MBABANE:Zweli Martin Dlamini, the editor of this Swaziland News says it is actually Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini who has been trying to negotiate him to stop being critical against the Government particularly his administration and therefore, his consistent “leaking of information accusations” against Cabinet Ministers is unjust.
The editor challenged the PM to deny these allegations so that he can produce evidence, he accused the PM of consistently sending Public Relations(PR) companies to parade a R2million budget to him for positive publicity in an attempt to neutralize this independent online publication.
“After failing, he used that money to capture Mbongeni Mbingo, the Swazi Observer editor and turned him into his Public Relations Officer(PRO). He is also paying Eswatini Positive News and I have evidence of the flow of these public monies”, said the editor.
Dlamini said he would have just ignored the Prime Minister, kept quiet and continue with his duties but, decided to expose him because of his consistent accusations against Cabinet Ministers claiming they were leaking information to this publication yet it’s him who tried to communicate with this Swaziland News secretly.
The Prime Minister told Cabinet Ministers that he kept the United States “dumping of criminals agreement” a top secret because they were going to leak to Zwemart.
“It’s true that, I have sources in Cabinet but it’s the Prime Minister who has been using undercover tactics to capture this publication so that it can report positively about him. Now he has captured the Observer and through Justice Minister Pholile Shakantu he normally tells the Times of Eswatini to clean him amid allegations of corruption. He must stop intimidating Ministers saying they are leaking information, we will not have a country if the entire media is controlled”, said the editor.
The editor said he was once approached by the late PM Ambrose Dlamini with a similar offer during a private meeting inside Cabinet, to turn the Swaziland News into a pro-Tinkhundla publication in return for advertising but, even though he was too close to him, he respectful rejected the offer.
The editor said, if all the media entities are controlled by the Government, that would mean the country is ‘dead’.
“As for Russell Dlamini, I have records with his agent and he must deny this. The conversation was initiated by the PM saying “umtayele yini Zwemart ngifuna angibambise mani”.
Editor Zweli Martin Dlamini.