Southern African leaders will urge Swaziland's king to improve human rights and governance in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy when they meet next week

Aziz Pahad, South Africa's deputy foreign minister, said the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) was concerned that political freedoms were being curtailed and the rule of law ignored in the landlocked kingdom.

"Clearly one issue that will be discussed is resolving the Swaziland issue, which is becoming a very serious problem and a major concern for SADC," Pahad told a news briefing in Pretoria.

"SADC and the Commonwealth are involved in trying to ease tensions there. The president of Mozambique is also talking to Swaziland's King Mswati about the issue," he said.

Opposition parties, which are illegal in Swaziland, and trade unions have become increasingly vocal in demanding greater democracy and limits to the king's power.

The SADC trade bloc comprises South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique and Malawi.