NO LET UP ON SWAZI MEDIA CENSORSHIP

The Swaziland Government will not let up on its control of state radio, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Dumisani Ndlangamandla said.

He said state media, which includes television and radio, existed primarily to serve the interests of the state.

This would mean that the strict censorship that existed in Swaziland would continue.

Ndlangamandla was speaking in the Swazi parliament in response to questions from MPs about the future control of media in the kingdom which is ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. Political parties are not allowed to stand in elections and most are banned outright. The King appoints the Prime Minister, who also serves as editor-in-chief of state media.

Some MPs wanted to remove Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services (SBIS) and Swazi TV from government control.

The Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, reported Manzini North MP Jan Sithole saying radio and TV, ‘only cover news which the State wants covered and they are not open to the public as they should, yet they are run with taxpayers’ money’.

The newspaper reported, ‘The MP also raised concern about the silent censorship of politicians by the State media, since no MP is ever interviewed or shown on TV.’

The Times reported, ‘Matsanjeni MP Phila Buthelezi said SBIS Radio, for instance, was not primarily for its listeners. 

‘He clarified that it was disappointing that news which one would expect a national radio station to run is not broadcast by the station. Buthelezi wondered how the editing of news went on in the station.’

The Times added, ‘Meanwhile, the minister was unambiguous in saying that State mediums cannot be delinked from the State because it would be detrimental to the country.’

Censorship of radio and television in Swaziland is not new. In August 2012 the government announced that in advance of the national election in September 2013 radio would be banned from broadcasting news and information that did not support the government’s own agenda.

All radio in the kingdom, except one Christian station that does not broadcast news, is state-controlled.

New guidelines also barred ‘public service announcements’ unless they were ‘in line with government policy’ or had been authorised ‘by the chiefs through the regional administrators’ or deputy prime minister’s office’.

The guidelines said the radio stations could not be ‘used for purposes of campaigning by individuals or groups, or to advance an agenda for political, financial popularity gains for individuals or groups’. 

Media in Swaziland are severely censored. There are only two TV stations in the kingdom, the state-controlled Swazi TV and the independent Channel S, which has a publicly-stated policy of supporting King Mswati.

There is a long history of censorship on state broadcasting in Swaziland. Strikes and anti-government demonstrations are usually ignored by broadcasters. Sometimes live radio programmes are censored on air. In July 2011, the plug was pulled on a phone-in programme when listeners started criticising the government for its handling of the economy. Percy Simelane, who was then the boss of SBIS, and went on to become the government’s official spokesperson, personally stormed the radio studio and cut the programme.  

In April 2011, Welile Dlamini, a long-time news editor at SBIS, challenged the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini at an editors’ forum meeting on why the state radio station was told by the government what and what not to broadcast. Welile Dlamini said that at the station they were instructed to spike certain stories such as those about demonstrations by progressives and strike action by workers. The PM responded by saying editors should resign if they were not happy with the editorial policies they are expected to work with.  

In March 2011, SBIS stopped broadcasting the BBC World Service Focus on Africa programme after it carried reports critical of King Mswati III. In the same month, SBIS failed to cover the march by nurses that forced the Swazi Government into paying them overdue allowances. 

In 2010, Swazi police told SBIS it must stop allowing people to broadcast information about future meetings unless the police had given permission. Jerome Dlamini, Deputy Director of the SBIS said this was to stop the radio station airing an announcement for a meeting that was prohibited. 

He said, ‘It’s the station’s policy not to make announcements without police permission.’ 

In 2006, the minister for public service and information, Themba Msibi, warned the Swazi broadcasters against criticising the king.

MISA reported at the time, ‘The minister’s threats followed a live radio programme of news and current affairs in which a human rights lawyer criticised the king’s sweeping constitutional powers.’

Human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, had been asked to comment on a visit by an African Union (AU) human rights team which was on a fact-finding mission to Swaziland.

‘In response, Maseko said that, as human rights activists, they had concerns about the king’s sweeping constitutional powers and the fact that he the king was wrongfully placed above the Constitution. He said they were going to bring this and other human rights violations to the attention of the AU delegation. 

