BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
LOBAMBA – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has promised that government will soon resume direct engagements with the media.
The PM said a strategy is being developed to ensure the interactions are conducted in a manner that protects the dignity of the office and the country.
The commitment was made in Parliament after Lobamba Member of Parliament Michael Masilela asked when government would meet the press. This follows a fallout between government and the Editors’ Forum after the last meeting held ended in a confrontation.
Dlamini acknowledged that there was a gap in communication between government and the media.
“I appreciate that the void is there,” the Prime Minister said.
However, he said government had to be honest about the circumstances that led to the suspension of the engagements.
He reminded MPs that it had been stressed by the MPs that a prime minister carries the dignity of the country and said that principle remained important.
“It is unfortunate that when that prime minister goes to meet people, the same people drag the dignity of the prime minister on the ground and disrespect the country,” he said.
The Prime Minister said government had therefore decided to strategise on how it will go about doing that, and government will be in charge, not the others.
He added that the engagements would take place sooner.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of the permanent cancellation of the government’s breakfast meetings with the Eswatini Editors Forum, which were discontinued following highly confrontational exchanges between government officials and members of the media.
Despite the suspension of the breakfast meetings, the Prime Minister’s Office says it has continued to maintain communication channels with both local and international media organisations.
According to the Office’s First Quarter Performance Report for April to June 2026, the Office facilitated interviews for the Prime Minister and selected Cabinet ministers with a number of international media platforms.
Among the notable engagements were interviews with Bloomberg TV as part of its special coverage of the Taiwan–Eswatini relationship.The report states that the Office also responded to numerous media inquiries and questionnaires and arranged radio and television interviews on matters of national interest.
International media organisations that engaged with government during the period included The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Yomiuri Shimbun of Japan, Washington Examiner, The Africa Report, SABC Channel Africa and the UK Financial Times, among others.
The Office said it continued to monitor various media platforms to assess public sentiment and track issues shaping national discourse.
During the period under review, significant attention was focused on the 40/58 National Celebrations and the visit of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to Eswatini.
The report also identified issues that attracted negative media attention, including medicine shortages in public health facilities and concerns surrounding the Phase II salary review for junior national security officers.
Government further raised concerns about the spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly through what it described as unregulated online platforms and pseudo-news accounts.
The Office said it had responded through timely verification, clarification and debunking of false information.
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(Courtesy pic)
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