Swaziland: Prince Mahlaba says journalists will die if...
23rd July 2010

By The Times of Swaziland

  

MANZINI- Prince Mahlaba, a member of the king’s advisory body, Liqoqo, has said journalists who continue to undermine the country’s leadership and system of government would die.

  

The prince said this on Wednesday during a question-and-answer session with a journalist at the Smart Partnership Dialogue.

  

The prince said he had been monitoring what he believes are clandestine manoeuvres in the media that sought to undermine the country’s leadership and system of governance and said that for prolonged periods of time he has been silent, hoping that people would come to their senses and stop the wrong they were doing.

  

He said now that it was clear that some people seemed hell bent on destabilising the kingdom, there would be journalists that will die.

  

"It’s a fact that journalists earn their living by writing lies and if they do not write the lies then their source of livelihood is threatened and this is fact and beyond debate. My question, Your Majesty, will be in a form of a comment though. I want to warn the media to bury things that have the potential of undermining the country, rather than publish all and everything even when such reports are harmful to the country’s international image.

  

Surprise

  

"Journalists who write bad things about the country will die," the prince said before sitting down to mixed feelings of laughter and surprise from the audience.

  

Mbongeni Mbingo, Managing Editor of the Times of Swaziland, then wondered aloud why journalists were now being threatened with death and made scapegoats of.

  

He wondered what was to be done to government officials who behaved and did things as though they had another country.

  

Meanwhile Prince Mangaliso, Chairman of the king’s advisory body, Liqoqo, wondered why the story of the man who allegedly slept with a dog was put on the front page. The prince said this was not good for the country’s image.

  

Mbingo said the question of what goes on the front page depended on the discretion of the newspaper editors. He said such discretion varies from newsroom to newsroom.

  

Alec Lushaba, the Weekend Observer editor, said they put the story on their front page because it was newsworthy and that it was because such things seldom happened and hence made for public interest.

 The Times of Swaziland has not printed the story on its front page at any point. 

Print      Send to a friend

---