Swazi Observer

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GOVERNMENT BLASTS ZWEMART FOR FAKE NEWS

By Nokuzola Thwala | 2020-08-12

GOVERNMENT has strongly condemned the continued malicious reporting and spreading of fake news by the founder and editor of Swaziland News Zweli Martin Dlamini, otherwise known as Zwemart.

This was stated in a statement by Government’s spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini yesterday.

Dlamini said the reports are written and published with the intent to mislead and misinform the public.

He emphasised that Eswatini respected freedom of expression as stipulated in the Constitution. However, he said they could not ignore Zwemart’s deliberate efforts to paint the country in a negative light using fake news.

“In his latest series of libellous, unfounded and factually incorrect articles, Dlamini insinuates that His Majesty King Mswati III is involved in the cannabis business. While several companies have in the past applied to farm cannabis in Eswatini, none of them have been granted a license to pursue this activity as dagga farming remains illegal in this country,” said the spokesperson.

Further, he stated that Swaziland News was essentially a fake news website disguised as an authentic source of news with an authority on Eswatini matters in terms of governance, politics, leadership and general current affairs.

The spokesperson revealed that the latest series of baseless and offensive onslaught on His Majesty the King was proof that the publication is not interested in observing ethics and standards of journalism and will stop at nothing to drag the name of the King and government by fabricating stories, presenting them as authentic to an unsuspecting audience.

Adding, Dlamini said they would continue to pursue legal channels to hold Zwemart accountable for spreading deceiving information.

He said it was no coincidence that Zwemart is currently on the run and a fugitive of the law as he faces several cases relating to his criminal activities of alleged assault, house breaking and contempt of court for missing several court appearances.

“We want to bring it to the attention of the public that Swaziland News is hosted online on a South African domain. It is not registered in Eswatini as a media house nor is it registered with the South African Press Council which is an independent media regulation body in South Africa. Seemingly, unlike all reputable media outlets, this publication has no intention of being held accountable for misinformation when it comes to reporting about Eswatini,” Dlamini concluded.

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