On 6 October 2018, two senior journalists from the Times of Swaziland were held hostage at the Qatar Embassy in Ezulwini Valley. Continue reading
Category Archives: Media Alert
MISA condemns violent conduct against journalists
Jointly with the Swaziland Media Consortium (SMC), MISA Swaziland strongly condemns the common violent conduct against media practitioners in line of duty. Continue reading
Swaziland needs to pass Freedom of Information legislation
“Swaziland needs to accelerate the process of passing the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Draft Bill of 2007 into law,” according to a new report by the Media Institute of Southern Africa. The report on open and secretive public institutions in Swaziland is an annual assessment, based on field research and website analyses, … Continue reading
MISA-Swaziland welcomes release of Bheki Makhubu and Thulani Maseko after 15 months in jail
Swaziland’s Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Swaziland) welcomes the release of editor Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko. The two were acquitted by the Supreme Court of Swaziland yesterday, 30 June 2015, after serving a year in jail in an unprecedented case which has seen the tiny kingdom drawing attention from several regional … Continue reading
‘Judiciary can make positive contribution to press freedom’, says Dr Fidelis Kanyongolo
“In the defamation laws of most countries, a court will not find a person or organisation that is sued for defamation liable if he, she or it proves that the alleged defamation was true in fact.” – Dr Fidelis Kanyongolo Mbabane, Swaziland, 2015 On May 3 2015, to mark World Press Freedom Day, Swaziland’s Media … Continue reading
Defamation Pay Day: Swazi politician wins biggest defamation case in kingdom’s history
MISA-Swaziland | Media Alert December 8, 2014 Senate President Gelane Simelane-Zwane has won E550,000 ($50,000) in a controversial defamation case against the country’s only privately-owned daily newspaper, reports local media. Simelane-Zwane, who is also acting chief of KoNtshingila, sued the Times of Swaziland over an article it published about Simelane-Zwane’s birth name. The article in … Continue reading
Swazi journalist to spend Christmas in jail after judge denies bail
MISA-Swaziland | Media Alert December 6 2014 Respected journalist Bheki Makhubu was refused bail by controversial judge Mpendulo Simelane at Swaziland’s High Court on December 5 2014. “I find that the applicant has woefully failed to convincingly establish the requisite exceptional circumstances to warrant his release on bail pending appeal,” said Simelane reading his ruling … Continue reading
