Newspapers in Swaziland deliberately suppressed criticism about a visit by the Equatorial Guinean president after being instructed to do so by a Swazi government minister.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa
(MISA), Swaziland chapter, has publicly revealed for the first time the extent
of the collusion between Swaziland’s newspapers and the government.
MISA, the foremost media freedom
advocacy group in the region, reported on how the newspapers in Swaziland covered
the visit to the kingdom by President Teodora Mbasago.
In its annual report on media freedom in Swaziland, published this month, MISA, said, ‘In January 2012, Minister of
Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Winnie Magagula held an
impromptu meeting with all [print] editors , where she told them they must
positively report the visit of Equatorial Guinean President, Teodora Obiang
Nguema Mbasago.
‘The newspapers heeded her directive:
all the media houses waxed lyrical about the expected socio-economic benefits
to be reaped from a questionable oil deal.
‘The editors suppressed President
Mbasago’s negative stories of graft and repression that were run by the
international media. In fact, the Swazi
Observer was forced to apologise for a cable news item published by SAPA
(South African Press Association) that negatively exposed the President.’
There are only two newspaper groups in
Swaziland that publish daily and weekly titles. The Swazi Observer group is in effect owned by King Mswati III, who
rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. The Times of Swaziland is an independently
owned group.
All broadcast media in the kingdom are
state controlled, with the exception of one TV channel that supports the king,
and a radio station that does not carry news or current affairs.
In its annual report MISA called the Swazi Observer, ‘a pure propaganda
machine for the royal family’. It said the Times
of Swaziland publisher, ‘had allowed commercial interests to take
precedence over editorial independence’.
The visit of the Equatorial Guinean
Presidential to Swaziland made headlines in the international media. Swazi
Media Commentary (SMC) said at the time that the Times of Swaziland reported that King Mswati had done a deal with
the President to import crude oil into his kingdom.
The Times
reported Thembinkosi Mamba, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Energy, saying the Swazi Government had plans to build its own
refinery so that, in future, the crude oil would be brought directly to Swaziland
for refinement and separation, thereby, cutting down on costs.
SMC reported, ‘Although
the Times doesn’t say this, it looks
like this deal is something special the King has dreamt up. In the past, as
with the notorious US$5 billion power plant deal that turned out to be a con-trick, the King has bypassed his parliament and made deals on his own initiative.
‘Clearly, Swaziland has no need to
import the crude oil and doesn’t have the capacity – nor can it develop the
capacity in the foreseeable future – to process the oil once it receives it.
Mamba’s claim that Swaziland will be able to build its own refinery is a
fantasy.
‘The deal is pointless - why doesn’t
Equatorial Guinea just send the crude oil to South Africa for refinement,
bypassing Swaziland altogether?
‘The deal is also too costly. Mamba told
the Times, ‘There are
costs involved in the acquisition of the oil, like the cost of transporting it
to South Africa where it will be refined, and the charges that we will have to
pay for refining it in that country.’
‘Looks like King Mswati is about to enter a bad
deal that will cost his subjects a great deal of money, rather than save them
some.
‘So what’s going on? Obiang’s regime has
been labelled one of the world’s most corrupt by international rights groups.
‘Transparency International has ranked
Equatorial Guinea 168th out of 178 countries for its efforts in tackling corruption.
‘Only last month (December 2011), the UK
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell told his parliament that
oil wealth was being stolen from Equatorial Guinea ‘for the corrupt and
personal use of an unaccountable and self-serving elite’.
‘The US Justice Department said in
October 2011it was looking to seize assets worth more than US$70 million from
Obiang’s son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, including a US$30 million home in
Malibu.
‘In September 2011 the president’s son
visited Swaziland. While he stayed at the five-star Royal Villas Resort (where
the president has been staying this week) he had his bag stolen – containing
US$2.5 million in bank notes. We still don’t know why he came to Swaziland with
so much cash in his case, but it is hard to believe it was for legitimate
reasons.
‘Now, three months later his father is
in town and a needless oil deal is signed with the King.’
See also
MISA TELLS ‘TIMES’ EDITOR TO RESIGN
‘POLICE SPIES INFILTRATE MEDIA’
VERY CRUDE SWAZI OIL DEAL
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