Here are the contrasting stories of two editors in
Swaziland.
One, Mbongeni Mbingo, the managing editor of the Swazi Observer, is feeling pretty smug
at the moment because he has found out that King Mswati III loves his
newspaper.
The other, Bheki Makhubu, the editor of the Nation, is feeling pretty wretched
because he faces two years in jail because he has found out the king and his supporters
hate his magazine.
Mbingo first: His newspaper reported Thursday (18 April
2013) that King Mswati III was a great fan of the newspaper.
He revealed this to the Observer readers in an ‘exclusive interview’ on the eve of the
king’s 45th birthday.
The Observer
report gushed about how pleased the king was to meet the newspaper’s
journalists
Mbingo reported in breathless tones how excited he and
his journalists were to discover that the king reads their newspaper.
‘I have not seen anything so far that has not pleased me,’
the newspaper reported the king saying about the Observer.
What Mbingo did not tell his readers (and he never does) is
that King Mswati is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, and widely seen
outside of his own kingdom as a despot intent on keeping his subject’s poor
while he and his family live lavishly at their expense. The king has no respect
for human rights and uses state police and militia to silence any opposition to
his regime.
Nor did he say that the king, in effect, controls the
newspaper through Tibiyo
Taka Ngwane, an investment fund with extensive shares in a number of
businesses, industries, property developments and tourism facilities in
Swaziland. The profits from Tibiyo are supposed to be used for the benefit of
the people, but the vast majority is actually used for the king’s own personal
use.
What Mbingo did say was that at the meeting, ‘The Swazi Observer team also informed His
Majesty that they had received birthday wishes from Swazi nation ahead of the
birthday celebrations at Siteki.
‘This also seemed to have excited the king who asked
Mbingo if he had brought the birthday wishes with him.
‘When Mbingo said they had not brought them, His Majesty
then requested that they be brought to the palace, because he said he would be
interested to read each and every one of them.’
Contrast this to the story about another editor that
broke on the same day. Bheki Makhubu edits the Nation magazine, the only pro-democracy print publication in
Swaziland.
He faces two years in jail after the Swazi High Court
convicted him of scandalising the courts by commenting in his magazine on how
close some judges were to the ruling power elites.
Although the king’s name was not mentioned by Makhubu,
readers will have known what he was getting at.
Makhubu’s sentence has been publicly condemned by people
across the world, but not by the Swazi
Observer.
The South Africa National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) said in
a statement the decision of the High Court silenced ‘legitimate scrutiny of
judicial conduct and attitudes’.
SANEF went on to state, ‘We strongly urge the South
African government and the African Union to more vigorously remind the Swazi
authorities of the importance of a free press and open democratic environment.’
SANEF understands the ‘importance of the free press’ but
Mbingo and the Swazi Observer do not.
Makhubu must pay an E200,000 (US$22,000) fine by early
next week or he will go to jail for two years.
Mbingo meanwhile will continue to live high on the hog in
service of King Mswati and in disservice to the people of Swaziland.
Makhubu will surely face financial ruin if he can get
together the money to pay his fine. And, if he cannot, he will live out his
next two years in one of King Mswati’s stinking jails.
Mbingo will continue to be despised by people who believe
that newspapers are to serve the people and not to tell lies for the ruling
elite.
Makhubu will be honoured as a Swazi patriot and true
journalist: a man who fearlessly tells truth to power.
This has been a tale of two Swazi editors.
See also
PUDEMO CONDEMNS EDITOR’S CONVICTION
ARTICLES THAT MIGHT GET EDITOR JAILED
SOUTH AFRICA EDITORS BACK MAKHUBU
HIGH COURT SUPPRESSES MEDIA FREEDOM
MISA: EDITOR’S CONVICTION ‘BRUTAL’
EDITOR’S CONTEMPT SENTENCE ‘SHOCKING’
EDITOR SET FOR TWO YEARS IN JAIL
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