eSwatini (formerly Swaziland)

(MISA/IFEX) – Three local journalists who are freelancing for international press organisations have been warned by the Swaziland State Police that they should stop writing negatively about the country and the king in particular. The journalists are Lunga Masuku of African Eye News, Thulani Mthethwa who does some work for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On Friday 19 October 2001, armed police stormed the offices of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions and assaulted journalists, who were attending a press conference being held by the group’s leader. According to the South African Press Association (Sapa), Swazi police assaulted a photographer from “The Times of Swaziland”, Thulasizwe Mkhabela, and […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Sandile Ntshakala, editor of “The Swazi Observer”, was killed in Mbuleni township, near Manzini, in the early hours of Monday 1 October 2001, after working through the Monday edition of the newspaper. Ntshakala, who had been editor of “The Swazi Observer” for about four months, was visiting a friend and was in the […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 4 September 2001, the government of Swaziland appealed High Court Judge J Annandale’s 31 August ruling, which allowed “The Guardian of Swaziland” newspaper to resume publishing. The newspaper recently emerged from a four-month ban, announced on 4 May by Minister for Public Service and Information Mntonzima Dlamini through Legal Notice 69 of […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On Thursday 30 August 2001, Swaziland senators lashed out against the Sunday edition of the “Times Of Swaziland”, accusing the newspaper of publishing derogatory articles which incite the Swaziland population to hate the monarchy. The senators were referring to two columns titled “To Cetshwayo With Love” and “Parliament Sketch”. These satirical columns are […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The following is a MISA press statement: Court victory for “The Guardian of Swaziland” The Media Institute of Southern Africa welcomes the August 31 ruling of High Court Judge J Annandale which effectively allows “The Guardian of Swaziland” newspaper to resume publishing. The newspaper emerges from a 4-month ban, announced on May 4 […]

(MISA/IFEX) – King Mswati III repealed controversial Decree No 2 of 2001 after a marathon meeting between the Cabinet and Swaziland National Council (SNC) members. Swaziland’s prime minister announced this at a press conference on the night of 24 July 2001, and indicated that Decree No 2 of 2001 would be replaced by Decree No […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 5 July 2001 letter to Swaziland King Mswati III, CPJ expressed concern over his 22 June decree expanding the Swazi government’s already sweeping power to ban local publications. The decree, a continuation of the King’s Proclamation of 1973, authorizes the “appropriate ministry” to ban any publication for any reason. “The minister […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the king of Swaziland, Mswati III, RSF protested the implementation of a new decree which gives the king full power to censor information. RSF asked the king to annul the decree and allow a free and independent press in Swaziland. “The last absolute monarchy on the entire continent is […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On Friday 22 June 2001, His Majesty King Mswati III issued Decree no 2 of 2001, effectively declaring a state of emergency in Swaziland. The decree was published in an extraordinary government gazette on the evening of Saturday 23 June. Article 13 of the Decree reads: “Proscription: Where a Magazine, book, newspaper or […]

(MISA/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister for Public Service and Information Mtonzima Dlamini, MISA-Swaziland’s Chairperson Sphiwe Nkambule and National Director Comfort Mabuza noted that they had been trying to set up an appointment to meet him personally for the last three weeks, but their attempts were not yielding any fruit. Nkambule and Mabuza would […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of Information Mntonzima Dlamini, RSF protested the ban on the monthly “The Nation” and the weekly “The Guardian”. “We ask you to reconsider this decision and not to block publication of the privately-owned press,” stated Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, who noted that the two newspapers had been […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Swaziland police raided the kingdom’s only independent news magazine, the “Nation”, on Tuesday 22 May 2001 in apparent defiance of the country’s High Court. The uniformed policemen insisted that the outspoken magazine was still technically banned and said they had instructions to confiscate all copies of its June edition. Policemen reportedly confiscated over […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Former workers of the Swazi Observer Group of Companies are suing the company for unfair dismissal and intend to claim over two million Emalageni (equivalent to R2 million, approx. US$252,878) at the Industrial Court on Friday 25 May 2001. The case has been dragging for over a year. The newspaper was abruptly closed […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The High Court of Swaziland has set aside the extra-ordinary legal notice banning the “Nation” magazine from publishing and circulating in the country. In his judgement on Friday 18 May 2001, Lordship Judge Jacobus Annandale felt that Minister of Public Service and Information Mtonzima Dlamini was wrong in issuing the blanket ban on […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Following the closure and banning of two newspapers, the “Guardian” and the “Nation”, on 2 and 4 May 2001, respectively, members of parliament (MPs) are now demanding that the Media Council Bill be brought back to parliament for adoption. This is a direct result of a recent article in the “Times of Swaziland”, […]