Introduction to ‘Swaziland struggles for media freedom’

By Dr Richard Rooney

A chapter in Media Policy in a Changing Southern Africa Critical reflections on media

reforms in the global age Edited by Dumisani Moyo and Wallace Chuma, 2009, University
of South Africa (UNISA) Press.

The non-democratic Kingdom of Swaziland is at a crossroads in a journey that many people

hoped would take it on a road to democratisation. The kingdom had been under a state of
emergency since 1973 when a Royal Proclamation suspended the existing constitution.

There followed more than 30 years in which human rights were attacked and media freedoms
curtailed.

Following international pressure, a new constitution, which allowed freedom of speech and
freedom of association, came into effect in 2006. These new freedoms have been largely
ignored since.

The same international pressure that resulted in a bogus constitution encouraged a raft of
draft government bills that on paper appeared to democratise the media in Swaziland. These
bills have yet to be finalised or enacted.

This chapter seeks to give an overview of the journey. It begins with a brief introduction to
Swaziland as a country and the media landscape within it. It then discusses the legislation that
still restricts the operations of the media.

A critical discussion of the specifics of the Constitution in the area of freedom of expression
follows. This includes an overview of the operations of the media since the Constitution came
into force highlighting the continued restrictions they face.

It then discusses the draft bills, detailing their contents and discussing the likelihood of their
implementation. It concludes that the bills, like the constitution that spawned them, are
unlikely to be implemented in any meaningful manner.

An important part of the debate in Swaziland at present surrounds public service

broadcasting. Broadcasting in Swaziland is mostly state controlled but there have been some
initiatives, supported by civil society in Swaziland, to shift to a public service paradigm and
although the state claims to welcome such a move the evidence on the ground is that the
undemocratic ruling elite has no intention to make change a reality.

Civil society in Swaziland has played an important role in the broadcasting debate but civil
society is marginalised in Swaziland. The problems this raises form the final substantive part
of this chapter.
 Media Policy in a Changing Southern Africa Critical reflections on media reforms in the
global age Edited by Dumisani Moyo and Wallace Chuma December 2009, University of
South Africa (UNISA) Press. Follow this link for more details.
http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20780&P_ForPrint=1

At the time of writing this chapter Dr Richard Rooney was Associate Professor and Head of
the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Swaziland
(UNISWA), Kwaluseni, Swaziland.