40 ESWATINI MEDIA AND DEMOCRATIC CONTEXT radio station devoted to religious programmes, radio and television are government departments under the king’s control. (47) Journalists are constrained and cannot work freely, while courts are not permitted to prosecute representatives of the monarchy. (48) Transparency International notes that citizens are unable to speak out, demonstrate or associate with organisations without fear of the consequences. (49) This crisis of democracy is punctuated by government actors that often silence independent media. A Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Report (50) on the attack of journalists in Eswatini reported that South African newspapers entering Eswatini are thoroughly screened and should an edition contain information that paints the government or the king in bad light, that whole edition is bought by the government and all the copies destroyed. By Simbarashe Nembaware There is a handful of media outlets in Eswatini which include one state-owned television station and the national radio station, the Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services (SBIS), which broadcasts in English and Siswati and functions as a government department, (42) and several online news publications including The Swati Newsweek, Swaziland News and Swazi Media Blog. Online publications or digital media platforms are not required to register or to obtain permission from state authorities to operate. (43) In 2005, the country adopted a new constitution. This constitution is silent on political parties and anything relating to multi-party democracy but it does provide for the right of association and freedom of speech. MEDIA FREEDOM Eswatini is ranked 113 out of 180 countries on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) with a meagre score of 34 from a possible 100. Reporters Without Borders gave the country 45 points which translated to position 141 out of 180 countries. (45) The 2020 Sustainable Development Report marked the country red noting that “major challenges remain,” (46) with a score of 53.4 and a ranking of 144 from 193 countries. Eswatini has no free press that holds the government accountable. Media in Eswatini is controlled by the king. With the exception of a ONLINE FREEDOM In 2020, the government had sought to pass the Computer Crime and Cybercrime Bill whose section 19 criminalises the publication of “fake news”. The Bill proposed that people found guilty of publishing information that damages the country’s image, be liable to fines of up to R10-million (about US$700 00) or 10 years in prison. The Bill is said to further stifle freedom of speech in the country. However, given the shifting terrain in Swazi media, independent online news options are increasing, although they have a limited reach. Mobile data is generally unaffordable for the majority of citizens as a consequence of the high internet tariffs set by the Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC formerly SPTC) for internet use. A gig of data costs US$8.36, which is a huge price drop compared to US$21.99 a few years ago. However this is still expensive for the majority of the population. As at January 2020, there were 542,000 internet users, representing a 23% penetration. (51) The only space for divergent views is on the online news sites with limited reach and where the readers tend to already broadly agree that there needs to be democracy in the kingdom. Eswatini has no access to information law but the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland continues to advocate for media freedom in the country. (52)