PM SAYS EDITOR IS ‘SECURITY RISK’

Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, has accused the editor-in-chief of King Mswati’s newspapers of being behind the April 12 Uprising plot to replace the King.

Musa Ndlangamandla of the Swazi Observer group says Dlamini convinced King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, that he was a ‘security risk’.

Ndlangamandla says now the King believes this to be true he has been blacklisted and is not allowed anywhere near the King.

Previously, Ndlangamandla had been a key member of the King’s team, accompanying the monarch on overseas’ trips and filling the Observer with acres of coverage favourable to him.

Ndlangamandla also wrote speeches for King Mswati and made it clear that the Observer believed the king was ‘the legitimate leader of the Swazi nation [and], must never be compromised in any way.’

Now, Ndlangamandla has revealed on his Facebook site that Barnabas [Barney] Dlamini has turned against him.

On Wednesday 20 July 2011 he published this note, ‘Many ask why I no longer travel with King. Many rumours abound. Let me set the record straight. I have been blacklisted by Barney. He told King I am a security risk. Barney said I am behing April 12 uprising. Barney told King I have sold Observer to PUDEMO [the banned political party] simply because I allow paper to report that we are asking for bailout from SA, that poverty levels are high & no confidence in cabinet. My consience is clear!’

He followed up this post with another on the same day, ‘Tiz rough Barney wants me fired and Tibiyo [the King’s company that owns the Observer] is holding on to a thread for my contract. They say I have sold out the newspaper to PUDEMO coz I allow the true Swazi situation to be published poverty and all. So Sibusiso [Dlamini, the PM] said I am security risk to King. That's why I have been expelled from the trips. Barney told King I am brains behind April 12. So I am sitting here waiting for the axe. But my conscience is clear. I want the truth only. Be it bitter or sweet.’

A usually reliable source tells me that trouble really started for Ndlangamandla earlier this year (2011) when the Observer ran a series of reports about Prime Minister Damini’s business dealings.

The Observer has also been giving extensive coverage to a land scam that involved the Prime Minister and other politicians buying government land at knock-down prices. Dlamini was labelled corrupt by many people after the revelations became public.