By Zweli Martin Dlamini
Africa-Press – Eswatini. Journalism is indeed a powerful tool but in my view, the power of the media must be used to inform the public, hold those in power accountable and further contribute to economic growth and development in the public interest.
In this country, journalism was once used to label the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) as a terrorist entity, emaSwati were consistently misled through systematic and bias reporting by the Times and other State controlled media entities not to associate themselves with PUDEMO, labelling the political organization a terrorist entity.
The then Attorney General(AG) Majahenkhaba Dlamini wrote to the Times and ordered the media company to stop the late PUDEMO President Mario Masuku from writing analytical articles, Masuku had a column as a Guest Writer analyzing the country’s political affairs.
Now, after declaring me a terrorist, some within the Tinkhundla system including King’s Interpreter Sihle Dlamini and rejected alleged child rape suspect Alpheous Nxumalo thought it would be easier to use the media and influence emaSwati not to associate themselves with me but they forgot one thing, I am journalist and an editor with a huge platform to clarify issues.
As you read this, emaSwati are providing information, they want to expose corruption while demanding basic services from the Government and therefore, the independent media is their voice.
It was different for PUDEMO President Mario Masuku because he was relying on the Times to communicate a political message but an editor can write, communicate his narrative anytime and further secure assistance from international journalists to counter any attempts by a cruel regime and a State controlled media to communicate an oppressive and false narrative.
The eSwatini Government and other stupid loyalists of the Tinkhundla regime tried and failed to apprehend me, even attempts to use the South African courts failed so now they have only one weapon, State controlled media and social media to target my reputation.
But using the media to fight another journalist is practically impossible, it’s like unleashing an armed solder to fight another armed soldier, State journalists are armed with the pen and I am also armed with a pen.
Furthermore, it depends on who controls the narrative at that particular time, the Times used to control the narrative because there were no online publication, these days we are able to crush a false story with the truth early in the morning and, even before the Times deliver the newspapers in the various shops.
But regarding King’s Interpreter Sihle Dlamini new strategy to establish various online platforms in an attempt to push a false narrative, he must know that there’s a huge difference between “interpreting” and journalism.
In the media, there are thousands of journalists worldwide but only a few are popular and successful in their respective countries because there’s a certain story-telling art in journalism used to communicate a message.
King’s Interpreter Sihle Dlamini took a hungry boy from the streets, gave him porridge and meat thinking that, just because he was a ‘comrade’, he will be able to convince emaSwati and shape the political narrative.
But it’s not easy to gain public trust in journalism and once emaSwati trust you with information, then you must know it’s a huge task and public responsibility.
Journalism should be about the people and communicating their challenges and plight while holding those in power accountable, stealing public funds sometimes is a curse because you end-up using that money to employ ‘boys’ and attempt to use online platforms to create a public perception that “Zwemart is a terrorist”.
Zwemart is an editor, he can communicate his side of the story and correct a false narrative against him anytime, you must be in another level of stupidity to even think that you can use the media to brand a journalist, he will clean the false narrative with the truth and if he keeps quiet, that would mean based on the “using your enemy principle”, what you are doing or saying is working in his favour.
There are many insulting online platforms that I don’t even entertain but, I want them to exist because they are amplifying my relevance in the public discourse and this is based on the “using your enemy principle”.
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