Media Institute of Southern Africa, Swaziland chapter
Media
Alert, 28 February 2013
Suspended newspaper executive
said to have misused funds
Media
reports say Alpheous Nxumalo, the suspended managing director of the Swazi
Observer Group of Newspapers, allegedly misused funds during his tenure. Chairperson
of the Swazi Observer, Sthofeni Ginindza, suspended Nxumalo on 19 February
2013.
On
Monday, 25 February 2013 the Times
of Swaziland, a privately-owned daily newspaper, reported that Nxumalo
allegedly partook in “fraudulent practices and other acts of misconduct”. The
newspaper quoted Ginindza as saying “the allegations [against Nxumalo]
pertained to financial mismanagement”.
Nxumalo
successfully obtained an interdict allowing him to return to work despite the
board insisting that he would not be welcome at the newspaper group.
However,
the Times of Swaziland reports
that since the suspension, the managing director “was further required to hand
over all company items, including all keys, computers, laptops, documents and
any other item in his possession that belongs to the Swazi Observer”. It would also appear as if he is being denied
access to company premises.
Nxumalo
is accusing what he describes as a “politically-controlled” board of
interference in his work, saying this is what has led to his suspension.
Earlier
this year, Nxumalo attracted much criticism after publishing a column in
the Swazi Observer in which
he accused the media and non-governmental organisations of undermining the
authority of the Swazi government and the royal family.
“It
is absolutely true that most of the so-called democracy activists find it
‘democratic’ to insult the heads of state and government in the media as a
strategy of democratising Swaziland. It is preposterous and fallacious,” he
wrote, going on to declare that he “will not submit to a mandate in
contradiction with the mandate of the Swazi monarchy and its subsidiary
institutions.”
The
Swaziland Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Swaziland)
wrote a letter to
the newspaper at the time, calling on Nxumalo to substantiate his claims.
The
Swazi Observer Group of Newspapers publishes the Swazi Observer (daily) and Weekend Observer (weekly). Tibiyo Taka Ngwane, a royal
conglomerate owned by King Mswati III in trust of the Swazi nation, owns the
newspaper group.
See
also
KING’S
PAPER SUSPENDS MD
BANNED PARTY ATTACKS ‘OBSERVER’ BOSS
‘OBSERVER’
ROW APOLOGY DEMANDED
EDITORS
ATTACK KING’S NEWSPAPER BOSS
NO
PRESS FREEDOM AT ‘OBSERVER’
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