State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 ■ ALERTS • DATE: January 19, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Phiwokwakhe Ngidi VIOLATIONS: Beaten O n January 19 2003, Phiwokwakhe Ngidi, a reporter from the Times of Swaziland news paper, was attacked and severely beaten by Bongani Mamba, chairman of Ligcabho Lebuhle Eswatini, an organisation that organises beauty pageants in Swaziland. On January 20, the Swazi Observer newspaper reported that Mamba was angered by an article written by Ngidi that appeared in the Times of Swaziland’s January 14 edition. • DATE: April 8, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Radio station(s), television station(s) VIOLATIONS: Legislation (negative) M inister of Information Abednego Ntshangase announced on Tuesday, April 8, a new censorship policy for state media in the southern African kingdom of Swaziland Speaking at his first official appearance under his new portfolio before the House of Assembly, Ntshangase told parliamentarians, “The national television and radio stations are not going to cover anything that has a negative bearing on government.” Ntshangase warned that those who do not support government policies will be barred from broadcasting their views, the Integrated Regional Information Networks, a U.N. news service, reported. The ban on negative content will apply to Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services, which operates the only news-carrying radio channels in the country, and to Swazi TV, the country’s only television station. Both outlets are state run. • DATE: July 29, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Media in Swaziland VIOLATIONS: Threatened O n July 29 2003, the Swaziland government moved toward imposing five-year jail terms on journalists found guilty of contravening the country’s proposed Secrecy Act. The proposed act bars journalists from publishing information regarded by the government as top secret. Civil servants found guilty of disclosing such information face the same punishment. So This Is Democracy? 2003 87 Media Institute of Southern Africa