A POLITICAL slanging match over a Swazi chieftaincy has erupted into a media reform row after Information Minister Mntonzima Dlamini banned two chiefs from using the airwaves but allowed King Mswati III’s brother to continue airing his views. After banning his two opponents, the minister said Magugu could continue making announcements over the national radio on the current crisis. The Swaziland chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) said it would cite the minister’s bias as an example of media stifling at Misa’s annual general meeting in Mbabane next week. The government of King Mswati III has in the past denied other groups, including the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions and minority religions such as Bahai’s Faith, access to the state broadcaster. – African Eye News Service