Eswatini is sliding further into instability and violence since the first wave of protests seen in June. Following months of unrest, the situation in Eswatini remains dire – even after Southern African Development Community (SADC) intervention.
Local political leaders say they were hoping that the decision by SADC to get more involved would change the attitude of local security forces. But that has not happened.
“We continue to have soldiers beating and injuring innocent and unarmed civilians. We had thought with the engagement and involvement of SADC, the king will take heed,” said People's United Democratic Movement secretary-general Wandile Dludlu who was interviewed on Radio 702 in November.
Unrest intensified through October as government forces quelled student demonstrations. An internet shutdown has also been reported following earlier shutdowns in June and July.
For the Swazi media, working under the threat of violence and limited freedom of speech has not only been difficult but “completely new”, said Editor and veteran journalist Bheki Makhubu.
“It's been hard, we are trying, but it's been hard. It's completely new to us. We don't have the knowledge and know how to handle ourselves in what at times has tended to look like a war zone. It's been scary,” he said.
In July of 2021, the eruption of violent pro-democracy demonstrations in Eswatini led to protestors including journalists facing arbitrary arrests, intimidation, torture and the removal of means to disseminate information as they tried to report the ongoing conflict on the ground.
The resurgence of protests in October by students led to the deployment of military forces to extinguish demonstrations which led to a repeat of what was seen in July. One student was shot, and more than a dozen others were injured.
Images and video footage depicting alleged police and army brutality were circulating on social media, also showing injured school children who had joined the demonstrations against the rule of King Mswati III among other grievances.
At the height of the demonstrations, a blackout was instituted for two hours by the Eswatini government, this blocked social media. This is a way to frustrate the flow of information as narratives concerning the protests and fatalities which all now circulated on social media, said Makhubu.
“I think more than anything, it's because everything is happening on social media, it's their means of frustration because there's a desperation of the government to control the flow of information,” he said.
Telecoms companies caught in the cross-fire
The shutdown of the internet in July was confirmed by telecom operator MTN Eswatini, which released information showing that its subsidiary together with other telecoms in the country “received a directive from the Eswatini Communications Commission to suspend access to social media and online platforms” until further notice.
That follows a history of intimidation of the press which had led to self-censorship according to independent online news agency founder Mncedisi Dlamini.
“The media is not free and this has been going on for years. So normally journalists are told what to do or they exercise self-censorship. And it's becoming a norm,” he said.
“Some are not even told not to. They just know that if you do this, you will face the consequences,” he added.
Another major problem is accreditation, with journalists alleging that the government is refusing to allow international media into the country.
“You might get into the country but you won't get accreditation to cover the ongoing protest and without accreditation, you are setting yourself up for many problems. But they [state media] are not even reporting,” said New Frame journalist Cebelihle Mbuyisa.
Local journalists are self-censoring themselves as they fear reprisal, Dlamini said.
“If you analyse human rights violations normally, it's the rich and powerful, who violate human rights and the media as the watchdog is then expected to demand accountability. So in this situation of Swaziland, the people are being attacked and killed. But you would find the media trying to downplay the situation. That makes for a thorough example,” he said.
Mbuyisa now works in exile.
“You might get into the country but you won’t get accreditation to cover the ongoing protest and without accreditation, you are setting yourself up for many problems,” he said.
“There has to be pressure they put on the Eswatini government. It will take media groups such as MISA ( Media Institute of Southern Africa and South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) to approach SADC to get Eswatini to respect journalists' right to work freely.”
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