By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Mduduzi Matsebula,the Minister of Health has been blocked from taking international trips by Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini amid a serious Cabinet conflict over the multimillion procurement of drugs under the Central Medical Stores(CMS).

The Prime Minister is allegedly working towards seizing control over the procurement of drugs from the Ministry of Health to be under the National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS(NERCHA), a State owned entity under his Office.

A document known as a ‘minute’ was approved so that Agriculture Minister Mandla Tshauke could attend a Global Health Centre for Disease Control(CDC) in Saudi Arabia and this, comes after the PM held a meeting with the Health Minister where he told him that,he will politically ‘suffocates’ him and he won’t take any international trip if he “maintains the refusal to approve the transfer of the CMS to his Office”.

PM Russell Dlamini is allegedly seeking to control the procurement of drugs in public hospitals and award tenders to his Rwandan alleged business partners among other businesspeople allegedly linked to him and, maintain Kareem Ashraff’s SwaziPharm as the major Government supplier of drugs.

It is alleged that,Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula is vigorously opposed to the PM’s alleged corrupt moves seeking to worsen the health crisis.

But an independent investigation conducted by this Swaziland News uncovered that, before the Prime Minister started to ‘suffocate’ the Health Minister, a meeting was held in Cabinet where PM Russell Mmiso Dlamini ordered Minister Mduduzi Matsebula to write a letter surrendering the powers to procure drugs to the Prime Minister’s Office,Matsebula vigorously refused.

It was during that meeting where the PM made serious threats against the Health Minister, threatening to frustrate him and the Ministry of Health until he surrenders the powers to procure drugs for public hospitals to be under NERCHA.

Reached for comments by this Swaziland News on Sunday afternoon, Mayibongwe Masangane, the Secretary General(SG) of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union(SWADNU) said, he was also aware of the international trip where the Health Minister was sidelined in favour of Agriculture Minister Mandla Tshauke despite the fact that, the Conference was for Health Ministers among other invited stakeholders.

“We are not surprised to learn that, the Health Minister is being persecuted and frustrated.Even though we have challenges in the Ministry of Health, he is trying to resolve the crisis. Kusukela afikile nje kukhona lesikubonako lesingakukhomba lakulungisile, yena uyezama mani futsi uyabona lokutsi ufuna kuyilungisa le-health crisis.But anything can happen,he might be removed through a Cabinet reshuffle because the corrupt syndicate benefiting from the corrupt procurement of drugs, is huge and well-connected.I am aware of the trip you are talking about where the Minister was sidelined”, said the SWADNU Secretary General.

Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini declined to comment while efforts to reach the Health Minister proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.

On another note,lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi told this publication earlier that, NERCHA was established specifically, as a response department on HIV/AIDS issues and cannot procure drugs because that “is outside its mandate and such mandate is under the jurisdiction of the Central Medical Stores(CMS)”.

The lawyer said, the procurement of drugs for public hospitals falls under the Ministry of Health not the Prime Minister’s Office adding that, allowing NERCHA to procure drugs would be a violation of the Public Health Act.

“These are two(2) distinct entities, NERCHA is under the Prime Minister’s Office and was established for one reason; as a response to HIV/AIDS, that’s the mandate and scope for NERCHA and it cannot go beyond that,it is a Department within the Prime Minister’s Office.On the other hand, the Central Medical Stores, these are Government stores tasked with ensuring the availability of drugs in all health facilities under the Ministry of Health. So NERCHA cannot therefore, take or exercise powers of the Ministry of Health,the Prime Minister’s Office cannot take powers of the Ministry of Health. If they want to do that, that would mean they must first amend the Public Health Act to incorporate that. For now any action outside the law in this regard, would be problematic based on what I’ve just mentioned, the different mandates of the Central Medical Stores and NERCHA”, said the lawyer.

But Cabinet sources further told this publication that, apart from the recent CDC trip to Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister previously tried to block another trip for the Health Minister to Taiwan however, it was subsequently approved by Deputy Prime Minister(DPM) Thulisile Dladla who was the Acting Prime Minister as Russell was away on an international trip.

It is alleged that upon return,the PM tried to question the DPM why she approved the Taiwan trip for the Health Minister and, Dladla blasted the Prime Minister “saying she wasn’t aware that the trip was rejected” and, she wouldn’t have known without any prior briefing from the Prime Minister.

“The DPM was acting because she didn’t know that the trip had been declined by the PM. Our friend then scolded them both but the DPM took him on because he hadn’t briefed her on the decision to decline the trip”, said the Cabinet insider.

The PM is vigorously seeking to seize control of the Central Medical Stores with an alleged intention to loot millions of public funds, by awarding tenders to his alleged business partners.

Eswatini is facing shortage of drugs in public hospitals, dozens have died since the health crisis erupted.