The United Democratic Front in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) has called on parents of Swati girls to pull their children out of the King's annual Reed dance, labelling it a paedophile festival.
The opposition group, also known as Lubambano, said over the years the Reed dance had lost its meaning, with reports of the king's friends using the festival to choose young women to sleep with and salivate over.
The Reed dance was meant to promote chastity among young women, while promoting solidarity among the women.
The king also had the privilege of also identifying a potential wife at the reed dance. Culture dictates that the girls would be half naked, clothed in their cultural attire during the ceremony, which ends with a dance in front of the king.
A spokesperson for the United Front for Democracy, Vusi Shongwe, said the reed dance had lost its cultural meaning because of the human rights abuses that continue in Swaziland.
"Lubambano Lwenkhululeko yaMaSwati's main goal is the total liberation of the people of Swaziland,“ Shongwe said. ”We reiterate our total opposition to royal oppression in whatever form it may be presented by the ruling elite, in this case being disguised as a cultural event.“
Shongwe said for many years the girls who attend the Reed dance were being transported from their villages to the Queen Mother's village using unsafe modes of transport, such as construction trucks.
He said in 2015 a road accident occurred in which most of the girls died. At the time there were allegations of witchcraft concerning the accident.
"As if this was not enough, the royal family showed to all their inhumane side by forcefully denying the deceased family members the right to view the remains before their burial. This fuelled suspicion that the bodies could have been used for ritual purposes before being handed over to the families," Shongwe said.
Some political parties in Swaziland have been calling for the end to Africa's last monarchy because of instability in that country.
It is estimated that around 40 000 girls take part in the reed dance every year. The reed dance festival started on August 30, and was expected to end on September 5.