Musa
Ndlangamandla, a former editor-in-chief of the Swazi Observer and
a writer for South Africa’s Mail & Guardian
newspaper, has been questioned by police in Swaziland / Eswatini over
articles he wrote in 2011.
Ndlangamandla,
who was sacked from the Swazi Observer
in 2012 and fled to South Africa
but later returned, reported on Wednesday (7 November 2018) he had been summoned by Tingculungculu, which is the kingdom’s
organised crime unit.
He wrote on
his Facebook page, ‘They told me they are building a case against me
for interacting (they actually called it advertising) PUDEMO, Umbane and other
entities they described as proscribed.’
Political parties are
banned in Swaziland and the kingdom is ruled by King Mswati III as sub-Saharan
Africa’s last absolute monarch.
Ndlangamandla
wrote, ‘They referred to an incident in 2011 where they
raided my office at the Swazi Observer
where I was Chief Editor.’ Ndlangamandla said, ‘They
asked me if I had talked to political leaders of the country’s opposition
groups.’
He added, ‘I told them that
in my 20 and some years as a journalist I have, and continue to speak to all
Swazi people regardless of their political affiliation.’
Ndlangamandla said
he was told police were preparing
a statement for the Director of Public Prosecutions. He was told to report back to police on
Thursday 8 November 2018.
During 12 years as editor
of the Observer, which is in effect
owned by King Mswati, Ndlangamandla was a staunch
supporter of the King. He was the King’s speechwriter and also travelled the world
with him as his official praise singer.
The Swazi Observer was described by the Media Institute of Southern
Africa, a media freedom watchdog, as a ‘pure propaganda machine for the royal family’.
During his
time at the Observer Ndlangamandla wrote that the ‘collective stand’ of the
newspaper was ‘that the integrity of Swaziland as a democratic State and His
Majesty King Mswati III as the legitimate leader of the Swazi nation, must
never be compromised in any way.’
During
Ndlangamandla’s time in control many stories about King Mswati were censored.
These
included the calculation from Forbes that King Mswati has a personal
wealth of about US$200 million; that in 2011 the King received a huge increase
in his budget while all public spending
elsewhere in the kingdom was slashed to the bone; and a sex scandal involving the King’s 12th
wife and a cabinet minister. All these reports appeared in media outside
of Swaziland.
The Observer also
failed to report criticisms the King was receiving in the international arena
for his attack on freedoms in Swaziland and his lavish personal spending; while
as many as 60 percent of his subjects had to rely on international food aid to
avoid starvation during the past five years.
After he was
sacked Ndlangamandla accused the then Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini, a man
the King personally appointed, as the key mover in his dismissal.
He wrote on Facebook at the time
(19 January 2012) that Dlamini turned against him after the Observer reported
allegations that he had bought nation land for himself at a
fraction of its true price. ‘We pushed the land theft scandal by Barnabas and
cabinet colleagues whilst I was still a speechwriter for the King and whilst I
was still travelling with the King and not after.
‘That’s when
Barnabas hatched the lie that I was mastermind
behind April 12 uprising.’ This
was a failed attempt in 2012 to bring democratic change to Swaziland.
Ndlangamandla
said at the time he also gave space in the newspaper to a number of
pro-democracy advocates. He wrote ‘I knew that this would get me in trouble
with the King, the PM and other powerfuls. But we had to do it because that was
the right thing to do.’
Ndlangamandla
concluded, ‘I will never work for this regime again even if I may be asked to.
I’d rather eat grass.’
See also
King’s paper sacks editor-in-chief
Sacked editor is no hero
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