Journalism must rise again

Dear chairperson, allow me to open with warm and sincere congratulations on the revival of the Eswatini National Association of Journalists (ENAJ).

This is a monumental step, not just organisationally, but symbolically. You and your team, have brought back a structure that has historically anchored the identity, dignity, and professional cohesion of journalists in our country. For that, the entire fraternity is grateful. Umsebenti wenu uyancomeka kakhulu.

I further commend your executive for reviving the National Media Awards, to be held on December 12. Chairperson, awards are not vanity; they document excellence, set standards, and inspire young journalists to aim higher.

The ongoing newsroom visits (vusela exercises) leading up to the awards ceremony are equally important. When leaders walk the corridors, shake hands with reporters, sit with editors, and listen to producers, they send a strong message that professional unity is possible, and that journalism is not a lonely trade after all.

As someone who stepped into the newsroom for the first time in August 1993, fresh from varsity with my shirt tucked awkwardly into oversized trousers and my heart pounding with ambition, I look at today’s landscape with both nostalgia and urgency.

When I walked into the Times of Swaziland (Times of Eswatini), as it then was called, 32 years ago, I was fortunate to witness, and later work alongside, a generation of young, hungry reporters who would go on to redefine Eswatini’s media landscape.

In my time I have watched, Qhawe ‘Ntfulini’ Mamba, Mbongeni ‘Bingo’s Jive’ Mbingo, Martin ‘Tinas’ Dlamini, Sabelo ‘Msabhino’ Dlamini grow and excel in their career paths. And, a few years down the line I have marvelled how scribes like Thobeka ‘Mphatsi’ Manyathela, Cassandra ‘Chieftain’ Shaw and Charles ‘Boss’ Matsebula, among other, rose from being struggling, wide-eyed, wet-behind-the-ears reporters into some of the most formidable minds in our media fraternity.

In my journey, I had the immense privilege of working with the iconic James ‘Mnetfu’ Dlamini, a fearless journalist whose dedication bordered on mythical. Today’s journalists would not believe me when I say James was such an avid reader, he would walk from his flat in Msunduza all the way to the Times offices, a novel open in his hands, reading diligently as he moved through the city.

The newsroom of that era was a different planet. No computers, no cellphones and editors whose tempers and expectations could shake the walls. I was shaped by greats. Men and women like Mashumi Thwala, Vusi Sibisi, Jabulani Matsebula, Lathu Jonga, Sibusiso Mngadi, Cynthia Simelane, Sandile Ntshakala, Bongiwe Zwane, Twinny Nxumalo, Gordon Mbuli, and many others.

I was shaped by long conversations with Mbuso Matsenjwa, Banele Ginindza, Sabelo Masuku, Knowledge Makhanya, Bheki ‘Gamassaulting’ Gama and Martin Matse; to name a few. Why, I still stand humbly under the towering shadow of the greatest journalist Eswatini and indeed Southern Africa has ever produced, my brother Nimrod Mabuza, whom I am privileged to have on speed dial.

To say I learnt from the best is a criminal understatement. And it is because of this grounding that I look at today’s crop of journalists with genuine admiration for their resilience, their adaptability, their modern instincts, and their courage to keep telling stories in a world that is faster, noisier, and more unforgiving than the one we inherited.

Digital

The newsroom I joined relied on landlines, fax machines, telex machines, and the discipline of going out to chase a story on foot. Today, breaking news travel faster than pens can move.

Yet, something essential about journalism remains unchanged. That is, its duty to inform, entertain, explain, educate, investigate, challenge and protect.

Chairperson, allow me to touch briefly on the rise of citizen journalism. It is here. It is powerful. It is not going anywhere.

In today’s world, everyone with a smartphone can be and is, a journalist of some sort. Let me say from the outset that I, for one, welcome it. Eswatini’s fast-rising digital penetration is reshaping how stories are told, shared and challenged. According to recent Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) indicators, the country now sits at over 97% mobile penetration, with approximately 820,000 active smartphones in circulation and digital adoption growing at double-digit speed each year.

This means a citizen with a handset is now a producer, publisher, witness and watchdog, all in real time.

These numbers confirm the simple truth that news no longer waits for the newsroom. Communities report as events unfold; videos surface before official statements are drafted; and public debates ignite long before traditional media gathers on the ground.

