Swaziland

About two weeks ago, traditional authorities in the mountain kingdom of Swaziland slapped the nation's most outspoken political columnist, Mfomfo Nkambule, with a fine--to be paid in cows--for criticism of the administration of King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute ruler. 

This week in the mountain Kingdom of Swaziland, the state-owned daily Swazi Observer reported that an official has apologized for summarily dismissing a female reporter from Parliament nearly two weeks ago. It was the latest in a controversy sparked by allegations of gender discrimination against Mantoe Phakathi, an award-winning journalist with the private monthly The Nation.

March 2, 2007
Posted March 29, 2007

Martin Dlamini, Times of Swaziland
Nhlanhla Mathunjwa, Times of Swaziland
THREATENED

Managing editor Dlamini and reporter Mathunjwa of the leading independent daily Times of Swaziland in the central commercial town of Manzini were threatened with death by Catholic pastor Justice Dlamini over a story critical of the pastor, according to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and local media reports.

King Mswati III, ruler of Africa's only absolute monarchy, retained tight control over the media in this tiny southern African nation in 2003. In April, newly appointed Information Minister Abednego Ntshangase announced a censorship policy for state media, saying that "the national television and radio stations are not going to cover anything that has a negative bearing on government." Ntshangase specifically indicated that state broadcasters would not be allowed to cover the controversy surrounding the government's plans to purchase a luxury jet for King Mswati.

New York, April 11, 2003—Recently appointed Minister of Information Abednego Ntshangase announced on Tuesday, April 8, a new censorship policy for state media in the southern African kingdom of Swaziland.

Speaking at his first appearance under his new portfolio before the House of Assembly, Ntshangase told parliamentarians, “The national television and radio stations are not going to cover anything that has a negative bearing on government.” Ntshangase warned that those who do not support government policies will be barred from broadcasting their views, the Integrated Regional Information Networks, a U.N. news service, reported.

Introduction
In July 2001, a CPJ delegation visited the Mozambican capital, Maputo, to learn more about the murder of journalist Carlos Cardoso, who was gunned down in November 2000. The delegation included board member Clarence Page, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune; CPJ deputy director Joel Simon; Africa -program coordinator Yves Sorokobi; South African -journalist Phillip van Niekerk; and Mozambican journalist Fernando Lima. During their visit, members of the -delegation met with dozens of journalists from print and broadcast media, both state-owned and private, as well as with high-ranking Mozambican government officials. The following account is based on information provided to CPJ during its visit, as well as on subsequent interviews.

Silence reigned supreme in Eritrea, where the entire independent press was under a government ban and 11 journalists languished in jail at year's end. Clamorous, deadly power struggles raged in Zimbabwe over land and access to information, and in Burundi over ethnicity and control of state resources. South Africa, Senegal, and Benin remained relatively liberal from a press freedom perspective, while corruption and fear pervaded newsrooms in Mozambique and Togo.

Absolute ruler King Mswati III learned just how small the global village can be when he signed a June 22 media decree that was immediately denounced by human rights organizations and governments worldwide.

Decree No. 2 made it a seditious offense, punishable with a 10-year jail term, to "impersonate, insult, ridicule, or put into contempt" the king, tribal chiefs, and state officials. The decree allowed the banning of publications without appeal, removed bail for a number of press offenses, and raised penalties for libel. It also upheld a ban on the political opposition and the suspension of the Swazi Constitution, both in place since 1973.

Your Majesty: CPJ is deeply concerned about your June 22 decree expanding the Swazi government's already sweeping power to ban local publications. The decree, a continuation of the King's Proclamation of 1973, authorizes the "appropriate ministry" to ban any publication for any reason. "The minister concerned shall not furnish any reason or jurisdictional facts for such proscription," reads the decree.

Your Highness: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely disturbed by the unwarranted suspensions of the weekly Guardian and the monthly Nation, two independent publications based in the Swazi capital, Mbabane. On May 2, police arrested the Guardian's editor, Thulani Mthethwa, and drove him to police headquarters in Mbabane where he was interrogated at length over stories in his newspaper about activities in Your Highness's palace. He was released after several hours.