Sibonelo Mngometulu

Sibonelo Mngometulu (born 16 June 1969), known as Inkhosikati LaMbikiza, is the third and senior wife of King Mswati III of Eswatini. Sibonelo married Mswati III in 1986, becoming the first wife he personally chose to marry, following two ceremonious marriages. She is the mother of Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini and Prince Lindani Dlamini.

Although not permitted to practice law due to her status as a royal, she has a law degree from the University of South Africa and serves as a legal advisor to the king. As royal consort, Sibonelo serves a patron of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and the Eswatini chapter of the Heal the World Foundation. She is the founder and director of multiple charitable organizations that champion public health and education. She has accompanied the king on various international visits, including the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012, the United States–Africa Leaders Summit in 2014, and the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla in 2023.

Early life and marriage Sibonelo Mngometulu was born on 16 June 1969, the daughter of the diplomat Mbikiza Mngometulu, who served as the Eswatini Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

When Sibonelo was sixteen years old, she met Prince Makhosetive of Swaziland while performing in the annual reed dance. Shortly after, when she was seventeen, Prince Makhosetive was crowned as King Mswati III and chose her to be his wife.

She took up residence at the Nkoyoyo Royal Palace in Mbabane and at the Ludzidzini Royal Village.

Sibonelo has two children with the king, Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini and Prince Lindani Dlamini.

Royal consort Sibonelo is Mswati III's senior wife.

She is the first Swazi queen to continue her education after marrying the king.

The King and Queen of Eswatini with U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014. In August 2014, she and her husband attended the United States–Africa Leaders Summit, where they met with U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.

In 2023, she accompanied her husband King Mswati III to the Coronation of King Charles III in London. While in London, she and her husband joined other leaders of the Commonwealth States for a discussion on the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government's declaration of 2023 as the "Year of the Youth". She also partook in an event for spouses of Commonwealth leaders where they discussed treatments and prevention for cervical cancer.

Controversies In 2001, Mswati III fell ill and Sibonelo was accused by rivals in the royal family of poisoning him. Amid allegations of poisoning circulating due to a power struggle within the Eswatini royal family, an investigation was opened to ascertain whether Sibonelo and her daughter had been poisoned or ill due to natural causes. Percy Simelane, the king's spokesperson, commented to the press that he is responsible for the public image of the king, not private matters, and claimed that any inquiry about domestic abuse within the royal family would be an invasion of the king's privacy.

In 2007, she was featured in the documentary film Without the King, which followed political and social issues in Eswatini.

In 2017, she earned a degree in graphic design from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.