Prime Minister threatens to "monitor" press

Prime Minister Absalom Themba Dlamini has accused the media of sensationalism and false reporting, sounding a warning that the government would be forced to "monitor" the press if it did not desist from such practices. Addressing the police force while he toured their facilities, the Prime Minister (PM) said the media had recently tended to over-dramatise or sensationalise their stories, which he maintained had the potential to mislead the public.
He claimed to have been quoted out of context in a story in which the print media reported that he had said money belonging to his company, which had been confiscated by police as evidence in a robbery case, should be returned to him. The PM denied having made the comments and wondered why the media had misled the public in the matter. He said this was not an isolated case and that there had recently been a series of sensationalist or overly dramatic articles. (Media Institute of Southern Africa, Windhoek)