‘Not pleased with the broadcast, the government was quick to respond. Msibi spoke on air the following day to sternly warn the media against criticising the king. He said the media should exercise respect and avoid issues that seek to question the king or his powers. 

‘The minister said his message was not directed only to radio but to all media, both private and government-owned. He said that in government they had noticed that there was growing trend in the media to criticise the king when he should be above criticism and public scrutiny,’ MISA reported.

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.

See also

BILL LETS KING CONTROL BROADCASTING

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/bill-lets-king-control-broadcasting.html

 

MOVE TO MERGE STATE BROADCASTERS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/move-to-merge-state-broadcasters.html

 

BROADCASTING IS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE

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

 

GOVT ‘TIGHTENS GRIP ON CENSORSHIP’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/01/govt-tightens-grip-on-censorship.html

KING’S PAPER BACKS RADIO CENSORSHIP

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/kings-paper-backs-radio-censorship.html

 

GOVT BANS MPS FROM THE RADIO

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/govt-bans-mps-from-radio.html

 

NEW RADIO CENSORSHIP RULES RELEASED

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-radio-censorship-rules-released.html

KING MISLEADS ON AGOA WITHDRAWAL

King Mswati III is misleading his subjects and the world at large when he says he does not know why the United States is withdrawing a preferential trading status from his kingdom.

The United States decided that Swaziland could no longer receive trading benefits under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). The decision was made in June 2014 after Swaziland failed to meet the United States’ requirements on human rights issues.

King Mswati rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch and political parties are banned from contesting elections with many outlawed under anti-terrorism legislation. The King handpicks the Prime Minister, government ministers and the judiciary.

King Mswati returned from the United States Africa summit in Washington this week and told media in Swaziland that he did not know why the United States withdrew the preferential trading status. The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, reported him saying the United States did not make it clear why Swaziland lost its eligibility.

However, the reasoning was widely reported at the time, including by newspapers in Swaziland. The US withdrew Swaziland’s AGOA privileges after the kingdom ignored an ultimatum to implement the full passage of amendments to the Industrial Relations Act; full passage of amendments to the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA); full passage of amendments to the Public Order Act; full passage of amendments to sections 40 and 97 of the Industrial Relations Act relating to civil and criminal liability to union leaders during protest actions; and establishing a code of conduct for the police during public protests.

The US Trade Representative Michael Froman, said, ‘The withdrawal of AGOA benefits is not a decision that is taken lightly. 

‘We have made our concerns very clear to Swaziland over the last several years and we engaged extensively on concrete steps that Swaziland could take to address the concerns.’

Since the announcement of the withdrawal, which starts on 1 January 2015, the United States has continued to criticise Swaziland’s poor human rights issues. 

Last week, the United States criticised Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini after he called for two workers’ leaders to be ‘strangled’ after they criticised his government’s human rights record. It called the comment ‘threatening’.

In a statement the United States Department of State  said, ‘Such remarks have a chilling effect on labor and civil rights in the Kingdom of Swaziland.’

It added, ‘The United States continues to support and defend fundamental freedoms, including freedom of association, and the human rights defenders who fight for these values each day. We call upon the Government to renounce the Prime Minister’s remarks and to ensure respect for the constitutionally enshrined rights of all citizens.’

Last month (July 2014) the US State Department criticised the jailing for two years of magazine editor Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer and writer Thulani Maseko after they wrote articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.

In a statement the State Department said,  ‘Their convictions for contempt of court for publishing an article critical of the High Court of Swaziland and their ongoing prolonged detention appear to undermine respect for Swaziland’s human rights obligations, particularly the right to freedom of expression, which is enshrined in Swaziland’s own constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United States strongly supports the universal fundamental freedom of expression and is deeply concerned by the actions of the Swazi Government.’

The US regularly draws attention to human rights failings in Swaziland. In a public statement in April 2013, the US Embassy in Swaziland said it had ‘deep concern’ about the way police engaged in ‘acts of intimidation and fear’ against people seeking their political rights.

