FREQUENT MISLEADING INFORMATION WORRIES GOVT

News

BY MBONO MDLULI

MBABANE – Government is worried by what it terms as the frequent misleading information that is said to be in social media.

In a statement issued yesterday (Monday, November 25, 2024), Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo said the misleading information was mostly about Government and, in particular, His Excellency the Right Honourable Prime Minister (Russell Mmiso Dlamini). Nxumalo said the misleading information was mostly perpetuated through what he described as renegade and propagandist news entities, particularly on social media.

According to Nxumalo, this obsession against the Government and His Excellency has, unfortunately, weaved its way into some mainstream newsrooms, as Government was now bombarded with questionnaires related to these libelous articles that are clearly meant to tarnish the integrity and reputation of the Prime Minister.

He mentioned that the nation had previously been warned about these smear campaigns against His Excellency, through a Statement released on April 8, 2024, where Government described these false news as “an orchestrated move and evil ploy meant to divert the public’s attention from the real masterminds of corruption.”

Government, Nxumalo recalled, further invited the nation to report any corrupt practices allegedly committed by His Excellency to legal entities tasked with investigating and prosecuting corruption. What concerned Nxumalo was that to date, no single case had been reported.

Nxumalo issued this statement after he had made a video clip refuting allegations that there was an impending Cabinet reshuffle. In that video clip, he said Government wished to advise the nation that any reports purporting that there was division in Cabinet were devoid of any truth. Like all other group settings, Nxumalo said Cabinet Ministers differed from time to time, but they always found common ground, driven by their mutual respect of their mandate to serve the nation.

Concerning the matter of the Phase II salary review for junior national security officers (which was not in the video clip), Nxumalo said Government wished to advise that this matter was now being duly handled by the consultant on salary review. Also, the courts of the land were ceased with some aspects of this very matter, according to the spokesperson.

Therefore, Nxumalo, on behalf of Government, urged the affected parties to concentrate their efforts towards finding an amicable conclusion on this matter through these particular processes. Resorting into name-calling should not be part of this process, Nxumalo pleaded. Government wished to reiterate that it would continue to put the interests of Emaswati at the forefront.

Where changes were necessary, Nxumalo said Government would not relent to introduce them, especially changes that focused on implementing Sibaya submissions. He urged Emaswati to once again be careful of the propagandist news they consumed on social media, as people now lived in an era of prevalent misinformation and disinformation, where the lines between fact and fiction were always blurred.

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