By Zweli Martin Dlamini

On Tuesday afternoon, I was busy with some international journalists discussing the approach in the story of Mlungisi Makhanya, the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) who was allegedly poisoned inside his house after receiving threats from the Tinkhundla cruel and oppressive regime suggesting that, he will eventually be apprehended.

As we discuss the story,I realized that the international journalists have absolute trust in me as a journalist who reported the story first.

But I’ve reported various stories that attracted the attention of the international community but on Tuesday, one of the South African editors uttered sentiments that made me to take my journalism career very seriously and maintain the credibility of the Swaziland News.

The South African editor said “how best can we approach the story because you know better than us what happened and you have been reporting about the persecution of human rights defenders and political activists in eSwatini?”.

Well, after that conversation, I started to wonder what is it that I’ve done to deserve the respect of international editors, I don’t regard myself as a top journalist but I’m still learning because in this job, you learn everyday.

But my greatest fear in my journalism career is to be swallowed by the Tinkhundla cruel and oppressive regime and be turned into a propagandist,I don’t wish that to happen and I would rather remain in exile and drive the public discourse agenda there.

Recently, I was reading a report published by the Media Institute for Southern Africa(MISA) some years ago, it highlights the days when Swazi Observer editor Mbongeni Mbingo was still an independent journalist,working for the Times of eSwatini when it was independent and vibrant.

Mbongeni Mbingo was once summoned by Parliament and threatened with contempt of Parliament for criticizing Members of Parliament(MPs), he stood his ground and continued to be critical against Government in the public interest.

Before that, Mbingo was consistently summoned by the King and threatened for publishing critical articles, he is the same editor who used to expose royal extravagant spending particularly the purchasing of luxious cars by Mswati.

But Mbingo was subsequently captured and swallowed by the Tinkhundla regime and turned into a zombie journalist, he recently apologized to Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini for the tension that erupted during the recent Breakfast Meeting,Mbingo was a vibrant journalist but now, he is a useless zombie.

Well, in the context of this article, a zombie is a body that breathes no more, we have zombie journalists in this country who were once vibrant but what is left now is their body as their integrity and independence long left them.

The difference between editor Bheki Makhubu and Mbingo is that, persecution made Mbongeni to submit to the Tinkhundla regime as a zombie while Makhubu is still vibrant despite having gone through the worse after being convicted for criticizing the Judiciary.

It is one of my greatest fears to become a zombie journalist like Swazi Observer Mbongeni Mbingo and others, I want to retire in journalism with my legacy that will inspire the next generation.

The Tinkhundla regime is busy taking me to court and hunting me but I won’t become its zombie, it is not in my DNA to be a zombie journalist and I will continue to hold this cruel regime accountable.

The reason international journalists work with some of us while local journalists consistently attack us in defense of this cruel Government is that, zombie journalists cannot behave like independent minded journalists because, these zombies were long castrated.

The problem starts when a zombie apologizes to Prime Minister Russell Dlamini saying, that is a collective decision of the Editors Forum, not all editors are zombies.

How can journalists apologize for questioning Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini who is an alleged corrupt and arrogant thief?.

That alleged thief sitting in the air-conditioned office at Hospital Hill must provide drugs in public hospitals, he must expect a political romance from his zombie Mbongeni Mbingo who is desperate to become a Government Spokesperson.