The statement came after armed police, acting without a court order, barricaded a restaurant in Manzini to stop people attending a public meeting to discuss the national election in Swaziland.

The US embassy said it had deep concern about the manner in which representatives of political organisations and lawyers for human rights were treated by police.

The police blockade of the restaurant took place on 12 April 2013 and was intended to mark the 40th anniversary of the Royal Decree in 1973 by King Sobhuza II that tore up the constitution and allowed the king to introduce any law he wished and to change existing ones.

The decree has never been rescinded and his son, Mswati III today rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch.

The US Embassy said it was, ‘[C]oncerned that a group of people were prevented from entering a restaurant, where they had planned to hold their meeting and were forcibly removed from the premises by police’.

The statement added that the 2005 Swaziland Constitution guaranteed freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

It further said Swazi security forces had a duty to protect the rights of citizens to, ‘communicate ideas and information without interference’.

This was not the first time the US Embassy in Swaziland has criticised the Swaziland ruling regime. A year earlier in April 2012 it said, ‘We urge the Swazi government to take the necessary steps to ensure the promotion and protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Swazi citizens as outlined in the Swazi constitution, including freedom of conscience, of expression, of peaceful assembly and association, and of movement.’

The statement went on, ‘The United States government is deeply concerned about increasing infringements on freedom of assembly, as evidenced by the recent actions taken by Swazi security forces to prevent peaceful citizens from gathering for a prayer meeting on Saturday, April 14 in Manzini as well as reports of those same forces preventing people from gathering in groups of more than two people in Manzini and Mbabane on April 11 and 12.’

See also

US BACKS CONVICTED SWAZI JOURNALISTS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/us-backs-convicted-swazi-journalists.html

PM WITHDRAWS ‘STRANGLE’ THREAT

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/08/pm-withdraws-strangle-threat.html

SOUTH AFRICA EXPELS SWAZI ACTIVISTS

Three Swazi political activists who were denied political asylum in South Africa are expected to leave the country on Friday (15 August 2014).

But, it is not clear if they will return to Swaziland, amid fears that they might be imprisoned by King Mswati III’s regime.

There is speculation that the three, all high-ranking members of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), might try to find asylum in another country. They are CPS General Secretary Kenneth Kunene, Goodwill Du Pont and Sithembiso Simelane. Du Pont is originally from Siteki, Simelane from Manzini and Kunene from Bhunya. 

The trio left for South Africa in 2005 when they faced arrest for engaging in political activism in the kingdom. Political parties are banned in Swaziland and many have been labelled ‘terrorist organisations’ by the Swazi state. King Mswati rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

The fear for the activists’ safety in Swaziland heightened last week after the kingdom’s Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini called on two workers activists who spoke against the government while on a visit to the United States to be ‘strangled’ on their return home. 

Dlamini later withdrew his comment after he was condemned by the United States and human rights organisations across the world.

The three activists were reportedly told by South Africa that Swaziland was a democracy and they faced no threat if they returned to the kingdom when it revoked the political asylum permits that had allowed the three to remain in the republic.

In Swaziland democracy campaigners are routinely beaten and arrested by police. In May 2010 Sipho Jele was killed in custody by state forces. He had been arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the name of the banned political party PUDEMO written on it.

CPS National Organizing Secretary Njabulo Dlamini called for the unconditional and safe return of the exiled activists if they were forced to return to Swaziland.

PM WITHDRAWS ‘STRANGLE’ THREAT

Swaziland’s Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini has apologised ‘unconditionally’ for saying workers’ leaders should be ‘strangled’ for opposing his government. This followed an international campaign of condemnation. 

Dlamini told the Observer on Saturday, a newspaper in Swaziland in effect owned by King Mswati III, that he did not mean to be taken literally. 

‘Basically, I withdraw the comments I made on the union leaders. I withdraw them unconditionally,’ the newspaper reported him saying.

This came after the United States Department of State called Dlamini’s comment ‘threatening’.

