The City Press newspaper that broke the story about the Swaziland Royal Family sex scandal has been banned from the kingdom – but only ‘unofficially’.
The City Press is a South African Sunday newspaper, but it is on sale in Swaziland. For the past two weeks it ran stories about an (alleged) adulterous relationship between (now former) Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Ndumiso Mamba, and King Mswati III’s 12th wife, Nothando Dube (also known as Inkhosikati LaDube).
Now, reports in the African media say Swaziland security forces were apparently instructed to buy all copies of the City Press that were on sale in the kingdom.
African Eye reports, ‘“There were reports that people could not get the paper last weekend in Swaziland, and our sources...also called on Tuesday asking if we know that we have been banned,’ said City Press executive editor Japhet Ncube on Wednesday. “Our lawyers are looking into this issue and steps will probably be taken if it's true, otherwise there is no official report on this.”'
Spokesperson for the Swaziland chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Swaziland), Michael Motsa, said there was no law the Swaziland authorities could use to ban City Press or any other paper.
‘“Yes, there are rumours that City Press has been banned from circulation in the kingdom, but I don't think there is any truth to that. If it is true, we will condemn this and call for the unbanning of the paper based on the fact that there is no legislation calling for banning of newspapers that report negatively about the royal family,” said Motsa on Wednesday.’ (11 August 2010).
While the royal sex scandal has not been covered in the Swaziland media, South African Sunday newspapers City Press, Sunday Sun and the Sunday Independent have reported on it.
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