Media Institute of Southern
Africa - Swaziland Alert
Friday, 22 February 2013
Friday, 22 February 2013
Head of State-owned newspaper group suspended
Media
reports say Alpheous Nxumalo, managing director of the
State-owned Swazi Observer Group of Newspapers, has been suspended.
The Swazi Observer, published by the Swazi
Observer Group of Newspapers, on Thursday, 21 February 2013 reported that the
Board of Directors gave no reason for Nxumalo’s suspension, only saying more
information would be forthcoming “pending investigation”.
In
the media reports, the chairperson of the newspaper group, Sithofeni Ginindza,
is quoted as saying “the board was working towards improving the newspapers’
operations”.
Nxumalo
is said to have rushed to the High Court on hearing of his suspension,
reportedly delivered to him by letter on Tuesday, 19 February 2013. He
successfully obtained a court order allowing him to return to work.
“I
was at work during the afternoon after I approached the High Court,” he told the Swazi Observer.
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.
Meanwhile,
Andreas Nkabinde, a former finance controller at the newspaper group has been
appointed as acting managing director. Ironically, Nxumalo suspended him in
July 2012 and gave no reasons for the suspension.
Earlier
this year, Nxumalo attracted much criticism after he published a column in
the Swazi Observer in which he accused the media and non-government
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 elaborate on his unfounded claims.
See
also
BANNED
PARTY ATTACKS ‘OBSERVER’ BOSS
‘OBSERVER’
ROW APOLOGY DEMANDED
EDITORS
ATTACK KING’S NEWSPAPER BOSS
NO
PRESS FREEDOM AT ‘OBSERVER’
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