“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
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
“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
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
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
MISA-Swaziland | Research November 18 2014 The below article was originally published on UNESCO’s In Focus news-site. Freedom of expression was at the heart of discussions at a UNESCO-supported round table on assessing the media landscape in Swaziland, which took place in Mbabane on 30 October. The round table, organized by the Swaziland Chapter of … Continue reading
MISA-Swaziland | Media Alert September 4 2014 Local media in Swaziland has reported that The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) kicked out journalists from a post elections seminar that was being held yesterday in the town of Ezulweni. The CPA is an organisation of British origin that works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. … Continue reading
