Teenagers said the King had broken his own rules

They were showing how angry they were that King Mswati III had broken his own rules.

In an attempt to fight the massive problem of Aids in Swaziland, the King had asked Swazis to invoke a traditional chastity rite requiring virgins to abstain from sex for five years.

But not long after this he announced he was to marry a 17-year-old girl. Resentment among Swazi women grew when they learned that his fianc�e was living at the royal palace.

Any man who breaks the cultural ban is fined an animal, such as a cow, or will be liable to pay about $160.

Villagers appeased

By way of apology, the King donated a cow to a village where it was barbecued and eaten.

The villagers were apparently appeased.

A staggering one-third of the population in Swaziland is infected with the HIV virus.

So far Aids is estimated to have killed 50,000 of Swaziland's one million people.