By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Dave Melvin, the SwaziPharm Director and Kareem Ashraff’s business partner met Times Sunday journalist Mfankhona Nkambule around 13:15 hours at Corner Plaza-Ezulwini, this was on Friday(25th April 2025), he gave Nkambule an envelope.

Mduduzi Matsebula, the Minister of Health recently met with Ashraff in India and even though we cannot speculate what was contained inside the envelope that Melvin gave Nkambule, at least we can confirm that, we have evidence where Kareem Ashraff was bragging to his close friend that, he bribed the Health Minister.

Matsebula was recently sidelined by Ashraf’s close friend Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini and, restricted from taking the well-paying international trips so that he could be financially broke and vulnerable to accepting bribes, the corrupt syndicate that collapsed the public health system has finally captured him.

It is now clear that, there’s an agenda to create a false narrative exonerating Ashraff from the multibillion corruption and/or looting, Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula is now blaming the Central Medical Stores(CMS) systems amid shortage of drugs in public hospitals.

Unfortunately, this narrative is being pushed by scandalizing Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula, Funduzi Forensic Services and discrediting the work of the Public Accounts Committee(PAC) so that, it could appear as if Ashraff was not properly investigated. 

While the PAC, Auditor General and Funduzi Forensic Services Director Zakhele Dlamini were taking the trip to India on a Fact Finding Mission, the Times Sunday was discrediting the investigation report on the same weekend and all this, was meant to divert our focus from the real alleged thieves.

The Central Medical Stores is not a ‘human being’ and if the Health Minister is blaming the CMS, who exactly is he trying to shift the blame to?.

It’s very unfortunate to note that, while emaSwati die in public hospitals amid shortage of drugs, others are cashing money from the alleged corrupt Ashraff and his syndicate.

So as a country, we have reached a point of deliberate disregard of the lives of the poor and vulnerable, as long as we have money in our pockets?.

It is important to understand that we have only one country and, the health crisis is thretening the lives of emaSwati.

But those who claim to love the King more than all of us, are busy cashing from Kareem Ashraff, an alleged corrupt businessman with an alternative to take a flight to his Indonesia home should our country collapse.

Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula must know that, after his alleged meeting with Ashraff in India, we will be monitoring him amid the health crisis, we want to know how he will handle the allegations against the alleged corrupt businessman.

This country is not Ashraff’s personal property and, he must know that some of us will not allow him to destroy our country while parading money.

But the greedy hungry fools who took money from Ashraff and his corrupt syndicate to scandalize the PAC, the Office of the Auditor General and other investigating agencies in protection of the Indonesian alleged corrupt thief must know that, they won’t succeed.

The PAC is a Parliament wing tasked with demanding accountability of public funds, some of us once appeared before the PAC and anyone who touched public funds must account. 

Indeed, you don’t scandalize public institutions just because you are being investigated and bitter, Kareem Ashraff is undermining this country by using the money he allegedly looted from the public coffers to bribe everyone in the public administration with intent to consolidate power.

We don’t need stories here but drugs in public hospitals, emaSwati are dying and their money was not stolen by the Central Medical Stores but alleged corrupt individuals including Ashraff.

I’ve never seen the Central Medical Stores withdrawing money from the Automatic Teller Machine(ATM), the billions were stolen by breathing human beings and therefore, we will not beat the bush here, we want accountability and, the provision of drugs in public hospitals.

But eventually, we will need an explanation from King Mswati as to why his alleged close friend Kareem Ashraff is still walking freely and destroying our country.