In a statement it said, ‘Such remarks have a chilling effect on labor and civil rights in the Kingdom of Swaziland.’

It added, ‘The United States continues to support and defend fundamental freedoms, including freedom of association, and the human rights defenders who fight for these values each day. We call upon the Government to renounce the Prime Minister’s remarks and to ensure respect for the constitutionally enshrined rights of all citizens.’

According to a report in the Times of Swaziland newspaper, the Prime Minister had said that Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) General Secretary, Vincent Ncongwane and human rights lawyer Sipho Gumedze, should be strangled because they spoke against his government in Washington.

Dlamini made the comment in a parliamentary debate about the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA). Swaziland has lost its preferential trade status with the United States under the Act because of its poor human rights record.  Dlamini blamed workers’ leaders for not supporting his government and the King. King Mswati rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, political parties cannot stand in elections and the King appoints the Prime Minister and the government.

Swaziland has a history of state violence against prodemocracy campaigners and in 2010 Sipho Jele died in custody after being arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the name of PUDEMO (a banned political party) written on it.

A campaign against Dlamini was launched on the Internet and the United States powerful union bloc the AFL-CIO also condemned him.

In a statement it called on the ‘Swazi government to immediately end threats and attacks against unionists and human rights activists, release imprisoned leaders and take the needed steps to comply with international commitments’.

Explaining the U-turn, the Observer reported, ‘He briefly explained, however, that he had realised that his comments were taken in the literal sense and therefore had caused unnecessary attention.’ 

See also

PM SAYS ‘STRANGLE’ WORKERS’ LEADERS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/08/pm-says-strangle-workers-leaders.html

PM SAYS ‘STRANGLE’ WORKERS’ LEADERS

A reported threat by Swaziland’s Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini that workers’ leaders should be strangled when they return to the kingdom from the US Africa Summit has been condemned by prodemocracy campaigners.

According to a report in the Times of Swaziland newspaper, the Prime Minister said that Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) General Secretary, Vincent Ncongwane and human rights lawyer Sipho Gumedze, should be strangled because they spoke against his government in Washington.

Swaziland is not a democracy and Dlamini was not elected PM. He and all his government ministers were directly appointed PM by King Mswati III, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

In June 2014, Swaziland lost its preferential trading status under the US Africa Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) because of its appalling human rights record.

The Times reported that Dlamini told the Swazi Parliament in a debate about AGOA that the workers’ leaders had gone to Washington to discuss workers’ rights without first telling the government they were going. He was reported saying, ‘They leave your constituencies and do not even inform you where they are going and once they come back and you find out that they are from your constituency you must strangle them.’

Prodemocracy activists reacted with anger to the statement. In Swaziland campaigners are routinely beaten and arrested by police. In May 2010 Sipho Jele was killed in custody by state forces. He had been arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the name of the banned political party PUDEMO written on it.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said, ‘We call on governments to immediately urge the Swazi government to publicly withdraw its threat and to ensure the safety of these courageous activists upon their return. Further, we urge other countries which grant trade preferences to Swaziland to join the US in initiating procedures to withdraw them until such time as fundamental worker rights are respected in law and practice in Swaziland.’ 

Burrow added, ‘Mr Dlamini has absolutely no one to blame for the potential loss of these [AGOA] benefits but his own government.’

Labour Start has started an online letter writing campaign to PM Dlamini calling on him to ‘publicly and immediately rescind the threat and ensure the safety of those leaders upon their return’. 

Dlamini has made violent threats against political enemies before. In 2010 Dlamini faced condemnation from within Swaziland and the international community after he said that he wanted to use ‘sipakatane’ (otherwise known as ‘bastinado’, a form of torture that involves flogging the bare soles of a person’s feet with a spiked wooden or metal implement to temporarily or permanently cripple them) on people who campaigned against his government.

Dlamini had been annoyed that trade unionists from South Africa had visited Swaziland to show solidarity with Swazis fighting for their human rights as part of a Global Day of Action for democracy in Swaziland.

