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King bestows President with Order of the Lion

11/01/2012 00:00:00 MAQHAWE NXUMALO

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LOZITHA – His Majesty King Mswati III has conferred the Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with the Order of the Lion award.

This is in recognition of the good work that President Obiang has done as both the President of the Equatorial Guinea and Chairperson of the African Union.

The conferment ceremony took place at the Lozitha Palace last night.

President Mbasogo has led the west central African country since 1979, and he assumed the chairmanship of the AU in January 2011.

Present during the conferment of the award were the Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini, members of the Royal family and a number of Cabinet ministers.

Also present were some members of the Equatoguinean delegation who included the President’s son, Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue.

In a preamble before the King bestowed the award on President Mbabsogo, Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini said the Order of the Lion was being awarded to the long serving leader for his good leadership at country and continental level.

"His Majesty bestows this medal of esteemed recognition on a statesman who has distinguished leadership of his country and has translated to remarkable progress and development for the people of the Equatorial Guinea.

"As Chairman of the African Union, the astute leadership of His Excellency has been of immense benefit to the organi-sation which has seen it grow from strength to strength in delivering on its mandate and thereby impacting positively on member states," the Prime Minister said.

His Majesty the King then proceeded to confer on President Mbasogo the Order of the Lion, which comprised of a sash, a brooch and a medallion. Before the conferment ceremony King Mswati III and President Mbasogo held talks behind closed doors for about an hour.

Today the Equatoguinean President is expected to tour various areas in the Manzini region before paying a courtesy call on Her Majesty the Indlovukazi at Ludzidzini Royal Residence in the afternoon.

He leaves the country tomorrow afternoon.

Eq. Guinea recruits to train in SD

MBABANE – About 30 police recruits from Equatorial Guinea are expected to be trained in the country this year.

According to a source close to the matter, the recruits will be in the country for approximately 12 months. "The training of the aspiring officers from Equatorial Guinea comes after a study that was conducted in 2007. Their government conducted a study on countries that would be suitable for police training," the source said.

The source said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical training and support between the two countries was signed last year in June.

Police

During the signing ceremony, held in Equatorial Guinea, the source said His Majesty King Mswati III was represented by then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Lutfo Dlamini, who now heads the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Police Deputy Public Relations Officer Assistant Superintendent Stephen Dlamini confirmed yesterday that they were expecting some police recruits from that country, which was once colonised by Spain.

Dlamini explained that the aspiring officers, whose official languages are Spanish, French and Portuguese, were expected to come at intervals. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea arrived in the country for a state visit yesterday.

Dlamini expressed hope that President Mbasogo will pay a courtesy visit to the Police College to inspect the facilities to be used by his cadets.

Comments

I just wonder how these police will be trained in Swaziland when they are from a Portuguese, Spanish, French speaking country....Swazilands leaders really like to embark on complicated ventures, for the sake of recognition, yet the country will in the end become a laughing stock in the outside world.
Jan 11, 2012, 7:22 AM, majobo (kmajobo@yahoo.com)

I had wanted to make a long comment regarding the award. But on second thought, I'd like to say No Comment.
Jan 11, 2012, 7:22 AM, Anonymous (anony@yahoo.com)