Swazi cops detain, release South African reporters
NEWSWATCH: Swaziland police detained and released reporters from Eyewitness News, Mail & Guardian and Free African Media/The Daily Maverick this morning, Tuesday, 12 April 2011, according to editors' tweets. Meanwhile, MTN has denied tampering with its systems to appease the kingdom's monarch, reports Business Day.
For more:
- Reporters arrested and released include: EWN's Nastasya Tay (@NastasyaTay) and Tshepo Lesole (@TshepoLesole), who were interrogated for at least two hours, according to their editor-in-chief, Katy Katopodis (@KatyKatopodis) (see Over 100 pro-democracy protesters detained in Swaziland; the M&G's reporter Niren Tolsi and photographer Lisa Skinner (@skinnderella), who were told not to report on police action, according to editor-in-chief Nic Dawes (@NicDawes); and The Daily Maverick's Swazi correspondent, Manqoba Nxumalo (see Swaziland April 12 uprising: reports from the ground).
- Business Day: MTN denies shutdown for Swazi protests... What? Us? Never! The company has refuted claims that it had deliberately "tampered" with its systems to appease King Mswati; Rich Mkhondo, MTN's group executive for corporate affairs, said, "MTN Swaziland is experiencing data speeds below normal due to increased traffic volumes on the mobile network, which runs on the 2G spectrum". So now you know.
