By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:King Mswati has allegedly intervened and ordered the release of the R30million due to the Luke Commission as per a Parliament and/or recent Cabinet resolution.

The release of the R30million to bailout the Luke Commission was allocated by Parliament in terms of the Appropriation Act of 2024 but,Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini allegedly colluded with Swazipharm Director Kareem Ashraff and Senator Lizzie Nkosi to try and block the release of the money.

Ashraff is allegedly seeking to use his political influence to collapse the Luke Commission and subsequently purchase it at a cheaper price, the institution recently received international recognition as a credible provider of health services and supplier of drugs.

Reached for comments on Thursday morning,Echo Vanderwal,the Executive Director of the Luke Commission confirmed that,she “is expecting positive developments” from Government regarding the release of the R30million so that,she can pay salaries.

“What I can confirm is that I am expecting positive developments from Government regarding the release of the money so we can pay salaries,” said the Luke Commission Director who declined to confirm whether the King intervened or not in the matter.

But Percy Simelane,the King’s Spokesperson, when responding to this Swaziland News,did not rule out the possibility of the King’s intervention in the matter.

The Spokesperson said,it was the King’s wish to see the Luke Commission being assisted financially so that,it could survive and continue providing health services to the people.

“We are aware that the King,some time back registered his positivity with Government to the fact that The Luke Commission Hospital be assisted financially to be able to cope with the now overwhelming treatment demand from the public.Our experience is that the King normally does not decide on the amount to be released.It is other bodies in the system that work with the recipient of the assistance to reach a figure.The process delayed  the government’s chain of command; thus,the perception that the King’s intervention is new”, said the King’s Spokesperson.

A source in the corridors of power told this publication that,the R30million will now be released as a matter of urgency, after the King’s order.

“It’s final now,the King has ordered the release of the R30million to assist the Luke Commission, you can verify with your other sources,” said the insider in the corridors of power.

It is alleged that, Attorney General(AG) Sifiso MafeleNkhosini Khumalo prepared all the necessary documentation that will allow Government through the Office of the Auditor General(AG),to monitor the public funds within the Luke Commission and recommended the release of the money as well.

But despite that,the PM and his syndicate allegedly blocked and frustrated the process thus thretening the existence of the Luke Commission and the security of jobs.

PM Russell Mmiso Dlamini declined to comment about the matter while his friend and handler Kareem Ashraff avoided questions.

As reported by this publication, Senator Lizzie Nkosi who is allegedly linked to the powerful and politically connected SwaziPharm Director and was instrumental in assisting him to loot billions of public funds within the Ministry of Health, recently made public statements against the Luke Commission.

This comes after the Senator,a former Minister of Health,secretly met the Prime Minister at the Cabinet Offices about two(2) weeks ago. 

The Luke Commission ran out of resources amid a demand for health services in the country following the collapse of the eSwatini health system,the institution that assists emaSwati for free, was surviving with donor funds.

But Lubombo Regional Member of Parliament(MP) Futhie ‘MaMkhize’ Ngcamphalala threatened to charge Finance Minister Neal Rijikernberg and Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula with contempt of Parliament should Cabinet fail to release the R30million.

This comes after Parliament appointed a Select Committee tasked with investigating the delay in the release of the money and the tension between Government and the Luke Commission,the Select Committee was chaired by Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo who was deputized by MP ‘MaMkhize’.

MP Futhie ‘MaMKhize’ Ngcamphalala stated categorically that,she won’t tolerate explanations from the Ministers anymore but will definitely prepare contempt of Parliament charges against them.

But an independently verified information obtained by this Swaziland News uncovered that,it was not necessarily the Health, Finance or the entire Cabinet Ministers who were blocking the release of the money but Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, Kareem Ashraff and others.

As a result,the entire Cabinet supported and adopted a resolution to release the R30million that was subsequently overruled by the Prime Minister,however,the King intervened and ordered the release of the money.