the poverty line, one in four has HIV/AIDS, the average life expectancy is 32 years and a third of the population needs food aid. Especially in the rural areas, poverty is appalling. It is statistics like these and their stark contrast to the luxurious lifestyle of the king that makes Masuku fight for change.

Dictatorship
Masuku and various trade unions and student organisations want a fully elected government accountable to the people. "This is a dictatorship. The king elects all his friends in high positions. There is a new constitution that should give us more rights. But nobody is taking it seriously and abiding by it. "

Although unrest is growing, many people still support the king. Swaziland is a culturally homogeneous and traditional society, where people know only the monarchy. "Swazi learn from childhood to respect authority," says 38-year-old human rights lawyer Lomcebo Dlamini in her office in the capital.

"You learn that the ultimate authority is the king and there is fear of repercussions if you go against him.” Most Swazi also live on land governed by chiefs and they don’t want to be seen as troublemakers. On top of that, there is little freedom of information.

Revolution
Political scientist Magagola of the University of Swaziland is unable to say just how widespread the demand for change is. “We don’t do opinion polls. But it is mainly the older generation that supports the king and a younger educated generation in the cities that call for change.” He believes what happened in Egypt and Tunisia could also happen in Swaziland. “The monarchy is slowly crumbling and a minority can turn the tide."

Revolution is also discussed among the students in Manzini, Swaziland’s largest city. A group of young people eating chips at a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet talk about Egypt, Tunisia and Libya and how they can mobilize people to go out on the streets via Facebook. "If they can do it in North Africa, why can’t we?" says 25-year old Maxwell Dlamini.

But Mswati III shows no sign of loosening his grip on his kingdom. Protests against the government earlier this month were put down harshly by police and the army. As long as they continue to support the king, a revolution has little chance.