MBABANE:Thulie Dladla,the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has written a report regarding the situation in the country,directed to the United Nations(UN)and all Diplomats.
In the report dated 03 April 2023,shared by diplomatic sources to this Swaziland News,the Minister reported that this publication and its editor remained the greatest challenge facing the Kingdom of eSwatini.
“By far, the biggest problem that we have had to deal with is the coordinated campaign of disinformation.This manifests throughout various incidents and builds a certain viewpoint that has become largely accepted by an audience that does not have an understanding of Eswatini and how our country has grown since attaining independence.Not everything that is circulated in the media,social media and human rights reports drafted from these sources is true.In fact,much of it is twisted and/or quoted out of context to suit a particular interpretation of facts,”said the Minister in the report.
The Foreign Affairs Minister accused editor Zweli Martin Dlamini and this publication of spreading disinformation about the country.
“Chief orchestrators of that disinformation campaign has been Swaziland News and its proprietor Zweli Dlamini,which,for a long time were unchallenged.This is no longer the case.Efforts are underway,to equip the relevant structures with accurate information to try and correct the deliberate misinformation and disinformation that underpins the ongoing campaign to unsettle Eswatini and which has received acceptance from the mainstream media that is all too keen to ride on that narrative and repeats this disinformation as if it were factual.We encourage greater engagement with our diplomatic communities in our areas of accreditation to correct the misguided narrative that has permeated mainstream media,”reads the report in part sent to diplomats by the Foreign Affairs Minister.
A questionnaire was sent to the Foreign Affairs Minister,however,she had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments,editor Zweli Martin Dlamini said Diplomats are not stupid, they have their own intelligence and know everything that is happening in the country.
“The Foreign Affairs Minister cannot mislead Diplomats,they have their own Intelligence Units and they know what is happening in the country.This Government has a history of censoring the media and for that reason,an independent media that is not controlled by the State will remain a challenge to them,”said the editor.
Editor Zweli Martin Dlamini.