JOURNALISTS ‘SCARED TO DO THEIR JOBS’

Journalists in Swaziland cannot do their jobs properly because they fear people in authority, a leading media academic in the kingdom said.

Dr Maxwell Mthembu from the University of Swaziland said journalists were scared to report matters affecting the public and to hold government accountable; especially on decisions involving reckless spending and poor investments of the public funds, the Sunday Observer newspaper reported (17 December 2017).

Mthembu was speaking at a workshop hosted by World Vision.

The newspaper reported Mthembu said, journalists’ and editors’ worst enemy was fear of those in authority, and fear of the unknown. He said this resulted in the media failing to execute their watchdog role, and being a voice of the voiceless in society.

He told the audience of journalists, ‘We fear the unknown, we fear those in authority; whatever challenges we face in society are there because you who have been entrusted with the responsibility of being the voice of the voiceless fear writing stories on things that affects the public.’

Media freedom is constantly under attack and censorship is rife in Swaziland where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. 

There are only two daily newspapers in Swaziland and one – the Swazi Observer – is in effect owned by the King. The state controls nearly all broadcasting.

The law is used to attack freedom of speech. Thulani Maseko, a long-time campaigner for human rights, was jailed for two years along with Nation Magazine editor Bheki Makhubu in July 2014 for writing articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.

In 2015, Lawyers for Human Rights (Swaziland) and CIVICUS, an international human rights group, in a submission to the United Nations jointly called for media freedom in the kingdom to be respected and for more independent newspapers and media houses to be allowed to operate.

The report listed a number of media freedom violations in Swaziland. It said the Swazi Government, which is not elected but appointed by the King, ‘strictly controls freedom of expression and the media’. 

They added, ‘Reporting on royal and political matters is severely restricted. Further, regular threats emanating from senior government officials and the royal family to journalists also lead to government censorship and self-censorship by the media further curtailing democratic freedoms’.

The report detailed a number of media freedom violations.

It stated, ‘On 28 April 2014, Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi threatened the Managing Editor of the Swazi Observer, Mbongeni Mbingo over reports on court proceedings in the case involving the editor of Nation magazine Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.  

‘In the 30 March 2014 edition of the newspaper, Mbongeni expressed concerns that Bheki and Thulani were in jail even though the prosecuting team had not concluded its investigations. The Chief Justice ordered Mbongeni to stop reporting on the case and warned that he would be subjected to the same fate as the accused.’

On 17 April 2013, Bheki Makhubu, was found guilty of contempt of court for ‘scurrilous abuse of the Chief Justice’ based on articles he wrote in November 2009 and February 2010 in which he criticised Swazi Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi. On 30 May 2014, he won an appeal with the Supreme Court and the sentence was reduced to three months fully suspended on condition that he is not convicted of any offence of scandalising the court for a period of three years.

The joint report added, ‘On 15 January 2014, the government-controlled Swazi Observer newspaper suspended its editor Thulani Thwala and weekend editor Alec Lushaba after they were accused of failing to adhere to the mandate of the newspaper by publishing negative news stories about the King.

‘The journalists were accused of failing to heed several warnings not to publish damaging reports about the King. Prior to the suspension, they published reports indicating that the Swazi government had solicited a financial bailout from South Africa. Eight months after their suspension, the Board of Directors of the Swazi Observer Newspaper Group reinstated them. 

‘The Swazi Observer newspaper is controlled by the Tibiyo Taka Ngwane conglomerate, which is owned by the King. News items published are highly censored.’

Younger people reportedly are bypassing censored media. In 2014, a report jointly published by the Media Institute of Southern Africa and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) found young people in Swaziland were turning to social media sites such as Facebook because it allowed them to enjoy ‘the fundamental rights to freedom of expression’ that was denied to them elsewhere in the kingdom.

See also

GOVT HAS TOTAL CONTROL OF TV NEWS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/govt-has-total-control-of-tv-news.html

 

NO LET UP ON SWAZI MEDIA CENSORSHIP

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/08/no-let-up-on-swazi-media-censorship.html

INCREASE IN SUPPORT FOR FREE PRESS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.za/2016/05/increase-in-support-for-free-press.html

JOURNALISTS JAILED TO DETER OTHERS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/journalists-jailed-to-deter-others.html

US BACKS CONVICTED SWAZI JOURNALISTS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/us-backs-convicted-swazi-journalists.html

JUDGE RESTRICTS PRESS FREEDOM
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/judge-restricts-press-freedom.html

JUDGE RESTRICTS PRESS FREEDOM

Swaziland’s High Court has sent a chilling warning to journalists in the kingdom that the law courts can determine what they are permitted to write and what they are not.

