AFRICAN MEDIA GROUPS PETITION APM MASUKU

MBABANE –   Five prominent media groups in Africa have petitioned acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku to ensure internet availability.

The petition was signed on June 30, 2021. It was signed by the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Panos Institute Southern Africa, and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). It was then reportedly emailed to Cabinet for the attention of Masuku. They copied the petition to Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi, the current Chairperson of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and SADC incoming Chairperson, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, the current President of Malawi, the Executive Secretary of the SADC Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax. The media and telecommunication groups said they sent the joint petition to Masuku to ensure that the internet, social media platforms, and all other communication channels were open, secure, and accessible regardless of the protests that are currently taking place in Eswatini.

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Reads the petition: “We, the undersigned organisations, write to urgently appeal to you, honourable Prime Minister, to  ensure  that  the  internet,  social  media  platforms,  and  all  other  communication  channels  are open,  secure,  and  accessible  regardless of  the  protests  that  are  currently  taking  place  in Eswatini.” “Our  appeal  is  informed  by  reports  that  in  the  wake  of  the current pro-democracy  protests,  the Eswatini Government has reportedly   ordered network providers,  Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications, MTN Eswatini and Eswatini Mobile, to turn off internet connectivity.” The petitioners said the Eswatini Government was violating fundamental human rights of all citizens of the country, including but limited to the right to free speech and opinion, access to information and the right to assembly, by blocking access to the internet.

Further, they said internet shutdowns disrupted emergency services, crippled economies and restricted the flow of business related information and communications, including internet-based banking services and transactions. The groups said the internet and social media platforms played a critical role in enhancing participatory governance in a democratic society through the provision of space for communicating, public debates and citizens’ right to seek and share information on how they are governed. “We also note with concern that the current internet shutdown comes at a time when freedom of the media and that of expression have been deteriorating in Eswatini,” reads the statement. They said research showed that internet shutdowns and violence go hand-in-hand. “Shutting down the internet during protests only serves to heighten tensions and this is likely to be followed by more violence,” warned the African media groups. By disrupting the free flow of information, petitioners said the shutdowns  actually exacerbated existing tensions,  and created space to conceal potential  violence  and  human  rights violations perpetrated by both state and non-state actors.

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