This, chairperson, is not a threat. It is an evolution. It is a change that Eswatini must embrace. Citizen journalism, powered by near-universal mobile access, is now a permanent pillar of the national information ecosystem, demanding collaboration, verification and recognition rather than resistance.

Sadly, citizen journalism is often portrayed as the adversary of professional journalism, but it is not. It is simply a reflection of a society in motion. It empowers communities to document their realities, especially in moments when professional journalists may not be present. That is not competition; that is additional documentation of truth.

If anything, Bazalwane, citizen journalism has challenged us, the trained, experienced and accredited, to rethink our approach. To stop being satisfied with merely reporting events. To become more, analytical, interrogative, independent, more useful to the public.

When citizens break the news, professional journalists must step in to do the following, and more: verify, contextualise, explain, probe, ask the uncomfortable questions, examine consequences and demand accountability.

That is where our value lies. Our value is not confined in speed, but in depth.

Chairperson, journalists today must embrace a new boldness. Our society is evolving. Institutions are modernising. Power is shifting and decentralising. In this environment, timid journalism is a disservice to the nation.

We must demand transparency from those we have sent to control and steer the levers of authority on our behalf as the wider society. Not as activists, but as professionals who understand that the social contract we have with those we have given the privilege to lead us grows in the light and shrinks in the shadows.

Boldness

Our articles and broadcast material must not read like extensions of press releases. We must at all times challenge contradictions; clarify vague statements; bring in expert perspectives; expose inconsistencies and highlight what remains unanswered. That is how we earn trust.

Chairperson, I speak with sadness when I observe some of our legacy media faltering and being stuck in the past.

Once mighty, once feared, once benchmark-setters, they are struggling to adapt to the new and emerging media landscape. Some for resisting bringing on board, young, fresh minds to infuse new ideas and take the publications further in this fast changing media world that is digitally aligned.

Why should a publication of 2025 look like an old archive publication from 2001? Yet, some do. And those who drive them are steeped in past glory and nostalgic victories which have become archaic.

While these ideas used to work well a decade or two ago, they have since overrun their sell-by-date. Times have changed.

When young, modern, digital-first entrants produce content that speaks to today’s consumer, the product is guaranteed to be visually rich, interactive, technologically integrated, platform-appropriate, conversational in tone, and immediate yet considered.

In that case, the audience will naturally gravitate toward these publications.

Chairperson, your revived Association is a ray of hope for our profession as it is progressively becoming a stabilising force and a home for dialogue, robust debate and a guardian of ethics. ENAJ is a champion of welfare and a beacon for aspiring reporters. It is a partner to editors and a voice in national discussions.

Most importantly and with recent attacks on journalists including Giyani Msibi, Manqoba Nxumalo, Melissa Msweli and Bongiwe Dlamini, ENAJ is a defender of media freedom.

That being the case, we need to deal with the elephant in the room. That is to say, ENAJ must fast transcend from being a mere issuer of ‘statements of condemnation’ of threats and violence on journalists. ENAJ must henceforth take tangible visible, deterrent steps to practically and effectively protect journalists and the work of the media. There should be direct and immediate painful consequences for troubling journalists during the course of their work. This includes, but is not limited to litigation, boycotts of individuals and businesses that perpetrate this scourge, facilitation of proper compensation and restitution. ENAJ should pursue and achieve appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators. The era of issuing statements and moving on is long gone.

On the flipside and under your stewardship chairperson, ENAJ should ensure that all journalists, young and old, understand their rights and responsibilities. It must also assist older journalists in navigating the digital shift so that knowledge is not lost in generational transition.

Chairperson, please bear in mind that I write this as someone who has spent over three decades in this field, not out of arrogance, but out of affection. Journalism has been my life’s calling. It continues to pay my bills as I have transcended the newsroom to the corridors of media consultancy. Challenging the new role is, but satisfying.

I still believe journalism in Eswatini can rise. I believe young journalists can be fearless and ethical. I believe editors can be bold and visionary. I believe the Association can shape a new era of pride and professionalism. And I believe our audience still wants quality reporting even more than before.

Chairperson, the revival of ENAJ is a turning point. The next chapter will require humility, bravery, creativity and unity. If we walk it together, veterans, mid-career reporters and fresh graduates, we may yet build a media landscape that reflects the ambitions of our nation.

With respect, hope and the affection of an ageing scribe, I remain humbly.