See also

SWAZI TORTURE PM DECLARES WAR

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2010/09/swazi-torture-pm-declares-war.html

SWAZI ‘NATION’ VOWS TO FIGHT ON

The Nation magazine in Swaziland, whose editor has been jailed for two years for publishing articles critical of the judiciary, has vowed to continue with its campaign for freedom in the kingdom. 

Meanwhile, a fighting fund has been launched to raise the E100,000 (US$10,000) the magazine was fined and other legal costs. The magazine intends to appeal the decision in the Swazi Supreme Court sitting in November 2014.

Bheki Makhubu, the magazine’s editor, and Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer and writer, were jailed for two years after a Swazi High Court judge found them guilty of contempt of court.

The monthly magazine is considered by observers to be one of the few independent voices in the kingdom which is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch. In an editorial in its August 2014 edition it said it refused to ‘toe the line’.

The magazine which only has a print run of 3,000 copies said, ‘The two-year jail term imposed on our editor, Bheki Makhubu, and columnist, Thulani Maseko, will not deter the management and staff of this magazine from doing what it considers best for our country. The right to freedom of expression and the media is one that we will continue to pursue – whether it is interpreted as absolute action or not. 

‘We might be a small publication with very limited resources but the recent case against The Nation has shown that we are not to be taken lightly by those in power. For the state to commit so much resources over four months, in its endeavour to deal with two commoners whose crime were just words on paper, is an indication that The Nation might be small in its operation but big on impact to those opposed to hearing what others think.’

The magazine said that while Makhubu and Maseko languished in jail, ‘our staff will continue with the good work. Although a difficult period for the staff and the duo’s families, we are consoled by the fact that they remain resolute and still refuse to toe a line visible only to the powerful.’

The jailing of the journalists has caused an outcry across the world, with criticism coming from the United States, the European Union and a number of prodemocracy groups. The pair have been a regular topic of debate at the United States Africa Summit that has been taking place this week.

Meanwhile, a ‘Friends of the Nation’ fighting fund has been launched by the magazine to raise money to pay its fine and other legal costs.

In a statement, the magazine said, ‘For generous people who would like to contribute towards the legal assistance for The Nation contempt of court case, the publisher has set up the Friends of The Nation Fund. Deposits can now be made to First National Bank of Swaziland, Account Number: 62024928155. Branch Code: 280164. Swift Code: FIRNSZMX.’ 

In a statement, the Media Institute of Southern Africa said, ‘The Nation magazine is one of Swaziland’s few sources of independent news and opinion. By sticking to its mandate of “speaking truth to power” it is no stranger to the courts. For many years, the small but reliable publication has been outspoken in supporting Swaziland’s shift to a more open and tolerant country that respects its own constitution.’

SWAZI KING PARTIES WHILE CHILDREN DIE

The Swaziland Government spent about E5.9 million (US$600,000) on the official opening of the King Mswati III International Airport, it has just been revealed.

At the same time, at least 36 children have died from diarrhoea and more than 500 have been hospitalised after the government said it did not have money to pay for available rotavirus vaccines.

Had the US$600,000 been spent on the children, the government could have bought at least 93,000 vials of vaccine, enough for about 46,000 children.

The airport, formerly known as Sikhuphe, was opened on 7 March 2014, but to date no airline has used it. It has been widely criticised outside of Swaziland as a vanity project for King Mswati III, who rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch.

Among the costs for the opening of the airport was E1.2 million to hire a jet to land, stay parked and then fly off again. According to local media, the plane was owned by Antroma, a South African company that was awarded a contract without an open tender for baggage handling at the airport worth US$3.5 million per year.

According to the Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, Government spent E686 840 on catering for guests; E250,683 for an air display; E200,000 on mobile toilets and E45,600 for a cake.

In 2003, when the decision to build the airport, which has cost an estimated US$300 million so far, was made the International Monetary Fund said it should not go ahead as it would divert funds away from much needed projects to fight poverty in Swaziland. About seven in ten of King Mswati’s 1.3 million subjects live in abject poverty, with incomes of less than US$2 per day. Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world. The King has 13 palaces and a personal fortune once estimated by Forbes Magazine to be US$200 million. 

