By Zweli Martin Dlamini

The media is a very powerful institution whose mandate is to promote transparency, openness and accountability in the public administration.

As the voice of the voiceless, the people demand accountability from those in power through the media and once the rich and powerful capture the media,the citizens are deprived their voice.

It is important for journalism lecturers and University students to fully understand how the media in eSwatini has diverted from being the voice of the people to be the voice of Mswati’s Government.

One good example is the content of Eswatini TV, the program “Letiphuma eBukhosini”, a Public Relations(PR) project that seeks to market the Monarch in the eyes of the people.

When these State journalists report about the King traveling to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, they always make sure that the public is deprived critical information about the costs of the international trips.

The millions spent on these trips by Mswati who normally travels with his children are never mentioned.

Under normal circumstances, a State owned TV or radio station should be independent and impartial like the South African Broadcasting Cooperation(SABC) where even opposition parties receive media coverage. 

In eSwatini, Government uses the State owned TV and radio station to attack political activists, you will never hear PUDEMO’s Mpandlana Shongwe, Mlungisi Makhanya, SWALIMO’s Magawugawu, Gift Dlamini and other political leaders speaking in the State owned media in defense of the allegations leveled against the Mass Democratic Movement(MDM).

Therefore, University students and Lecturers must understand that the journalism practised in eSwatini was long ‘diluted’ such that critical writing is now interpreted as terrorism or inciting public violence.

As a journalist, I normally speak or get interviewed by reputable international media entities like the SABC, BBC, eTV, Voice of America, eNCA to name but a few.

During these interviews, I am able to express myself and give a clear picture of what is happening in eSwatini without fear of being attacked by the police.

But the State controlled media has made it a norm to protect Mswati when reporting and this, I would suggest, is media capture that strengthens dictatorship.

We need to conduct a research and have a report detailing how media capture in the country has contributed to oppression.

The people have been embracing the institution of the Monarchy because the media was promoting it without exposing how royal looting resulted to about 70% of the population living below the poverty line.

It is the media that should capacitate the people with information so that the masses can make informed decisions.

In conclusion, let me make a simple example of how the media influences the lives of the people and the importance of disseminating accurate information.

If a journalist could report that the situation was normal in Mbabane when in fact there were violent protests, members of the public could drive to town only to get shot and killed by security forces.

That journalist could be responsible for the death of the citizens because the decision of going to town was made based on false information.

In this regard, if the media could  disseminate accurate information, the citizens could decide not to go to town on that particular day or drive to town with extreme caution.

Therefore, journalists must understand that whatever is published or broadcasted influences the people and it must be fair, accurate and credible.