By Zweli Martin Dlamini

King Mswati and his corrupt business partner Inyatsi Director Michello Shakantu are busy buying properties and private companies through corrupt means but you will never read articles exposing them in the captured media.

At some point, one Times journalist Welcome Dlamini was allegedly hired by Inyatsi to spy on a competitor, there was a woman who was providing information to Dlamini hoping to expose Shakantu, but Dlamini decided to sell her to Inyatsi, that conduct was a shame to journalism.

Again,a few months ago while we were covering the plight of Malindza residents, a Times journalist contacted Swaziland News Assistant editor Nelisiwe Dlamini asking for pictures, we provided him with those pictures thinking that we were assisting a colleague to expose Inyatsi but that story was never published.

We want to urge the Times journalist who requested the pictures from us to publish the Malindza story and expose Inyatsi, otherwise, we will expose him.

It is surprising that at the time when Swazis including businesspeople are complaining about Inyatsi grabbing all tenders through corrupt means, companies linked to Mswati and Shakantu underpaying employees, State controlled journalist opted to sell the whole country for a few pieces of silver. 

Inyatsi Director Michello Shakantu is corrupt and whatever he is accumulating now through corrupt means will one day be seized and handed over to a democratically elected government.

It is seems like all journalists in this country are loyal to Michello and this is a continuation of what Victor Gamedze used to do, capturing the media to cover-up corrupt activities.

I warned Victor Gamedze while he was still alive and I am warning Michello Shakantu and his corrupt media syndicate that this country belongs to the Swazis, corruption has forced over 700 000 citizens into poverty.

Indeed, about 70% of the population is living below the poverty line and we cannot have corrupt individuals like Michello Shakantu who want to loot everything in this country at the expense of the struggling masses. 

It’s a shame for captured and corrupt journalists like Welcome Dlamini to claim they love this country while paying allegiance to corrupt individuals like Michello who are destroying our country.

Journalists who love this country will use their pen to defend it from corruption that forced hundreds of citizens into poverty.

Michello Shakantu is a special project that needs a proper investigative machinery, at the end, we might need international investigation agencies like the FBI to assist us deal with this corrupt Inyatsi.

We cannot have an individual who grabs everything including tenders just because he is linked to Mswati, the small and medium companies and other businesspeople are longer benefiting from the State resources yet they pay tax.

How can we develop this country if journalist are siding with the corrupt and powerful while suppressing the voices of the oppressed?.

Despite overwhelming evidence suggesting that Michello’s Inyatsi and Mswati are looting billions of taxpayers money, the State controlled media allocated a full page trying to scandalize an independent journalist.

Well, let me conclude by stating categorically that, I am not afraid of any low-minded captured journalist, all corrupt individuals from top to the bottom will be exposed without fear or favour.

Using the captured media to try and scandalize me for standing-up against injustice will not work for the regime because I am also a journalist carrying a pen and I will always use it to defend the masses.

Michello Shakantu once tried to send a politician to bribe me and I still have that recording, he can bribe the captured Times journalists but not this publication.

As long as I am the editor here,this publication will protect and mantain its independence, I am not cheap or worth a few pieces of silver. 

Indeed, my desire is to see this country free from the hands of oppressors, shame on those captured journalists who decided to sell the over 700 000 poor Swazis to Michello Shakantu and Mswati with few pieces of silver.

The people of Malindza are struggling and when they see a journalist taking pictures they hope their voices would be heard but some scribes always pretend they are on duty yet they want pieces of silver, what a shame!!

Regardless of the attacks from the captured media, I am ready to stay in the wilderness until this country is democratized.

To all captured journalists who enjoy pieces of silver from Mswati’s syndicate and then think they would scandalize me, I am going nowhere until this regime falls.