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Alert

Journalist hauled before police following article, threatened with criminal charges

The senior reporter for the "Swazi Observer" newspaper, Thulani Mthethwa, has been called before the police on two occasions and the attorney general on one occasion following the publication of a letter deemed secret by police.


On 10 January 2000, the "Swazi Observer" published a letter from Swaziland's Police Commissioner Edgar Hillary to the South African Police (SAP) Special Squad asking for their assistance in arresting two Swazi businessmen linked to another Swazi businessman, Ron Smith,
who is currently out on bail in South Africa on drug trafficking charges.

On the day the article appeared, Mthethwa was summoned to Hillary’s offices where the journalist was reprimanded for the article and also asked to reveal his source.

On Tuesday 11 January, Mthethwa was once again summoned to Hillary's office for a meeting with Hillary, the Swazi police's public relations officer, Leckinah Magagula, and Hillary's deputy, Esau Dube.

Speaking to MISA-Swaziland, Mthethwa said that the Tuesday meeting amounted to a mini court session. He was called names such as a "bullying" and "irresponsible" journalist and was warned not to write any "rubbish" that would be published later. He was also asked for the letter and for him to reveal his source, which he declined to do. At the end of the meeting he was warned that he could face criminal charges or face a High Court order because of his actions and his refusal to disclose his source.

On Wednesday 12 January, Mthethwa along with his new editor, Musa Magagula, were summoned to the offices of the Attorney General Phesheya Dlamini, where they were once again pressured to give in to the demands of the police commissioner. The two were again asked to hand over the letter in question.

MISA-Swaziland reports that Mthethwa now faces the real threat of having criminal charges laid against him, as his story is apparently being perceived as a hindrance to police investigations. The journalist may be charged with "defeating the ends of justice" and "publishing a secret document that is a threat to the national security".