Swaziland's phone war sparks crisis

The long-running row between MTN Swaziland and the country's telecommunications operator has grown into what's been dubbed a "constitutional crisis". This follows a vote of no confidence in the cabinet by members of parliament.

MTN Swaziland, whose shareholders are widely reported to include King Mswati III and prime minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, has won a legal battle against the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corp over its roll-out of internet dongles and cellphones.

The international court of arbitration backed an earlier high court ruling that the corporation had violated a joint venture agreement with MTN Swaziland, in which it holds a 41% stake, and the country's executive reacted by switching off its services. This has left thousands of Swazis with cellphones and dongles that no longer work and has sparked an outcry against MTN Swaziland, which has been accused of defending its monopoly at the expense of the Swazis.

Parliament, whose members had urged the executive not to cut the connection to the corporation, last week passed a vote of no confidence in the cabinet for going ahead with the termination.

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