Eswatini’s new Prime Minister Russell Dlamini has begun his term of office with a threat to regulate the media.

In a meeting with members of the Eswatini Editors Forum (EEF) at the Cabinet offices on 14 February, Dlamini said he would enact the long-dormant Media Commission Bill to create a government-controlled media regulation body.

He was addressing editors for the first time since he was appointed by King Mswati III in 2023.

Editors left the meeting surprised by the prime minister’s hard-line and fearful of their future in a country with limited media freedom.