Journalism cannot exist without the leaking of State information or documents and, the media is ethically obligated to protect sources of information.

But now, we are seeing the Times demonstrating an appetite in assisting Government to either apprehend the sources or create fear among those who might be thinking or leaking information, if this mission or agenda to intimidate sources succeeds, that would mean some of us will lose our jobs as we will become irrelevant because, we are nothing without the public who provides us with information.

Furthermore, if the agenda driven by the Times and Government succeeds, the level of corruption will continue to rise in this country, in fact the information contained in the leaks suggests that, those in power were looting public funds and engaging in corruption for the past years while the Times and other captured media entities were busy writing about “chickens killed by lightning” or “woman married by two men”, as front page stories.

After learning that the media was captured in this country, the alleged Central Bank sources opted to leak the information to international credible journalists and one wonders what would have happened now if the documents were leaked to the Times as now, the newspaper is demonstrating an appetite to hunt down the sources.

When the independence of the media or safety of sources is under threat, we expect journalists to defend the media including the constitutional right to information.

No sane journalists can amplify the nonsense by Finance Minister Neal Rijikernberg, others within Cabinet and Parliament, seeking to hunt sources, some of our sources are sitting in Cabinet, the police, King’s Governing structures and almost all the institutions of the State, we must been seen protecting them as journalists because they are our pillar and, we are nothing without them.

The issue of sources is sensitive, high profile people risk their jobs and political positions to provide us with information, what the Times of eSwatini is doing is a serious threat to journalism and if newspaper’s Director Paul Loffler is considering closing his newspaper as sales have dropped, he must do so without destroying journalism.

Anyone who touches sources must know that, he/she is touching the heart of journalism and thretening our careers, we must stop that individual from  ‘selling’ sources in the public interest.

Recently, some captured journalists had a celebration that lasted for a few days, they thought the Mpumalanga High Court interim order against this Swaziland News will collapse this publication, low minded individuals calling themselves journalists but always celebrate any attempt to undermine media freedom.

I am failing to understand why Government and the captured journalists continue to demonstrate a desire to know who leaked the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit(EFIU) state documents to international journalists, some of us we are receiving leaked documents almost everyday, these sources are playing a role in fighting corruption and promoting transparency and accountability in the public administration, there’s no journalism without sources.