Times Of Swaziland: AMBULANCE LYING IDLE NEAR PS’S HOME DESPITE SHORTAGE AMBULANCE LYING IDLE NEAR PS’S HOME DESPITE SHORTAGE ================================================================================ Sibongile Sukati on 11/05/2020 08:38:00 MBABANE – At this crucial time of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, government needs all the resources it can get, particularly ambulances. However, mystery surrounds why a seemingly in good shape government-registered ambulance is parked at a home, which is next to where the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Simon Zwane, resides. Reliable sources informed this publication that the ambulance, registered GSD 055 HE, has been parked at the home in Checkers Township, which is in Mbabane. It could not be easily ascertained last evening who exactly owns the house. The ambulance, according to sources, has been parked there for almost a year and no one seems to know the reason behind it. Nationwide, the country has about seven ambulances and four others which are being used in the fight against COVID-19. Ordinarily, government vehicles when not in use are parked at the Central Transport Administration (CTA) premises if not the ministry which they are registered under. Confirmed Contacted yesterday, Dr Zwane confirmed that there was an ambulance which was parked next to the house allocated to him. He stated that the vehicle had not yet been handed over to government, supposedly for official use. “Only until then will it be put to appropriate use by the ministry,” said Dr Zwane in a brief interview yesterday. The PS was then asked follow-up questions on where the ambulance had come from and why the process of handing it over to government was not being sped up. However, by 6pm yesterday, Dr Zwane had still not responded to the follow-up questions. The ambulance has the words ‘Advanced Life Support Ambulance’ written on the front and appears to be in good condition for it to run. “We need all the ambulances we can get in the country and therefore it is really shocking that there is such a vehicle which cannot be utilised for whatsoever reason,” said the source. The source further said because of the COVID-19 virus, everyone was calling 977 and 112 to get transport should they be showing signs of the illness, but a precious resource was being allowed to go to waste.