SECTOR 2 2.10 Private broadcasters deliver a minimum of quality public interest programmes. Channel Swazi, which has been in operation since 2001, is the only private broadcaster in the country. It is a popular station for local content, including its local soapies, but it lacks the resources of the public broadcaster, which is reflected in the quality of the content. The channel tends not to offer public interest programmes, except for the news, which is generally considered to be better than that of the state Swazi TV. Some panellists described Channel Swazi as a “semi-private” broadcaster, because of its royal connections. It was started by the controversial Qhawe Mamba, former palace correspondent for Swazi TV, who in 2008 was convicted of an E18m pyramid scheme fraud, and is currently in prison. His wife Sibongile is runs the television station. The radio station VoC deals with religious issues only and operates on a provisional licence, although it has applied for a community licence (see indicator 3.1.). Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.5 (2005: n/a; 2007: n/a; 2009: n/a; 2011: n/a) 2.11 The country has a coherent ICT policy and/or the government implements promotional measures, which aim to meet the information needs of all citizens, including marginalised communities. A National Information Communications Technology (ICT) Policy has been in existence since 2007, but it does not meet the information needs of all Swazi citizens - especially those in marginalised communities. Further, the government does not promote the policy. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Swaziland 2014 41