MONTHLY REPORT -- SWAZILAND BUREAU -- MARCH 1986

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 2, 2012
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 2, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
P. 0. Box 199
Mbabane, Swaziland
2 April 1986
MMB-5018
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, FBIS
THROUGH : Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT : Monthly Report -- Swaziland Bureau -- March 1986
I. OPERATIONS
A. Editorial/Monitorial
1. On 4 March, South African President P. W. Botha addressed the
three houses of parliament and unexpectedly announced the lifting of the
state of emergency throughout the country. SAPA carried reports on the
highlights of the speech and then the speech text, which was relatively
short. SABC radio and television only carried short excerpts of the
highlights. Some observers expressed concern that the government planned
simply to incorporate all the emergency powers into the Police Act, thus
giving the police powers which had been conferred under special circumstances.
2. On the 7th, SAPA announced that three CBS television journalists were
to be expelled from the country because CBS had used a film clip from a
funeral in Alexandra which had been acquired illegally, according to
South African authorities, who had banned television cameramen from the
occasion. CBS sent out a representative from Washington for consultations,
and on the 11th it was announced that the journalists would be allowed to
remain, apparently after CBS capitulated to certain South African demands.
3. On the 17th RSA Finance Minister Barend du Plessis gave the
country's budget speech, which lasted more than two hours. SAPA provided
extensive coverage of the main features of the budget and the bureau
processed virtually all of SAPA's items, thus providing adequate coverage.
A considerable amount of reaction to and analysis of the budget has also
been processed, particularly from press sources included in the bureau's
press review.
4. The lifting of the state of emergency in the RSA has done nothing
to reduce violence. The steady stream of black deaths continued unabated,
and just before Easter a total of 28 black died in just 30 hours. Major
fires were set at the University of Natal, destroying the work of one of
the country's best-known political scientists, and two white policemen were
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
killed in Crossroads, near Cape Town. On the 28th, a Johannesburg
International Commentary warned that the ANC had threatened an escalation
of violence into white cities and towns and said if the black communities
were unable to "put the barbarous radicals in their place, the government
will sooner or later be forced to use its might to assist the vast
majority of moderate blacks to end the unrest."
5. Numerous media predict a major battle between Angolan government
forces and UNITA at the end of the rainy season in Angola. The Angolan
Government continues its heavy criticism of the U.S. for its support of
UNITA. On the 8th, Luanda Radio carried a statement by the government
condemning "the policy of interference and direct involvement of the
U.S. Government in the domestic affairs" of the country. Because of
continuing reception problems, the statement had to be processed as a
summary from poor reception, requiring considerable effort by Portuguese
monitors. And on the 22nd, the bureau remained open two hours late to
process the text of the message by President Dos Santos to UN Secretary
General Perez de Cuellar. At the end of the month, UNITA claimed to have
mounted an attack against the Gulf Oil facilities in Cabinda, but
Gulf's spokesman and the Angolan Government denied that any attack had
been carried out.
6. Amid South African and other press reports that the Mozambican
Government's position vis a vis the MNR was rapidly deteriorating, the
government moved to reestablish the leading role of the party in the
running of the state, giving sweeping powers to various political bureau
members in a shakeup announced on the 28th, the same day that President
Machel announced he was visiting Moscow.
7. The bureau began receiving the Cape Town CAPE TIMES from its
newspaper distributor in Johannesburg. The paper has been added to
regular coverage and has proved very productive for the South African
press review.
B. Lateral Services
On the 19th, Political Officer im Carn asked that bureau reports
on the meeting between RSA Foreign Minis er ik Botha and Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Wisner be refiled to
Wisner at the American Consulate in Frankfurt.
II. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
1. The bureau let go teletypist who had been on
contract since August awaiting security and medical clearances. Numerous
bureaucratic foul-ups at the embassy had delayed the clearance, but in the
end her work proved unsatisfactory and her contract was terminated.
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
V 1 !l l
as hired to replace her on 17 March. Another teletypist,
was brought in on contract on 30 March, again awaiting
security and medical clearances. When she is brought formally on board, the
teletype section will be up to t/o.
2. the bureau's new contract associate editor, STAT
has gone on maternity leave in Johannesburg until mid-May awaiting the
birth of her first child. Bureau editors and the bureau chief have had
to assume authorship of the South African ess review, which has been
averaging 6-7 takes daily. who is formally resigning as STAT
associate editor 26 April, wi return from LWOP on 7 April to write the
press review during the bureau chief's absence at the bureau chief's
conference.
STAT
Chief, Swaziland Bureau
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
Swaziland Bureau Production Report for March 1986
1.
TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL
TOTAL
PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH:
NON-PUBLISH
524010
TOTAL
ABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH:
NUMBER OF PU
15710
BLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH:
1174
BROAD-
CASTS
PRESS
AGENCIES
PUBLI-
CATIONS
II.
INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE:
5715
00
(minutes or
issues per week)
.
min.
11310.00
min.
139.C-)0
issues
III.
OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
134250
237900
151860
(publishable words per month)
ANGOLA
Luanda Domestic Service in
Portuguese
Luanda ANGOP in
English
Luanda ANGOP in
French
Luanda ANGOP in
Spanish
BOTSWANA
Gaborone Domestic Service in
English
Gaborone BOTSWANA DAILY NEWS in
English
CLANDESTINE
(Clandestine) Voice of Resistance of the
Black Cockerel in
Portuguese to Angola
(Clandestine) Radio Truth in
English to Zimbabwe
(Clandestine) Radio Truth in
Ndebele to Zimbabwe
(Clandestine) Voice of Truth in
Portuguese to Angola
(Clandestine) k: :UP in
Portuguese to Southern and Central
Africa
(Clandestine) k::UF' in
English to Southern and Central
Africa
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
(Clandestine) KUP in
French to Southern and Central
Africa
BROAD- PRESS PUDLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
LESOTHO
Maseru Domestic Service in
English
Maseru Domestic Service in
seSotho
Maseru MOCHOCHONONO in
seSotho
Maseru NATION in
English
Maseru THE COMET in
English
MADAGASCAR
Antantanarivo Domestic Service in
French
MALAWI
Blantyre Domestic Service in
English
Blantyre DAILY TIMES in
English
Blantyre MALAWI NEWS in
English
MOZAMBIQUE
Maputo Domestic Service in
Portuguese
Maputo in
English to Southern Africa
Maputo NOTICIAS in
Portuguese
Maputo TEMPO in
Portuguese
Beira DIARIO DE MOCAMBIQUE in
Portuguese
NAMIBIA
Windhoek Domestic Service in
Afri k:aans
Windhoek DIE REPUBLIKEIN in
Afrikaans
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Windhoek DIE SUIDWESTER in
Afri kaans
Windhoek THE WINDHOEK ADVERTISER in
English
Windhoek WINDHOEK; OBSERVER in
English
SENEGAL
Dakar PANA in
English
Dakar PANA in
French
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg
English
J
h
International Service in
5800
o
annesburg
Domestic Service in
Afrikaans
J
h
1350
o
annesburg Domestic Service in
English
J
22050
ohannesburg Television in
Afrikaans
J
7610
ohannesburg Television in
English
U
11940
mtata Capital Radio in
English
J
18820
ohannesburg SAPA in
E
li
ng
sh
Pretoria DIE TRANSVALER in
Afrikaans
Durban ILANGA in
Zulu
Johannesburg BEELD in
0
Afrikaans
Johannesburg
BUSINESS DAY in
580
English
Johannesburg
CITY PRESS in
1770
English
Johannesburg
O'SECULO in
0
Portuguese
Johannesburg RAPPORT in
Afrikaans
Johannesburg SOWETAN in
English
Johannesburg SUNDAY STAR in
English
Johannesburg SUNDAY TIMES
English
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
BROAD-
CASTS
PRESS
AGENCIES
PUBLI-
CATIONS
Johannesburg
English
THE CITIZEN in
0
Johannesburg
English
THE STAR in
1150
Johannesburg
English
WEEKLY MAIL in
5640
RSA Editorial Press Review of
Afrikaans and
English Papers
SWAZILAND
Mbabane Domestic Service in
English
Mbabane Domestic Service in
siSwati
Mbabane Television in
English
Mbabane Television in
si Swat i
Mbabane THE SWAZI NEWS in
English
Mbabane THE SWAZI OBSERVER in
English
Mbabane THE TIMES OF SWAZILAND in
English
UNITED KINGDOM
London BBC World Service in
English
USSR
Moscow in
Ndebele to Zimbabwe
0
Moscow in
Zulu to Southern Africa
8240
Moscow in
Afrikaans to Southern Africa
0
ZAMBIA
Lusaka Domestic Service in
English
2780
Lusaka Radio Freedom in
English
1330
Lusaka Radio Freedom in
Zulu to Southern Africa
0
Lusaka Voice of Namibia
English
450
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Lusaka SUNDAY TIMES OF ZAMBIA in
English
Lusaka TIMES OF ZAMBIA in
English
Lusaka ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL in
English
ZIMBABWE
Harare Domestic Service in
English
Harare Domestic Service in
English
Harare Voice of Namibia in
English
Harare THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE in
English
Harare THE HERALD in
English
Harare THE SUNDAY MAIL in
English
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100150010-5