State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 Siyavena is a sports publication without much critical content. Apart from adding its name to the media landscape, it has no new voice on behalf of media freedom in the Kingdom. It is nevertheless a viable product that reflects the growing maturity of the media as an industry rather than the socio-political realities of Swaziland. Media ownership remains in the hands of the two principal players who have been in control for the past 35 years, namely the Loffler family which owns African Echo, the holding company of The Times (and its additional four publications) and the government, which owns Radio Swaziland, the biggest radio station, Swaziland Today, a newspaper with very little credibility and Swazi TV a channel that can at best be described as sub-standard. As a result of this, opinion leadership rests with just a handful of people. This is a perilous situation in a country that thinks of itself as a country in transition. What makes matters worse is the reluctance on the part of The Times to recruit trained staff. As the biggest, most prestigious and oldest media house in Swaziland, this newspaper should be the trailblazer in issues of media freedom and the general advancement of professional standards. The standard of professionalism and the general direction of growth are directly linked to this highly popular publication. If The Times had insisted from the day of its inception (105 years ago), that journalism is a profession and needed professionally trained personnel, a different standard of journalism would exist today. So This Is Democracy? 2003 83 Media Institute of Southern Africa