By Mbono Mdluli
EZULWINI – Renowned sports journalist Lwazi Dlamini has been elected as the new President of the Swaziland National Association of Journalists (SNAJ).
Dlamini was elected on February 1, 2025, at Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini by journalists who are members of SNAJ. Dlamini, who excited his fellow journalists with his traditional attire, was elected along with 11 other office bearers to serve in the organization for the next three years.
The event was attended by an impressive number of approximately 70 journalists from different media houses across the country. In his first speech as president, Dlamini expressed his gratitude to the scribes for trusting him and the other elected journalists.
Dlamini promised that, together with his team, they would work hard to improve SNAJ as an organization and establish it as a reputable association. He also pledged to work on improving the welfare of journalists. The new president noted that other journalist associations had been formed and now needed to be affiliated with SNAJ. He cited the Eswatini Sports Journalists Association as an example, emphasizing that it should become part of SNAJ.
Dlamini takes over from Mbabane East Member of Parliament (MP) Welcome Dlamini. Before the scribes cast their votes, they listened to the legislator’s farewell speech, which many described as quite lengthy.
MP Welcome congratulated journalists for reviving SNAJ, stating that he was impressed by the turnout at the event. He acknowledged that while the organization had existed before, it had not been fully functional due to a lack of interest from journalists.
The lawmaker emphasized the importance of SNAJ in improving the lives of journalists. As a journalist himself, he said he understood the challenges they faced, including difficult working conditions and low salaries. He pointed out that many journalists struggled financially because they were underpaid in their respective workplaces.
The legislator revealed that he once informed Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini about the salary scales of most journalists, and the premier was shocked. According to MP Welcome, the prime minister remarked that an intern at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) earned a better salary than most journalists.
MP Welcome also shared a personal experience of employer mistreatment. He recounted how an employer once bought him a property, which he initially saw as an act of empowerment. However, he was later shocked when the employer reclaimed the property after he left the media house to become an MP.
The MP acknowledged that editors might be reluctant to publish stories about SNAJ, as they often aligned themselves with employers. Nonetheless, he encouraged journalists to take pride in their profession, emphasizing that journalism is one of the most powerful careers. He reminded them that only journalists had the power to hold influential figures, such as the prime minister, accountable.
He also urged journalists to always be presentable, regardless of their financial struggles, to uphold the dignity of their profession.
The elections were conducted by human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, who advised journalists to work diligently to restore the integrity of the profession. He noted that, as a lawyer, he had worked with journalists on numerous occasions and wished them all the best in their endeavors.
SNAJ Executive Committee
PRESIDENT
Lwazi Dlamini – Rubicon Media
DEPUTY PRESIDENT
Lington Gule – Eswatini TV
SECRETARY GENERAL
Ntombi Mhlongo – Times of Eswatini
DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL
Fortune ‘Mazinga’ Ndlangamandla – Eswatini TV
TREASURER
Nonduduzo Kunene – Times of Eswatini
MEMBERS
Sibusiso Zwane – Times of Eswatini
Kimberly Mavuso – Channel YemaSwati
Bahle Gama – Rubicon Media
Mduduzi Mngomezulu – Eswatini Observer
Siphesihle ‘Shlabani SebeNguni’ Nxumalo – EBIS
Bobo Dlamini – EBIS
Phathizwe Msibi – Eswatini TV
