SECTOR 1 ‘Media personnel have been harassed and beaten in the line of duty.’ ‘The fear is real! While you may not necessarily be arrested or charged formally, there are other ways in which your life will be restricted based on what you’ve said.’ Panellists noted that parameters are often set when doing interviews, with some radio station studios displaying placards in the studio to caution presenters and interviewees on topics that are off limits. ‘They prep you on certain issues concerning what can or cannot be said on the air.’ The fear of practising the right to freedom of expression is driven both by the legislative framework and by the culture, which does not encourage challenging those in power. ‘Culture, which starts with the legal framework of the country and the fact that we have a dual system, pervades everything, including family and professional life, politics etc. The culture has its norms and rules, although not codified. There are the issues of consensus and respect, for example and these values are taken to the extreme. When you criticise, you are seen as being disrespectful. The cultural element has a huge role concerning what you say or don’t say, who you talk about and how you talk about them.’ At the time this AMB was conducted, the Kingdom of eSwatini held a Sibaya (a people’s parliament). One of the key national issues on the agenda concerned the appointment of the next prime minister by the king. The Swazi Observer published an article speculating on the top 25 candidates for prime minister. A panellist noted that during the Sibaya, the attorney general used the forum to criticise the article in a way that was perceived as ‘intimidating’. ‘After that, as a journalist, you become cautious of what you write and people often take to social media using fake names, where they may be safer.’ Panellists agreed that due to the fear that journalists and the public have developed, self-censorship is rife. In 2016 and 2017 at the national radio, ‘all shows by civil society were cut from going live and everything had to be prerecorded because of what might be said.’ Furthermore, there are no talk-shows on socio-political issues on national radio and focus is placed on developmentrelated issues. ‘Our media has continuously been bludgeoned. They try (to report without fear), but then they hear that other practitioners have been summoned to the authorities.’ The chiefdom system further serves to keep dissenters in check, with elders and chiefs intervening when an individual has done something perceived to be anti-establishment – including having to defend what has been reported on. Describing the system as a traditional infrastructure for maintaining control, panellists noted that from applying for a scholarship to applying for a community broadcasting licence: the permission of the chief is required. 11 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ESWATINI 2018