By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE:Bhekithemba Makhubu,the editor of the Nation Magazine has accused the eSwatini Government of persecuting Swaziland News editor Zweli Martin Dlamini merely for writing critically and exposing wrongs in the corridors of power.

Speaking to SaFM,a South African Broadcasting Corporation(SABC)radio station on Tuesday evening,the Nation Magazine editor said,the Mpumalanga Court case was bringing unnecessary attention for the Government and the King.

“To be honest with you,I think the court action is quite silly,I can’t see what it seeks to achieve.Perhaps,in taking him to court they are hoping that they will shut him down.But I think the government which driving the case is out of touch with reality, it’s a very silly case that is bringing attention to government in an unnecessary way and the King of course.But essentially, you know it’s the advent if you like on the rise of Zweli Martin Dlamini. It’s part of the broader story of the media suppression in the country.Thulani and I went to jail and 2014 because of the things we wrote and scared everybody and there have been other instances.We just heard the Prime Minister making threats against us and is hardly three(3) months in office but he is already making threats against the media.So what has happened is,some people like Zweli have moved to online publications, apparently, he lives in South Africa now, he left the country and they are able to feed the public with what is going on in government.And I guess because they have lost control over him, they are trying to use the South African system to shut him up because they can’t do it from here.I just don’t see what it seeks to achieve,if it ever goes to court, I’m not sure if they will get what they want. And he is quiet a resilient guy,they are just pumping him up unnecessarily if you look at it from their perspective. But I suppose it’s desperation because one of the things obviously that the country has suffered from, is bad publicity. Here we are talking because of what you’ve heard about the country”, said the Nation Magazine editor.