Senteni Masango, the eight wife of Africa’s last absolute monarch, Swaziland’s King Mswati III, has committed suicide.

She was found dead in the early hours of Friday morning, April 6, barely a week after the burial of her sister Nombuso Masango.

According to reports, Senteni overdosed on about 40 amytriptyline capsules. Amitriptyline, which is sold under the brand name Elavil, among others, is a medicine primarily used to treat a number of mental illnesses. This includes major depressive disorder and lack of attention disorder.

Sources closer to her have revealed how unhappy she was with the abuse within the royal household.

It was alleged that the king ordered to ensure that she neither attends her late sister’s memorial service nor funeral.

Until her death, she allegedly lived alone for over three years in a big mansion with not a single visit from the king.

King Mswati III chose Ms Masango as his eighth bride in September 1999, when she was only 18.

Last year, King Mswati III, married his latest bride, Ms Siphelele Mashwama, who was aged 19 years. It is a tradition for the Swazi King to choose a wife every year. The Sherburne-educated king choses a new bride during the famous Reed Dance ceremony, also known as Umhlanga.

The Reed Dance ceremony is an annual Swazi and Zulu tradition held in August or September.

In Swaziland, tens of thousands of unmarried and childless girls and women travel from the various chiefdoms to participate in the eight-day event, and would-be brides are publicly checked to ascertain their virginity.

The Kingdom of Swaziland is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies. King Mswati III was crowned in 1986 at the age of 18, succeeding his long-serving father King Sobhuza II, who died at the age of 82.

The king, now aged 50, who is known as Ngweyama – the lion – has many wives and often appears in public in traditional dress.