MEDIA PLURALISM AND DIVERSITY There is no media diversity in eSwatini because of restrictive media laws. Prohibitive cash bonds required from investors seeking to set up media platforms and draconian laws such as the Books and Newspapers Act are discouraging the establishment of new media outlets while government’s reluctance to issue new broadcasting licences is retarding the growth of the sector in a big way. JOURNALISTS’ SAFETY AND PROTECTION Attacks against journalists by State security agents intensified following protests against the government erupted in June 2021 while others were threatened with arrests. their journalism work. Eugene Dube, editor of Swati NewsWeek, a prominent online publication, was forced to go into temporary exile in South Africa after he was attacked by armed police officers for interviewing the then president of eSwatini opposition movement Economic Freedom Fighters Ncamiso Ngcamphalala who spoke about “removing the King from power.” Dube eventually returned home after the charges against him were withdrawn. In a similar case, Zweli Martin Dlamini, editor of the privately owned Swaziland News, fled to South Africa after he was tortured by the police for writing stories deemed critical of King Mswati. After learning that Dlamini had skipped the country, police raided his home and arrested his wife Nompendulo Nokuthula Mkhonta who was later released. MEDIA INDEPENDENCE There was a high degree of censorship of both the independent and state-owned media in eSwatini during the period 2020 to 2021 with the Covid-19 pandemic and later political protests being used as an excuse to either limit public information that could be shared with the media or to harass journalists in order to force them to toe the line. Independence of the Times, eSwatini’s largest and oldest daily newspaper, was brought into question after it was reported that its editor Martin Dlamini had been engaged as King Mswati’s speech writer on a part time basis. STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 35 critical of the way the political crisis was being handled. (2) Arrests and intimidation of journalists and editors engendered self-censorship in the media industry. A number of journalists were caught in the crossfire as police used force to put down the protests, including shooting of live ammunition. (3) One of the journalists, Wonder Dlamini from the State owned Eswatini Observer was injured when he was hit by a teargas canister while covering protests in Siteki in the eastern part of the country. (4) Dlamini was treated for his injuries and was left traumatised by the incident. Prior to the unrest, there were two cases of editors that had been forced to flee eSwatini due to persistent persecution by the authorities for doing Independent journalist Thembeka Gamedze (le�) celebrates with women rights ac�vist Nontobeko Mbuyane a�er being released at the Mbabane Police Sta�on. The journalist known for exposing corrup�on was targeted by the police and arrested a�er she tried to take pictures of traffic officers, who were allegedly taking a bribe.