MBABANE:Sammy Dlamini,the Eswatini Med Board Chairman has written an email to Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane, informing him about pending disciplinary action against him amid tension and allegations of corruption within the country’s largest medical scheme.
This comes after the SwaziMed CEO wrote a letter to board member and Eswatini MTN Head of Corporate Services Sibusiso Nhleko, dismissing him from the Governing Board.
It has been disclosed that, Nhleko was demanding accountability of public funds within country’s largest medical scheme triggering tension with the Chief Executive Officer.
“May I kindly put you on notice that after the needless noise and dust has settled, you will be called upon to explain why you wrote or caused to be written a letter to a member of the Board requesting his employer to replace him. This enquiry will be in line with our protocols and procedures of fairness,” reads the email in part, from the Board Chairman directed to the Chief Executive Officer.
Efforts to reach the Board Chairman proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
But Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane when responding to this Swaziland News on Thursday evening, confirmed receiving the email from the Chairman while expressing his readiness to account to the Governing Board.
“I can confirm that, the Board Chairman wrote an email, informing me about a disciplinary hearing and that, I will be called upon to account on certain issues.These issues include my decision to write and remove a Board member and I am ready to account to the Board in this regard,” said the SwaziMed CEO.
Reached for comments by this publication, lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi applauded the decision by the Board Chairman to hold the CEO accountable adding that, it exonerate him from allegations of incubating corruption within SwaziMed.
Nhlabatsi said, in terms of the principles of corporate governance, the Board has a responsibility or duty to demand accountability from the Chief Executive Officer.
“Demanding accountability does not necessarily mean the CEO is guilty but, in the event allegations of wrongdoing or corruption emerge, the Board has a responsibility to hold the CEO accountable and demand answers. So Sammy is well-versed with corporate governance principles and highly respected within the corporate sector, he knows exactly what needs to be done when such allegations emerge and he muse act accordingly.Holding the CEO accountable exonerate him from the allegations of incubating corruption within SwaziMed,” said the lawyer who was asked to share an independent view regarding the latest developments.
SwaziMed Board Chairman Sammy Dlamini.