Nastasya Tay, the Eyewitness News reporter detained by Swaziland police during the protests yesterday (12 April 2011) and escorted out of Manzini, has been speaking about media freedom in the kingdom.
Lutfo Dlamini, the Swazi Foreign Minister, had told South African journalists that the media in Swaziland were free to report anything they liked.
Not so, says Tay, who went on to say that people in Swaziland were too scared of the authorities to speak to the media.
She was interviewed on South Africa’s Talk Radio 702 on the Mid Day Report at 12 noon (10.00 GMT)
Protests in Swaziland will continue into a second day, the Swaziland Solidarity Network says.
Spokesperson, Lucky Lukehele told Eyewitness News on South Africa’s Talk Radio 702 this morning (13 April 2011) the campaign against the government is not over.
Nastasya Tay, the Eyewitness News reporter arrested by state police yesterday and escorted out of Manzini and banned from the area, is on her way back to the city.
She reports live from the scene in this bulletin that was broadcast at 8am local time today.
Nastasya Tay, the South African reporter for Eyewitness News, sent this report just before she was arrested by Swazi police as she tried to cover the protests in Swaziland today (12 April 2011).
Police and the military on Tuesday morning searched vehicles in Manzini, Swaziland’s commercial capital, ahead of planned mass protests.
Trade unions will be marching for better wages and also demonstrating in solidarity with a pro-democracy group wanting to unseat King Mswati III.
Before sunrise on Tuesday, Freedom Square, the planned venue for mass protests, was deserted. The streets of Manzini were empty except for baton wielding security government officials walking through town.
Roadblocks were set up on the road leading into Manzini where armed officers searched vehicles for weapons.
Organisers of the planned protests said they want to see a transition to a democratic government in the small kingdom while government has vowed to enforce the rule of law.
Two South African journalists arrested by Swaziland police have been released unharmed.
Eyewitness News reports that they are being escorted out of Manzini by police to Mbabane. Radio station says it is not permitted to divulge the conditions of the pair's release.
An Eyewitness News reporter has been taken into custody by police in Swaziland. Nastasya Tay and Tshepo Lesole are in the kingdom to cover today’s [12 April 2011] planned mass protests in Manzini.
Early today, police were conducting stop-and-search operations on the roads leading into the town and on Monday several opposition figures were reportedly raided by authorities.
Thousands of people are expected to gather in Manzini on Tuesday morning for a rally against the country’s government.
The details around Tay’s arrest are still unclear. She sent an sms to Eyewitness News Editor in Chief Katy Katopodis at 7.27am which read "taken by police.”
When called immediately after the sms, she was able to whisper into the phone that she was in a police vehicle before the line went dead.
Eyewitness News has informed the Department of International of the arrest. It is still unclear if Lesole is with her.
Meanwhile, Swaziland’s Foreign Minister Lutfo Dlamini was in South Africa last week.
He held a media briefing and Eyewitness News questioned him about media freedom in his country. He said the press was free in that country and invited Eyewitness News to his country to experience this freedom.
At the same time, thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in Manzini today to demand better wages and demand the removal of King Mswati III. Some schools and shops are closed in anticipation of the industrial action.
Freedom Square, the planned venue for the protest, is filled with police officers but organisers still expect thousands to gather. Inyalas have joined police and military street patrols. Some schools are shut despite government’s assurances they be would kept open.
Other shop owners have decided to close for the day as they fear looting from protestors and violent clashes between demonstrators and police.
