In the run-up to the September 2018 elections, MISA Swaziland had introduced to partners and media stakeholders the Guidelines on Media Coverage of Elections in the SADC Region. It hosted four separate workshops for the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), including commissioners, editors, journalists, community radio champions and civil society actors. The Guidelines address the concerns raised by the election observers about the failures of the media to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The targeted groups welcomed the Guidelines on Media Coverage of Elections. They adopted them, save for few sections which did not apply to a noparty state like Swaziland. MISA Swaziland was tasked to facilitate a meeting between the media and the EBC to discuss the issues affecting the media coverage of the electoral process. MISA Swaziland also announced its Media Elections Monitoring Project (MEMP) which would commence in January 2018. This project seeks to promote equitable and ethical journalism in the coverage of elections which remains a contentious subject in Swaziland. It also seeks to advocate for the licensing of community radio and the transforming of the state broadcaster into a public service broadcaster and sets out to train journalists in the coverage of elections. It was agreed that MISA would monitor the print and broadcast media and findings would be disseminated to SEF and SNAJ on a quarterly basis. The two media bodies pledged their support to MEMP. The Swaziland Community Multimedia Network (SCMN) looked forward to the training of their volunteers so that they would be prepared once the community broadcasting licences are issued. 104 So This is Democracy? 2017 JOURNALIST SAFETY The Mpolenjeni community on the outskirts of Mbabane defended a Channel Swazi TV reporter who was attacked by a mob. He was covering a story of demolition of property in the area. Other community members intervened and ensured that he was able to continue to do his work. He was able to shoot and conduct interviews with the victims. This was seen as testimony to the positive results of the media literacy campaign within the Swazi society. Slowly but surely,citizens are beginning to appreciate and understand the media’s role and benefits of access to information. They have also developed an appreciation for the fact that any attack on media practitioners directly violates their constitutional right to receive information without interference. Claims of death threats by the managing editor of Swaziland Shopping unsettled the media fraternity. The managing editor, who doubled as a private investigator, alleged that a businessman and soccer administrator wanted him dead. He claimed these threats had been triggered by his investigation. But he had also tarred the other editors with the same brush of corruption, accusing them of being in the pocket of corrupt individuals. His questionable ethical conduct led MISA Swaziland to ask SEF to put its house in order. However, the SEF reported back that the editor in question was uncooperative and that he refused to account for allegations he had made against fellow editors. On the heels of these incidents, the ICT ministry rejected an application for registration filed by Swaziland Shopping. In a letter dated 12 December 2017, Acting Principal Secretary in the ministry stated that the Managing Editor of Swa-