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THE KING OF LESOTHO. The lean and bespectacled Moshoeshoe II, 35, made a determined attempt in 1970 to curb the power of his roly-poly Prime Minister, Chief Leabua Jonathan, in the tiny Maryland-sized state that is completely surrounded by South Africa. He failed, however, and since then has confined himself to a consultant's role. Moshoeshoe (pronounced mo-shway-shway) may well be the best-educated man in Lesotho. He studied for three years at Oxford, and still travels to Britain each year to bone up on the latest in political economy. At home in Lesotho, Moshoeshoe spends much of his time breeding race horses and playing squash and tennis.
THE KING OF SWAZILAND. Sobhuza II, "the Lion of Swaziland," now 74, is indisputably the most powerful of all the kings of Africa. Since winning independence from Britain in 1968, Sobhuza has ruled as a constitutional monarch. Annoyed by his country's British-imposed constitution, he abolished the document earlier this year and transformed the Prime Minister and Cabinet into what he calls the King's Council. He also abolished all political parties, banned political meetings and announced that he would rule by decree. From his 400,000 subjects came not a murmur of protest, not even when he jailed the former opposition leader on flimsy charges. This week Sobhuza is expected to announce the formation of a commission to draw up a new constitution. Undoubtedly, it will cement his ultraconservative one-man rule.