phone penetration has increased from 96% to 119% (16). the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards in London on her late husband’s behalf and called for justice following his murder; the government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo issued a press statement where he berated her for behaving in a manner that was unbecoming for a widow — claiming that “her utterances were a fabrication of the truth and described her statements as “... a treasonable act” (14). The availability of the internet has resulted in a proliferation of online “news media startups”, some of whom do not necessarily practise ethical journalism. For the first time ever, the government directed telecommunications service providers to shut down the internet during the unrest in 2021. The government spokesperson’s tone and remarks were described as sexist and disparaging. Seen against a backdrop of sustained media coverage on gender-based violence in which women are disproportionately victims, such statements have the potential to fuel misogyny and water down advocacy efforts towards gender equity in Eswatini in general and the media sector in particular. This made it difficult for journalists to report on current events. Additionally, such actions demonstrate the government’s reach despite the existence of an ostensibly independent regulatory body in the telecommunications sector. Surveillance and privacy of information Internet access and affordability The Computer Crime and Cyber Crime Act and the Data Protection Act came into effect in 2022. Eswatini has a relatively well-developed fibre optic backbone network, but being landlocked means the country relies on neighbouring countries like South Africa and Mozambique for international fibre bandwidth. It remains to be seen how these acts will impact surveillance and privacy of information in the country. This makes the price of accessing the internet prohibitively high. Affordability remains a key issue as the country had an unemployment rate of 25.76% at the end of 2021, a slight increase from 25.51% in 2020 (15). However, the 2022 Country Report on Human Rights Practices reports that state security routinely conducts raids and warrantless searches of homes belonging to political activists. Despite this, the internet penetration stood at 58.9%, reflecting a 0.7% increase from 2022. A larger segment of the population accesses the internet through mobile broadband. Mobile There are no credible reports that the government monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority, according to the report. References 1. UN OCHR - Eswatini: UN experts commemorate human rights defender Thulani ping-Community-Radio-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa-Report_FINAL-24-06-21.pdf Maseko, deplore lack of accountability for his killing: https://www.ohchr.org/en/ 8. World Press Freedom Index, 2023: Eswatini: https://rsf.org/en/country/eswatini press-releases/2024/01/eswatini-un-experts-commemorate-human-rights-de- 9. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini: https://www.gov.sz/images/jus- fender-thulani-maseko-deplore tice/swaziland_constitution.pdf 2. US Department of State - 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: 10. Hlatshwayo, S. (2023). ‘Government Policies Take Away Media Freedom’. Times https://www.state.gov/reports-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/ of Eswatini. 3 May. Pg 10. https://www.pressreader.com/eswatini/times-of-eswati- country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ ni/20230503/281767043549546 3. The Chilling: A global study of online violence against women journalists: https:// 11. http://www.times.co.sz/news/134893-the-cost-of-being-impartial.html www.icfj.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/ICFJ_UNESCO_The%20Chilling_2022_1. 12. https://rsf.org/en/country/eswatini pdf 13. https://gijn.org/resource/chapter-3-safety-discrimination-harassment/ 4. Chapter 2: Gender and Media Law: https://fojo.se/genderandmedia/chapter-2- 14. Mthembu, M. V. (2018). Participation of Swazi women in the traditional public gender-and-media-law/ sphere, Sibaya, in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Communicare: Journal for Communi- 5. Computer Crime and Cyber Crime Act, 2022: https://www.esccom.org.sz/legis- cation Sciences in Southern Africa, 37(1), 74-93. lation/COMPUTER%20CRIME%20&%20CYBERCRIME%20ACT.pdf 15. Dlamini, S. (2023). ‘Tanele Maseko’s utterances a treasonable act-govt’. Times 6. of Eswatini SUNDAY. Pg. 6-7. Eswatini Broadcasting Act, 2023: https://www.esccom.org.sz/legislation/ The%20Eswatini%20Broadcasting%20Act%202023.pdf 16. 7. Ntshangase, J. S. (2021). Mapping Community Radio in Sub-Saharan Africa. ty%20remains%20a%20key%20issue,portion%20of%20GDP%2040.9%25) Journalism. co. za.: https://journalism.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Map- STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023 36 https://housingfinanceafrica.org/countries/eswatini/#:~:text=Affordabili-