King Mswati III of Swaziland has denied ordering his countrymen to marry more than one wife or face imprisonment.
Spokesman of the government, Percy Simelane, in a statement on Monday said the decree was never made.
The statement blamed Zambia Observer newspapers for the report.
The report alleged that the Swaziland king had ordered that men in the country should marry more than one wife by June or face jail terms.
Part of the statement read: “In the wake of several poisonous reports published in some foreign newspapers, social media platforms and other forums purported to be an official statement by His Majesty, King Mswati III, Government wishes to state the following:
“The current dispatch titled ‘Marry more wives or face jail,’ quoting the King is not only an insult to the monarchy but a disgrace to journalism.
“His Majesty has not made any pronouncement to that effect and it has never been an issue raised by Emaswatini.”
