Masebo’s hold on Hichilema, dangerous
…his archilles heel, a fatal flaw that is forming his downfall..
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
● The country has faced a persistent critical shortage of medicines, medical supplies and laboratory re-agents. Despite repeated cries of help, Masebo dismissed such assertions by stating that stakeholders were lying or malicious, or health workers and pharmacists were stealing the drugs.
It took a Report by the Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services probing the critical shortage of medicines and medical supplies was the truth established.
Besides many weakness of the health sector exposed in the Report, a key finding was that Zambia’s availability of essential medicines and medical supplies in public health facilities countrywide was between 42%-53.1% contrary to the recommended WHO stock levels of 75% and above.
Masebo rejected the Report.
The Committee consisted of Dr Christopher Kalila, MP (Chairperson); Mrs Majorie
Nakaponda, MP (Vice Chairperson); Mr Monty Chinkuli, MP; Dr Aaron Daniel Mwanza, MP; Mr Luhamba Mwene, MP; Mr Joseph Simumpuka Munsanje, MP; Mr Peter Phiri, MP; Mr Paul Chala, MP; Mr Menyani Zulu, MP; and Mr Leevan Chibombwe, MP.
President Hichilema took no action and supported Masebo on the matter.
Despite the continued shortage of medicines crisis, President Hichilema recently proudly declared that stock levels of essential medicines now stood at 93% as reported to him by Masebo!
● Mr. Mcebisi Mlonzi, the chairman of TFM Holdings PTY LTD of South Africa that was solicited to build infectious disease hospitals in Southern, Western and Northwestern provinces revealed that the Minister of Health, Silvia Masebo solicited for a bribe and a luxury motor vehicle from him.
In a letter dated May 15, 2022 he wrote-“We write to you to place on record that we have been approached by representatives of the Minister of Health to arrange facilitation fees and a vehicle for her. We are, for obvious reasons very uncomfortable with this and wish to ask you to place this on record in Zambia”.
Mcebisi further revealed that he hosted Masebo with her partner in South Africa while she was pursuing the same corrupt goal.
He proceeded to report the matter to President Hichilema and the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC).
But President Hichilema chose to do nothing about these serious allegations.
● Despite serious allegations and evidence that Government was buying medicines from Egypt from an agency, and the $70million procurement contract failed to meet minimum standards as provided by the Public Procurement Act of 2020,and the medicines were not tested and approved by the the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA), President Hichilema ignored the reports and once again sided with Masebo’s lies that this was an alleged government-to-government arrangement.
● As Masebo’s incompetence and failures are exposed, Hichilema has instead chosen to remove and replaced the Permanent Secretaries. He has removed Dr. George Magwende and Prof Lackson Kasonka. The crisis at the Ministry has not ended because President Hichilema chooses to provide pain killers to dowse the pain of a tooth ache when it requires a tooth extraction.
● On Friday 5th January, 2023, Masebo advised Lusaka residents to go to villages as they were safer there from the Cholera outbreak.
Sadly this statement has been supported and expanded by President Hichilema!
CONCLUSION
Clearly, Masebo is Hichilema’s archilles heel, a fatal weakness, that has formed as part of his quick downfall.
