By Zweli Martin Dlamini

I once appeared before the Public Accounts Committee(PAC) after the Office of the Auditor General(AG) discovered that one of my companies Zwemart(Pty) Ltd had a case to answer regarding a software that was installed in one of the schools.

In this country, we understand the role and responsibilities of the Auditor General and you cannot therefore say; the institution must be scandalized and destroyed just because it investigated you, everyone must account and further protect transparency and accountability State institutions.

The principle is simple and SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff must understand this; once you touch public funds by participating in a tendering process, the Auditor General must investigate you and subsequently hold you accountable, the PAC as a public and Parliament accountability institution, must question you if there are suspected irregularities and you must respond and demonstrate commitment to accountability.

It’s true, you might have concerns but concerns must be raised without undermining the functioning of these institutions as if, it’s wrong to demand accountability of public funds.

Ashraff has been using the Swazi Observer to attack the Auditor General, the PAC, Funduzi Forensic Services, myself or anyone who investigated and continue to investigate the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.

But what Ashraff is failing to understand is that, he can’t attack State institutions to cover-up the stealing of public funds, it was him who invited the Auditor General for a meeting in his residence, auditing forms part of an investigation and investigators can hold meetings with suspects in the process of gathering or verifying the truth.

That Auditor General Timothy Matsebula nicodemusly visited Kareem Ashraff in his private residence is a desperate attempt by Ashraff to evade accountability while attempting to tarnish Matsebula’s reputation, the SwaziPharm Director is residing in a secured residence with security codes, he must tell us who opened the gate for Matsebula.

As the situation stands, we are demanding drugs in public hospitals and the suspect who was stealing the public funds is Kareem Ashraff through his alternative company AvaPharm(Pty) Ltd.

But in conclusion, let me warn Ashraff that he can’t divert our focus, we want drugs in public hospitals not Auditor General Timothy Matsebula’s pictures in his residence, we want pictures of delivered drugs as per the money paid by Government.

But in conclusion let me tell this story; one day the then Mbabane Highlanders Director Bheki ‘Rubber’ Simelane came to my Office in Mbabane after the fight he had with the late Mbabane Swallows Director Victor Gamedze at Somhlolo National Stadium.

Rubber said;

“Yati ngishaywe ngu-Victor ka-Somhlolo njengoba ubonile ngavula licala emaphoyiseni. Victor asuke angishayele atsi asibite press conference and sekhute lomsindvo lobese uyasuka kubalandzeli be-Highlanders and Swallows kani yena uyati wentani. Emvakwe-conference Victor acele kutsi “sichawulane sihleke kutsatfwe titfombe. Nangivuka namuhla ekuseni ngikhandza headline ka-Observer letsi “Victor never assaulted me” batsi kushito mine ku-press conference intfo lengingakake ngayisho, kusetsentiswe lesitfombe lasichawulana khona kwafakwa le-headline vele naku siyabonakala siyachawulana na-Victor siyahleka kani loko besekhuta umsindvo licala solo ngilivulile. Nangitsi ngiyagijima ngiya kubo Swazi TV nabo EBIS, kute ema-tapes to prove kutsi angikasho konkhe deleted”.

Well, I have been in the media for past twenty(20) years and I know all the tricks used by State journalists to push a certain paid for narrative.

Timothy Matsebula’s pictures within Ashraff’s residence are now being used by the Swazi Observer as if he was there to extort money from the SwaziPharm Director.

Ashraff must tell us why he invited the AG to his private residence and if the Auditor General was wrong to engage him and verify information, Ashraff must blackmail his fools not the entire country, we want drugs in public hospitals.

The SwaziPharm Director is confused and blaming everyone, today he is accusing officials of the Central Medical Stores(CMS) of stealing drugs, yesterday it was the PAC and a ‘fugitive journalist’, last month it was Funduzi and then, it’s the Auditor General.

It’s only him who is right, everyone including Parliament investigating the stealing of public funds and shortage of drugs is wrong.