It seems like Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo has a tendency of visiting hangout spots,drink alcohol and then call a press conference to speak absolute ‘nonsense’.
Perhaps,let me first urge the Government Spokesperson to be straight when speaking about me, instead of using parables.
In politics and journalism nothing is personal,so there’s nothing wrong with mentioning names as long as you have facts to substantiate your sentiments, the Government Spokesperson must be brave.
It seems the organization for Public Relations practitioners must run a “Don’t drink and talk” campaign similar to that of the Motor Vehicle Accident(MVA)Fund, “Don’t drink and drive”.
During a press conference on Sunday, Nxumalo told State controlled journalists that “there’s a popular man living in South Africa who always gets the news first regarding the unfortunate killings in the country”.
The Government Spokesperson urged Swazis to ask themselves why this man received first hand information all the time,he repeated such sentiments during an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation(SABC).
But, let me once again give Nxumalo a free lecture that investigative journalism by its nature suggests that as a journalist, you must know things that others don’t know and after verifying them,you then inform the Nation.
It is the dream of every journalist to get news first and Alpheous Nxumalo is promoting me around the world that there’s a Swazi journalist who always gets information first.
Nxumalo must know that it is not only the things published here that I know, as a journalist, I am well-versed with various national issues.
I am aware that last week, shortly after releasing a statement denying the availability of ‘hitmen’ in the country, Nxumalo went to Logoba escorted by the very same white alleged hitmen to deliver a grocery to an umbutfo.
Nxumalo must ask himself how I got to know about his trip to Logoba with the mercenaries.
Imagine being escorted by mercenaries thinking your information is safe’,then we tell you exactly what were you doing at Logoba.
Alpheous Nxumalo must know that human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko was allegedly killed by King Mswati who hired mercenaries, even if he can stand on top of a mountain and defend him,the truth will stand.
We know that every-time we publish such articles about Mswati,Nxumalo’s job is threatened.
But alas, we have one suspect in mind, his name is Makhosetive William Dlamini who openly threatened those calling for democracy.
It is important to remind Nxumalo that to some of us,Mswati is not a King, but a power drunk fellow who is messing-up our country.
Mswati addressed regiments and stated clearly that he would deal with those calling for democracy, a few hours later, lawyer Thulani Maseko was killed.
Based on his thretening statements, if Mswati was not above the law in a democratic country, he would be assisting the police with investigations as we speak.
Nxumalo must understand that there was a valid reason why alcohol containers were inscribed with “drink responsibly”, it seems like this fellow is far from reality.
Mswati’s video where he made these threats was watched by the international community including Swazis,then comes Alpheous trying to exclude the King from the assassination of Maseko.
With the ever changing dynamics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,it is very difficult to mislead the people.
The masses are now exposed to technology, some citizens are now well-informed more than the journalists who write stories.
Nxumalo once advised Swazis to unfollow this Swaziland News because it had been declared a ‘terrorist entity’ but surprisingly, he is a number one follower of this publication such that he doesn’t conclude a press conference without mentioning stories published here.
The Government Spokesperson normally omits this publication when releasing press statements on issues published here, he normally use this phrase “according to reports on social media”, thinking that he is proving a point that Government is not recognizing the Swaziland News.
But surprisingly, he is having sleepless nights these days,responding to the international media that interviewed the editor of this publication about the death of human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko who was allegedly killed by Mswati.
The truth is, if a whole Government can convene a press conference or publish statements after we published stories, it means our work is impacting the world Mr Nxumalo.
We will continue to practice professional journalism that attracts other reputable media organizations who then amplify our journalism voice.
In conclusion, let me once again advise Nxumalo, “Don’t drink and talk” and perhaps, he will then understand that the duty of a journalist is to gather and disseminate information.
Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo.