MBABANE:An alleged link between two(2) masterminds in the looting of public funds within the Ministry of Health being businesswoman Zinhle Matsebula and SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff has been uncovered by this publication.
It has been disclosed that,in the midst of the high level investigation conducted by this Swaziland News subsequent to another probe by Funduzi Forensic Services, Matsebula rushed to close Lifespan Diagnosis amid tension with Kareem Ashraff.
The alleged tension between Zinhle Matsebula and Kareem Ashraff allegedly erupted after the businesswoman became active on social media threatening to spill the beans,however,Matsebula and Ashraff subsequently reconciled against a common target being Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula who launched the investigations.
An independent investigation conducted by this Swaziland News further uncovered that, after being involved in business deals with Ashraff, Zinhle Matsebula who was working at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital(RFM) Manzini, divorced her husband as she was busy with Kareem Ashraff.
An investigation is being conducted to ascertain if Matsebula did not resign from the Manzini RFM Hospital under a cloud of controversy as other sources allege.
But when the scandal erupted,it is alleged that Matsebula felt she was ‘used' as more money went to SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff, the alleged main mastermind of the looting within the Ministry of Health, resulting to the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.
A close analysis of some of the companies implicated in the Funduzi Forensic Services report, links Ashraff directly and indirectly.
In fact the report suggests that,Kareem Ashraff was allegedly using different companies during the looting and this, was allegedly meant to appear as if Government was sourcing drugs or health services from different companies yet it was the same Kareem Ashraff.
On or around November 2023 and shortly after this publication released the first investigative article exposing the syndicate in the drugs shortage looting, Matsebula and Ashraff allegedly started the process of shutting down Lifespan Diagnostics(Pty)Ltd, employees were sent home.
“This serves as a formal notice of termination of your employment.This is a result of your position becoming redundant as the employer is reducing operations.This notice is effective 06th October 2023 and your last day at work will be 06th November 2023, depending on leave days claimed”, reads the letter in part, addressed to one of the employees,allegedly signed by the businesswoman.
Lifespan Diagnostics generated millions after an alleged collusion between Government officials, Ministers and the capitalists.
The collusion resulted to members of the public being forced to pay close to one thousand Rands(R1000.00) just to test for COVID-19 before crossing the boarder to South Africa and other countries, the testing fee was subsequently reduced amid public outcry.
But what became strange or confirmed the allegations suggesting the links “is that, shortly after the closure of the company amid the investigation within the Ministry of Health, some of the Lifespan Diagnostics’ office equipment was transported and secretly hidden at Swazi Paper Mills in Matsapha, a company allegedly owned by SwaziPharm Kareem Ashraff.
“Zinhle was actually working with Ashraff that’s why she is so aggrieved because she felt she was used as more money went to Ashraff. After she started being vocal on social media, Ashraff became angry that she might expose the deal and ordered that Lifespan must be closed to avoid any link”, said a source close to the matter.
Apart from being exposed by this Swaziland News, Zinhle Matsebula and Kareem Ashraff were implicated in the Funduzi Forensic report subsequent to an investigation launched by the Office of the Auditor General(AG) under the Ministry of Finance.
Kareem Ashraff promised to respond to this publication after the court cases while businesswoman and Director of the now defunct Lifespan Diagnostics Zinhle Matsebula vigorously denied looting public funds.
“I refute in the strongest terms the insinuation that I am involved in malfeasance in the tender processes”, said the businesswoman who was not immediately available to respond to the latest revelations about her alleged links with Ashraff.
On another note, as per the Funduzi forensic report, Kareem Ashraff and his syndicate allegedly looted over R1billion within the Ministry of Health.
Zinhle Matsebula recently signed a sworn statement, trying to attack and discredit Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula who launched the investigation.
Businesswoman Zinhle Matsebula.