It’s a pity that Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini is vocal these days urging Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini to take action against those with different political views.
Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini is a very dangerous politician who can do anything to fight political competitors including capturing journalists and manipulate them to push her political agendas.
Lindiwe once invited me to her Hotel, the Bethel Court and ordered her employees to treat me nicely saying “I am a very important person in the country”.
We then held a meeting inside her office, where she confessed openly that she had a relationship with former Times Sunday journalist Kwazi Masuku and that she assisted and connected him with MTN Eswatini through the then Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini who was a member of the politically connected Jesus Calls Worship Centre(JCWC).
The invitation came after I had called the Senate President for a comment subsequent to an article published by the Times of Eswatini about a politician who was dating a ‘Ben 10’, the newspaper did not publish the name of the politician.
I called my colleagues within the Times and asked them to assist with the name of the politician and the ‘Ben 10’ and they told me it was Senate President Lindiwe Gwebu-Dlamini.
But instead of responding to the questions about the scandal, the Senate President started smiling and ‘seducing’ me, she opted to be romantic in a formal meeting.
She literally begged me to give her sometime to respond because the police were investigating the Kwazi Masuku Foundation for fraud and criminal investigators had approached her for questioning.
At the time, William Tsintsibala Dlamini was the Acting National Commissioner, Lindiwe told me that when meeting with the King, she would support Tsintsibala's confirmation into the position because he assured her that the criminal case would not proceed.
As a result, Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini said her fears was that if I continued with publishing the story, the police might be pressured to intensify the investigation and her detractors in Parliament would use it to fight and remove her from the position.
I was surprised when the Senate President promised to support my work financially and connect me to Government parastatals, in return, she said kumele ngimubambise kulabantfu labamhluphako le-Phalamende, what a shame!
She mentioned two names: MP Marwick Khumalo and Senator Sylvia Mtsetfwa whom she said must be scandalized.
This was an insult to me as journalist and I lost respect for the Senate President thereafter.
What she was trying to do amounted to political witchcraft and had the potential of undermining my integrity as a journalist.
I had written a series of critical articles exposing MP Marwick Khumalo, Sylvia Mtsetfwa and others after their trip to China and I did that independently without any influence.
Again, I have published a series of articles in support of Marwick Khumalo when he address issues of public interest inside Parliament.
Perhaps Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini saw the critical articles and concluded that I had an agenda against these two Legislators
She opted to take chances in pushing her political agenda by urging me to publish more stories about them.
As public figures, Marwick Khumalo and Sylvia Mtsetfwa are not immune to public scrutiny.
I recently wrote a story exposing how Sylvia Mtsetfwa, the then Lubombo Regional Administrator(RA) together with Tibiyo Managing Director Themba Dlamini grabbed a sugar-cane project from Hlane residents on behalf of Mswati.
But Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini must know that as a journalist I work independently, that’s why I was offended when she tried to use me against her political competitors.
Now, the Senate President is urging the Prime Minister to take action against the pro-democracy movement, Lindiwe must know that this country cannot be controlled by ‘political prostitutes’.
I am also aware that even during workshops for Legislators, the Senate President does not conclude her speech without calling for action against those who are critical of the regime.
It should be noted that I once posted messages on my online platforms exposing Lindiwe, she is bitter after failing to capture and control me.
Even now, I am urging her to deny what is contained in this article so that I can prove.
Madam Senate President, even Victor Gamedze who was controlling all journalists in the country failed to capture me, don’t use Parliament or influence unjust laws to try and fight journalists that you failed to capture.
Lindiwe must understand that politics is a competition of ideas, she must speak politics and stop capturing the media.
Furthermore, the Senate President must stop using her bottom power to control journalists that she intends to use against competitors.
In this regard, her relationship with Kwazi Masuku was not only unethical but it undermined the freedom of the media and its duty to hold those in power accountable.
Journalists must publish articles based on evidence in line with the public interest principle, we are not political tools.
Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini.