SIKHUPHE – His Majesty King Mswati III was not forced off the plane on his three-day State visit to Turkmenistan as falsely circulated on social media.
The Times of Eswatini can confirm that the image used of His Majesty disembarking on the day by Swaziland News, is an archive photograph credited to Minasse Wondimu Hailu / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
Its caption states plainly that it was taken as the King arrived at Bole International Airport ahead of the 29th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 2 2017, an entirely different country, event and date.
Airport officials were aware of possible delays and informed the King while he was still at the VVIP holding room.
Media houses, including the Times of Eswatini, were present at the King Mswati III International Airport and can confirm that the King did not board the plane.
The King subsequently left the airport, and the King’s Office, through its official correspondents informed all the media houses through a news release confirming the delay of the trip.
As per the norm pertaining to all His Majesty King Mswati III’s travels, the article was published by various media organisations on their digital platforms the same day.
In the news article, it was communicated that His Majesty’s three-day State visit to Turkmenistan had been delayed and the public would be informed of any further developments in due course.
It is worth noting that flight delays are not uncommon and airports or relevant authorities often announce them without disclosing the reasons.