Today, Swaziland is in the grip of a diarrhoea outbreak that has killed at least 36 children. At least another 511 children have been admitted to hospital with the preventable disease. At least 3,042 cases in total have been recorded in the kingdom, according to the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini. 

The Swazi Minister of Health Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane told the Swazi Observer newspaper that distributing the vaccine was not the top priority. 

The newspaper reported, ‘The minister said the rotavirus, vaccine was expensive; therefore rolling out the immunisation programme cannot not be done overnight since “it is a process and a strong budget is needed”.’

According to the website of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a 10-pack of one dose vials of rotavirus vaccine costs US63.96 at commercial rates. That means US$600,000 could buy 93,750 doses of vaccine. However, a World Health Organization Bulletin stated that GlaxoSmithKline has offered to provide its vaccine at US$2.50 per dose. At that price 240,000 doses could be purchased. Typically, a child would need two doses for protection against diarrhoea.

See also

KING’S AIRPORT ‘WILL BE UNUSABLE’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/kings-airport-will-be-unusable.html

LAW SOCIETY TAKES ON TOP JUDGES

The Law Society of Swaziland is taking on the kingdom’s judiciary, arguing that King Mswati III has appointed judges in violation of the constitution.

An attempt to challenge the appointment as a High Court Judge of Mpendulo Simelane failed on Friday (1 August 2014) when a case at the High Court was dismissed before the Law Society’s lawyers arrived at the court.

The Law Society argues that Simelane is too inexperienced to be a High Court Judge. It says the constitution states that a High Court Judge must have at least 10 years’ experience in legal practice. The Law Society says Simelane only has five years’ experience, which the judge disputes.

In Swaziland, King Mswati rules as an absolute monarch and he chooses the judges. Critics say that Swazi judges tend to do the bidding of the King, rather than uphold the constitution.

The King reappointed Michael Ramodibedi as Chief Justice in contravention of the constitution that states the holder of this position should be a Swazi. Ramodibedi comes from Lesotho.

The three judges on the High Court bench in the Simelane case were themselves inexperienced. The chair, Judge Abande Dlamini, sits in the Industrial Court and had been sworn in as an acting High Court Judge only the day before.

The other two judges on the bench, Justices Mbuso Simelane and Bongani Dlamini are also only acting judges.

Together they dismissed the Law Society’s case and awarded punitive damages against the organisation when at 9.30am the case was called three times and the Law Society failed to answer. The Law Society’s legal team arrived at the court 15 minutes later.

The Law Society is to appeal the decision. Meanwhile, it is also to challenge the appointment of Judge Abande Dlamini, because, as with Simelane, Dlamini has not been a legal practitioner for at least 10 years.

It also says that Justices Mbuso Simelane and Bongani Dlamini should not hear a case brought by the Law Society because they are themselves members of that organisation.

Judge Mpendulo Simelane was criticised by the United States, the European Union and many human right organisations across the world last month when he sentenced a magazine editor Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko to two years imprisonment after they wrote and published articles critical of the judiciary in general and Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi in particular.

Following the dismissal of the Law Society’s application, the Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, reported that permanent High Court judges were available to hear the case and it was not necessary to have acting judges on the bench.

It speculated that Chief Justice Ramodibedi did not trust some of the permanent High Court judges. 

The newspaper reported that in May 2014 Ramodibedi issued warrants for the arrest of three High Court judges, but had to withdraw them after Supreme Court judges threatened to resign if the arrests went ahead.

The newspaper reported, ‘The move to sideline the judges is consistent too with the CJ’s recent interview in one of the tabloid weekly publications that some judges were being used to overthrow the Monarch and he would not allow them whilst he was still in charge.

‘This recent move by the CJ is a vote of no confidence to the rest of the judges of the High Court to listen to such an application,’ the newspaper reported.

See also

OSISA ON SWAZI JUDICIAL CRISIS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/10/osisa-on-swazi-judicial-crisis.html