By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Sammy Dlamini,the SwaziMed Board Chairperson has been removed through a resolution amid multimillion looting within the country’s largest medical scheme.

The Board held a meeting on Tuesday evening at Hilton Hotel-Mbabane subsequent to alleged corruption widely reported by this Swaziland News, Sammy Dlamini has been avoiding meetings together with the implicated Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane.

It is alleged that, as a result of the alleged corruption within SwaziMed, clients or emaSwati who pay for Medical Aid are now struggling to receive the best medical treatment as some South African and eSwatini private hospitals and clinics are reluctant to accept SwaziMed Medical Aid cards.

This comes after the medical scheme failed to pay private hospitals on time resulting to some rejecting patients with SwaziMed.

As a result of the challenges, the Board further resolved to suspend the CEO pending investigations into allegations of corruption within the country’s largest medical scheme.

The removed Chairman who stands accused of colluding with the CEO wrote to the Board members on Monday, avoiding another meeting that was subsequently held on Tuesday in Mbabane.

The Board members who resolved to remove the Chairman and further suspend the CEO include Sibusiso Nhleko, the Eswatini MTN Head of Corporate Services, Bheki Maziya(Business Eswatini), Vusi Khumalo, Leonard Nxumalo, Edward Sithole and Mzwandile Magagula.

“It’s true that, the Board resolved to remove the Chairman and further suspend the CEO but, it’s hard to share an official comment for now because the resolution is yet to be legally communicated to the Chairman and Principal Officer”, said one of the Board members.

Peter Simelane and the Board Chairman rushed to the Times and Swazi Observer last week, allegedly paid over twenty thousand Rands(R20,000.00) to try and do damage control after this publication exposed the corruption including the breakdown in the administration of the medical scheme at the Governing Board level.

But the tension within the Board erupted after the Board members expressed serious concern regarding the conduct of removed Chairman Sammy Dlamini who was accused of protecting the Chief Executive Officer and, avoiding meetings seeking to hold him accountable.

The Board subsequently resolved to appoint Bheki Maziya as the Acting or Interim Board Chairman.