High Court Judge Mpendulo Simelane ruled that Section 24 of Swaziland’s Constitution that includes guarantees of freedom of expression and freedom of the press can be overridden by judges.

In a ruling in which he convicted a magazine editor and a writer of contempt of court, Judge Simelane said, ‘No one has the right to attack a judge or the Courts under the disguise of the right of freedom of expression.’ He said this was ‘because it is in the public interest that the authority and dignity of the Court is maintained’. 

Bheki Makhubu and Thulani Maseko had written and published articles in the Nation, a monthly magazine in Swaziland, that were critical of the Swazi judiciary in general and Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi in particular.

The pair are awaiting sentence on a date yet to be set.

In his judgment, Judge Simelane said, ‘The rule of law is meant to benefit everyone.  Some journalists have this misconception that just because they have the power of the pen and paper they can say or write anything under the disguise of freedom of expression.’

The judge’s ruling has been criticized across the world. Amnesty International said, ‘Their detention and trial violate their right to exercise freedom of expression as guaranteed under Swaziland's domestic and international human rights obligations.’

The International Commission of Journalists said, ‘The right of freedom of expression is a right which is foundational to free societies.

‘Its respect is recognized as a necessary condition for the realization of transparency and accountability that are essential for the promotion, protection and realization of human rights.

‘It includes the right to impart information to others in almost any form. It covers both facts and opinions.’

Committee to Protect Journalists Africa Program Coordinator Sue Valentine called the ruling, ‘an indictment of the thin-skinned Swazi judiciary that serves a monarch and denies citizens the basic right of freedom of expression’.

Santiago A. Canton, Executive Director of Robert F. Kennedy Partners for Human Rights said, ‘A judicial system that is ready to deny freedom of expression to shield itself from criticism cannot legitimately claim to be administering justice”, and added, ‘Public officials, such as judges and magistrates, by the very nature of their position should be freely scrutinized by the population.’

Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) Campaigns Manager Mark Beacon said, ‘This was a highly politicised trial and yet another example of how the Swazi regime uses the judicial system to crush anyone who dares to criticise them.’

Cléa Kahn-Sriber, head of the Reporters Without Borders Africa desk, said, ‘This is clearly a political verdict designed to gag Swaziland’s only independent publication. It will also send a chilling message to all other Swazi journalists.’

Innocent Maphalala, editor of the Times Sunday, a newspaper in Swaziland, where nearly all broadcast media are state-controlled and one of the kingdom’s only two newspaper groups is in effect owned by King Mswati III, called the court ruling, ‘a sad day for Swazi journalists’.

Dr. Maxwell Mthembu, a journalism and mass communication lecturer at the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) told local media the judgment suppressed media freedom ‘at a time when the media has already been turned into a lap dog’.

The Observer Sunday quoted him saying, ‘The judgment is oblivious of the fact that the media has to monitor and keep check of the three arms of government. It concludes that the judiciary is beyond reproach. That is not proper because the media has to ensure those checks,’

He added, ‘This is really bad for the media because it breeds censorship. What this judgment means is that the media can no longer touch the judiciary.’

See also

WHAT CONVICTED JOURNALISTS WROTE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/convicted-journalists-what-they-wrote.html

COURT CONVICTS EDITOR AND WRITER

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/court-convicts-editor-and-writer.html

EDITOR AND LAWYER ‘FACE 10 YEARS JAIL’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/editor-and-lawyer-face-10-years-jail.html

SWAZI STATE TV BOSS SACKED BY MINISTER

Swazi TV Chairman sacked by Minister – no reason given

Media Institute of Southern Africa, Swaziland Chapter

Media Alert

14 February, 2013

Dr Maxwell Mthembu was sacked as Chairman of Swaziland Television Authority (STVA) on 28 January 2013, according to reports this week in the Times of Swaziland, the country’s only privately-owned newspaper.

Mthembu, a lecturer of journalism and mass communication at the University of Swaziland, has not yet been given a reason for his removal from STVA, the state-broadcaster (or ‘parastatal’) which is also responsible for regulating the country’s electronic media.

The television station under STVA’s control, Swazi TV, is heavily censored and is widely viewed as a propaganda mouthpiece for government and the royal family.   

It is understood that the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), who appoints the chairman of STVA, can remove the appointee at any time and is not required by law to provide a reason.

In an interview with the Swaziland Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Swaziland), Dr Mthembu, who was one year into his three-year stint as chairman of STVA, said he received the letter outlining his removal on 25 January 2013. According to Mthembu, the letter from the Minister of ICT invoked the Public Enterprises Unit Act 1989. Mthembu said the sacking was unexpected, adding that he would have appreciated if the Minister had called him directly and provided a reason.

