By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Mduduzi Matsebula, the Minister of Health allegedly traveled to India where he met SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff, the powerful and politically connected multibillion drugs shortage alleged thief who collapsed the country’s public hospitals.

The information regarding the Health Minister’s trip reached this Swaziland News after Ashraff bragged to a close friend saying, he bribed Matsebula during a recent meeting held in India and that, he will continue supplying Government with drugs.

“He is now on my side,” said Ashraff in an information shared to this journalist by one of Ashraff’s close friends.

In the same information, Ashraff allegedly told the friend that, he bribed journalists of the Times to push a narrative discrediting Funduzi Forensic Services, Auditor General Timothy Matsebula and the Public Accounts Committee.

But after receiving the information, this investigative journalist rushed to investigate the Minister’s passport with the Government Ministry of Home Affairs Immigration systems and indeed, it was confirmed that, Matsebula took the trip to India about two(2) months ago and, Ashraff was already in India waiting for him.

Both the Minister and SwaziPharm Kareem Ashraff declined to comment about the secret meeting and the bribery allegations.

But on Wednesday, the Health Minister addressed stakeholders during the Eswatini Medical Supply Service Bill 2025 consultation meeting at Sibane Hotel-Ezulwini blaming the Central Medical Stores(CMS) amid shortage of drugs in public hospitals.

On another note, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is vigorously investigating the shortage of drugs in public hospitals, the PAC recently travelled to India on a Fact Finding Mission.

But unlike Minister Matsebula’s trip, the PAC led by Deputy Speaker Madala Mhlanga, Funduzi Forensic Services Director Zakhele Dlamini and Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula took the trip to India amid investigation into the shortage of drugs in public hospitals and, “Kareem Ashraff who is a subject of the investigation, was not in India when members of the PAC arrived”.

Deputy Speaker Madala Mhlanga confirmed the trip to this Swaziland News when reached for comments earlier.

“I can confirm that PAC visited India on Fact Finding Mission on issues raised on Auditor Generals reports as you may be aware that we have also visited Lesotho, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and our last stop will be Mozambique. Let me not divulge the contents of our visits up until it’s tabled in Parliament least I will be in breach of Parliament Standing Orders.The visits to these countries are by virtue of Section 129 (5)(c) of the Constitution of Eswatini, which empowers the PAC to investigate abroad,” said the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

Even though the Deputy Speaker was transparent when asked about the PAC trip to India, both Ashraff and the Health Minister failed to explain the purpose of their alleged secret India meeting.

But this journalist is in possession of information where Kareem Ashraff was confirming to a close friend that, he bribed the Health Minister and that, Matsebula is now on his side.