The tendency of shifting the blame to politicians or junior civil servants, even on maladministration issues that clearly point directly to the office of His Majesty the King, is the modus operandi of the current ruling and undemocratic Tinkhundla system.
The health crisis erupted long-before the appointment of Health Minister Senator Lizzie Nkosi, I was in the Cabinet offices in 2016 with other journalists where the then Prime Minister Dr Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini received an investigation report into the health crisis from Prince Sikelela Dlamini.
The report came subsequent to an investigation into the shortage of drugs and as mentioned earlier, it was the most bias report that attributed the crisis to health workers, who are allegedly stealing medication while some officials were blamed for delaying to procure the medication.
Perhaps, it is worth mentioning that if it’s true that health officials are stealing drugs, the magnitude of the crisis suggests that by now, prisons would be ‘flooded’ with suspects but, that is not the case.
In this regard, the allegations suggesting that health workers are stealing medication are not only misguided but, lacks the substantive level of evidence to be classified as facts and/or to justify the magnitude of the crisis.
Worth-noting, in any working environment, the onus is always upon the employer to prove that an employee committed an offense, and in the event the gravity of the offense justifies the penalty of dismissal, the employer has a right to fire that employee.
The State has all the legal machinery to arrest alleged thieves within the Ministry of Health and,in the absence of suspects or convicted criminals, we are left with no alternative but, to accuse the King of corruption and/or looting public funds, a criminal behavior that manifested into the health crisis.
It should be noted that the health crisis does not require any investigation but, Government must release money from public coffers and buy drugs so that members of the public can enjoy their right to health-care.
The truth of the matter is; the money that could have been used to buy medication is being looted by King Mswati, recently, he purchased Mercedes Benz vehicles for his wife, collectively worth over R50million.
Mswati is a serious problem in this country, he choose luxury while disregarding the lives of the poor Swazis, then we call such lunatic a Head of State?.
It is important to state that the health crisis has escalated beyond the control of Lizzie Nkosi, the government procurement system and budget is not controlled by the Health Minister.
The Minister will go home in the coming weeks when the King dissolves Parliament but, the health crisis will escalate because after all, it was never her fault.
Mswati must stop looting public funds and release monies to buy drugs in government hospitals, hundreds of emaSwati are dying and this, I would suggest, is a silent genocide.
King Mswati with Health Minister Lizzie Nkosi among others.