The CEO of Swazi TV, Bongani Dlamini, said only Winnie Magagula, Minister of ICT, could offer a comment on this matter. Ms Magagula was unavailable for comment.

However the principal secretary in the ministry of communications, Sikelela Dlamini, told MISA-Swaziland that while the Minister is the best person to speak to, he reiterated that “the Act doesn’t require the minister to give a reason”. It is not clear whether Dlamini was referring to the STVA Act 1983 or the Public Enterprise Unit Act 1989. 

MISA-Swaziland is concerned that the chairman of the nation’s state-broadcaster – which many believe should be converted into a public broadcaster – can be sacked without reason. MISA calls on Minister Magagula to cite which Act of Parliament, and which specific article, she invoked to remove Dr Mthembu.

Moreover, in the interests of trust and honesty, MISA calls on the minister to provide reasoning for the sacking – beyond vague notions “performance”.

It should be noted that Dr Mthembu is a former chairman of MISA-Swaziland.

See also

BROADCASTING IS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/02/broadcasting-not-for-people.html

HAVE SWAZI MEDIA LOST THEIR GRIP?

Weekend Observer

7 May 2011

SOURCE

Observers wonder if [Swazi] media has lost its grip

Has the media in Swaziland already lost its grip? This question was brought to the fore on Tuesday during the World Press Freedom Day celebrations amidst growing concerns that the traditional Swazi media is no longer playing its watchdog function.

On the commemoration of [World] Press Freedom Day at the Mountain Inn, different speakers strongly criticised local traditional media for failing to question government enough, but opting to enforce the state’s agenda instead. Independent media houses were also put under the spotlight for apparently being in bed with government of late.

A Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland Chapter researcher observed that one of the most prominent independent print media houses had seemingly allowed itself to be used by government. “The main problem with our local traditional media is that they do not question government agenda but are enforcing it. They write what government wants and other voices are ignored. During the April 12 march, the coverage of our local media on events that unfolded was shocking. All sorts of derogatory words like marchers are power-hungry, law breakers, lazy, terrorists, mercenaries were used, and no platform was given to the protesters to explain their case within the same publications,” she said.

The criticism against local journalists comes amidst growing concerns that members of the fourth estate are in a state of self-censorship and fear even writing about issues that no one ordered them not to write. University of Swaziland (UNISWA) lecturer Dr. Maxwell Mthembu dared say the media in Swaziland was shameful and disgraceful, adding that people were now losing confidence in traditional media, especially newspapers.

“Journalists are now scared to even write about ministers, the budget and corruption. This is a big problem for the country because the media is no longer playing its watchdog function. What are journalists, in all honesty, doing to uplift the standards of poor rural dwellers at Lavumisa, Lomahasha, for instance?” wondered a disappointed Dr. Mthembu.

In the same breath, the MISA Swaziland researcher said while journalists in newsrooms were seemingly losing their grip, but the emergence of social media was being received as a comfort by consumers who are yearning for more. She made an example of former University of Swaziland (UNISWA) lecturer Professor [Richard] Rooney, an active blogger and source of information.

Professor Rooney was heralded for being a source of information, and even publishing articles that local traditional media dares not touch. “If you are not reading the story you are longing for in local newspapers, then simply go to Professor Rooney’s Swazi Media Commentary where it is told as it is”.

The Nation Magazine was found to be the only publication to be critical of government.

See also

PROTEST REPORTING ‘ONE-SIDED’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/protest-reporting-one-sided.html

SWAZILAND JOURNALISTS ‘A DISGRACE’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/swaziland-journalists-disgrace.html

SWAZILAND JOURNALISTS ‘A DISGRACE’

Journalists in Swaziland are so scared of censorship they don’t do their job properly and that is a disgrace, a Swazi media expert has said.

So, ordinary people using Internet social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are taking up issues affecting Swaziland that journalists will not.

Dr. Maxwell Mthembu, a lecturer in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Swaziland, said social media were the future of information sharing in Swaziland. The Swazi Observer newspaper reported him saying journalists were now unable to do their jobs properly because of censorship, which was at times self-imposed.

‘It is a shame and disgrace how journalist are now scared of addressing issues of importance, things affecting the nation. They are now even scared of addressing corruption,’ he told a meeting in Mbabane to mark World Press Freedom Day yesterday (3 May 2011).

Mthembu said social media were giving the people ignored by Swaziland’s ruling elite a platform to voice their concerns which were ignored by mainstream media.

He said social media were offering breaking news even before it could reach the mainstream media.

Mthembu said it was becoming pointless to censor the media because the news was available in social media.

He said government was failing to understand that the media landscape had changed over time. ‘Lack of public debate of social, political and economic issues will result in an increase of the use of social media,’ he said.