|
Victim / Concerned
party
|
Media violation / event
/ issue
|
Date (alert
issued)
|
Current status of
matter
|
|
1. Ackel Zwane, News
Editor, Swazi Observer
|
On 26 December 2008
Ackel Zwane, News Editor of the Swazi Observer newspaper was attached by a
knife-wielding man who stabbed him once after claiming that the journalist wrote
negatively about the man's father, a well-known church Bishop in
Swaziland
|
5 January
2009
|
Case is pending in
court after Zwane laid charges of assault against his
attacker.
|
|
2. Mfomfo Nkambule, a
weekly columnist with the Times of Swaziland
|
On 5 January 2009,
Mfomfo Nkambule, a columnist with the Times of Swaziland newspaper was censored
by state police who questioned him about his weekly articles which they viewed
as too critical of King Mswati III and his leadership
|
7 January
2009
|
Nkambule has continued
to write his articles despite mounting harassment and intimidation from
authorities. MISA Swaziland has met Nkambule on numerous occasions to discuss
strategies of mitigating against his continued
harassment.
|
|
3.Civic Society
groupings
|
On 12 January 2009
Swaziland's pressure groups comprising political parties, trade unions and other
civic organizations petitioned the Prime Minister, Sibusiso Dlamini, to demand a
number of things including their access to state
media.
|
13 January
2009
|
Issue still pending
before the Prime Minister
|
|
4. Times of Swaziland
newspaper
|
On 20 January 2009 an
attempt to censor the Times of Swaziland newspaper failed when the High Court of
Swaziland dismissed an application brought by a woman (arrested and in court for
allegedly smearing a love rival with human waste on the face) who sought to stop
the newspaper from publishing photographs of her.
|
21 January
2009
|
It was victory for the
Times and press freedom as press freedom prevailed after the High Court
dismissed the censorship bid.
|
|
5. Radio
licences
|
A process seeking to
finally liberate the airwaves in Swaziland stalled and had to be started afresh
by the licence and frequency regulator, the Swaziland Posts and
Telecommunication Corporation (SPTC). The corporation claimed the previous
process, which saw four applicants short-listed and issued with letters of
approval, was flawed. The process was re-started with expanded application and
licence conditions.
|
23 January
2009
|
Applicants were given
until 16 March 2009 to file applications. The process is still underway. On 2
March 2009 MISA Swaziland, having met with stakeholders, wrote a letter to the
SPTC MD, copied to the Minister for Information, highlighting a number of
concerns including the restrictive nature of the application and licence
conditions. The Regulator, through his Regulatory Unit, responded rather
arrogantly and in a manner that sought to brush MISA off the topic. He
questioned MISA's legitimacy as a voice for the applicants. This was very
unfortunate but will not deter the chapter from pursuing the issue
further.
|
|
6. Mfomfo
Nkambule
|
The harassment of
Mfomfo Nkambule, the Times of Swaziland newspaper columnist, continued with
traditional authorities summoning him over his weekly articles. They ordered him
to stop his criticism of King Mswati III.
|
26 January
2009
|
Nkambule has continued
with his articles despite the intimidation. (See also
above).
|
|
7. Mfomfo
Nkambule
|
On 28 January 2009,
Mfomfo Nkambule, the weekly columnist with the Times of Swaziland, met with MISA
Swaziland to discuss strategies to mitigate against his continued harassment
over his articles. In the meeting, he vowed to stand up to the mounting pressure
that seeks to silence him.
|
28 January
2009
|
In the interest of
press freedom and freedom of expression, MISA Swaziland and Nkambule agreed on a
number of strategies aimed at mitigating against the harassment. Nkambule
continues to write his articles.
|
|
8. The press and Prime
Minister
|
On 29 January 2009, the
Prime Minister, Sibusiso Dlamini, notorious for harassing and closing down media
houses during his previous term as PM between 1993 and 2003, assured journalists
that they will enjoy media freedom during his new term. He was addressing
editors at a breakfast meeting.
|
30 January
2009
|
The Prime Minister's
statement could be a good lobbying tool both now and in future. Media
stakeholders including MISA Swaziland could hold him to his word should him or
his government deviate from his promise.
|
|
9. CAP magazine and
Mbambamba newspaper
|
Two publications which
recently came into existence were threatened with closure for failure to
register with government. By law, all publications in Swaziland including
newspapers and magazines are required to register with government and pay a E1
000 (approx. US $100) security bond.
|
9 February
2009
|
Government later denied
that the publications were threatened, saying it was merely a friendly advice
that the publications should comply with the law and
register.
|
|
10. Mantoe Phakathi,
journalist with the Nation Magazine
|
On 6 February 2009,
Mantoe Phakathi, a female journalist with the Nation magazine was harassed and
barred from covering the state opening of Parliament on the basis of her gender.
Phakathi was warned that since she was female she would not be allowed to take
pictures of the King.
|
10 February
2009
|
MISA Swaziland issued a
statement condemning the act and demanded that Parliament should apologized to
the journalist and her employer for the unbecoming act. On 16 February victory
was recorded as Parliament called a press conference to apologize to Phakathi
with the promise that the incident will never happen again. The journalist
accepted the apology.
|
|
11. Government critics
|
On 10 February 2009,
the government threatened to charge with sedition anyone who criticized the
state of the nation address delivered by King Mswati III during the state
opening of Parliament on Friday 6 February 2009. This followed a number of
statement by media commentators that the King's speech was stale and lacked
substance.
|
10 February
2009
|
The threat still stands
and no further critical statements were issued after it was
made.
|
|
12. Media
censorship
|
On 10 February 2009,
the Jericho Church moved an application at the High Court to ban two newspapers
and one TV station from reporting on the split that has rocked the church as a
result of a leadership dispute.
|
11 February
2009
|
The case is still
pending in court as the newspapers opposed the
application.
|
|
13. Mantoe Phakathi,
journalist with Nation magazine
|
On 16 February 2009,
Parliament apologized to Nation magazine journalist, Mantoe Phakathi, for the
harassment she endured during the state opening of Parliament by King Mswati III
on 6 Februry. She was harassed and barred from covering the event on the basis
of her gender status.
|
17 February
2009
|
MISA Swaziland had
condemned the harassment is a statement issued on 10
February.
|
|
14. Radio
licences
|
On 18 February 2009,
the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC), the radio licence
and frequency regulator, issued a new call for applications for community and
commercial radio licences. This follows the disqualification of all applicants
in a previous process.
|
18 February
2009
|
The SPTC is yet to
announce the short listed applicants. As stated above, MISA Swaziland has
engaged the regulator on the process, raising a number of concerns on behalf of
the applicants. Though the SPTC seeks to wave MISA away, the chapter will not be
deterred and will continue lobby for meaningful process even if it means taking
the legal route.
|
|
15. Swazi Observer
newspaper
|
On 20 February 2009,
the Swazi Observer newspaper successfully challenged a High Court ruling which
had restrained the newspaper from reporting about a leadership dispute in the
Jericho Church, an indigenous Christian denomination. The ruling had been issued
without the Observer having opposed the application.
|
23 February
2009
|
The case is still
pending at the High Court when the church had applied that the Observer, the
Times of Swaziland and Channel Swazi television station should be barred from
reporting about the church dispute. Both newspapers have now challenged the
application.
|
