The state of broadcasting and telecommunications Government has finally headed calls to free the airwaves, however an independent regulator does not grant the licences. The Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) and the Swaziland Television Authority (STVA) are still regulators of the different media. However, initiatives to review this anomaly are underway. Both the Broadcasting Draft Bill 2007, which repeals the STVA Act of 1983 and seeks to establish an independent regulator, and the Public Broadcasting Corporation Draft Bill 2007, which seeks to transform the state broadcasters into public broadcasters, are at an advanced stage. The state of print media There continues to be a lack of diversity within the print media sector, with the privately owned Times of Swaziland still dominating private media. The Swazi Observer, owned by Tibiyo TakaNgwane, a conglomerate effectively owned by the Swazi royal family, also enjoys considerable circulation. The Nation magazine has reasonable readership, although its exercise of critical journalism has resulted in it being slapped with three lawsuits that are likely to cripple the publication. Other publications are struggling to keep afloat, such as the Connexion youth magazine. Commentators have pointed out that the government controls media content indirectly through advertising power, as it is the single largest advertiser in the country and advertising is the prime source of income for the print media. On the whole, the print media in 2008 was generally informative and provoked many public interest issues, which in turn provoked anger and retaliation from certain quarters. As such, civil litigation against journalists and media houses by public servants and politicians increased. The Nation magazine suffered the worst fate with three lawsuits running into millions in claims still pending before the court. Projections for 2009 Without a democratic Swaziland it is unrealistic to expect changes that would satisfy the basic principles of freedom expression and freedom of the media. The continued pressure for a democratic dispensation is angering government, as reflected in the swipes civil servants take at the media at every opportunity. Media violations are, therefore, expected to increase as government feels the pressure for change. Evidently, the two years the Constitution has been in operation have not made an impact in fast-tracking law review to create a conducive environment for the media. In 2008, media violations were overwhelming, with minimum victories attained. The media was harassed, threatened, censored and assaulted. These violations are manifestations of a non-democratic society. The development of the country is dependent, among other things, on a media that is free to assess the operations of public offices critically. The media is the voice of the public and should not be deterred in doing the work of reporting and informing the society without fear or favour. So This Is Democracy? 2008 -91- Media Institute of Southern Africa