A member of parliament in
Swaziland says people in the kingdom are scared to communicate on their cell
phones because they have been bugged.
Mtfongwaneni MP Mjuluko
Dlamini made the comment in the in the House of Assembly on Monday (9 April
2018).
The Times of
Swaziland,
the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom where King Mswati III rules
as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, reported, ‘His statement comes
after rumours have been circulating that the state was now able to listen to
all conversations between certain individuals.’
He called on Minister of
Information, Communication and Technology Dumisani Ndlangamandla to attend
parliament to answer questions. His motion was seconded by
Mbabane West MP Johane Shongwe, who also said people were now scared to
communicate freely, the Times
reported.
Reports have been circulating
on social media that the Swazi state is now able to spy on sites such as
Facebook. Last week a new law was introduced in Swaziland compelling people to register their
cell phones and other electronic gadgets.
There are constant concerns
in Swaziland that state police and the Army are spying on people. Freedom of expression and assembly are severely
curtailed in the kingdom. Political parties are banned from taking part in
elections and the King chooses the Prime Minister and government ministers. The
Suppression of Terrorism Act is used to jail prodemocracy advocates.
There is some evidence that
the state does have intentions on spying. In 2012 when
prodemocracy demonstrations were at their height in Swaziland it came to light that the
kingdom’s Army was caught buying spy cameras and phone monitoring equipment
worth US$1.25 million.
The Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) – the
formal name of the Swaziland Army – was sued
in the Swaziland High Court because it ordered the equipment, but did
not pay for it.
The equipment was known as GSM Option: Voice Intercept
or delivery and SMS (Short Message Service) Intercept or delivery, as well as
spy cameras and alarm systems, the Times
of Swaziland reported at the time.
The equipment could be used against the civilian
population in Swaziland. The Voice Intercept equipment is marketed as a tool to
monitor and record live phone conversations, which, according to one supplier
called SyTech Corporation,
the equipment could be a valuable asset to any agency and
investigation. It, ‘delivers the evidence that makes the
case while protecting officers’ safety’.
The GSM equipment is designed to monitor mobile
phones. This type of equipment is widely available across the world. Another
supplier listed the main use as, ‘following a person’s activities and staying
undetected’.
The equipment records all information on the phone as
it happens and records ‘phone events’. It can spy on SMS text messages, on web
browser activities and call logs (inbound and outbound). It can also track the
phone’s location using GPS.
It was, one supplier said, ‘100 percent undetectable
and you can spy on unlimited [number of] phones.’
The Swaziland Army ordered equipment worth about E10
million (US$1.25 million at the then exchange rate) from Naspoti J & M
Security Solutions, in Nelspruit, South Africa, the Swazi High Court heard, but
cancelled the order just as the company was ready to deliver. No reason was given to the court for the
cancellation but,
then as today the Swazi Government was broke and
struggling to pay its bills, including public sector salaries.
This was not the first time that the Swazi ruling
elite has been found trying to spy on the King’s subjects. In August 2011, Wikileaks
published
a cable from the US Embassy in Swaziland that revealed the Swazi Government had
tried to get MTN, the only mobile phone provider in the kingdom, to use its
network for ‘surveillance on political dissidents’.
Tebogo Mogapi, the MTN chief executive officer (CEO)
in Swaziland, refused to comply and later did not have his work permit renewed
and so had to leave the kingdom.
See also
TOP
SWAZI POLITICIANS’ ‘PHONES BUGGED’
STATE
POLICE SPY ON SWAZI MPs
POLICE
SPIES INFILTRATE MEDIA
AFP
JOURNALIST’S PHONE BUGGED
No comments:
Post a Comment