Home | News | NO DRUGS, SWAZIPHARM TRUCK IMPOUNDED IN SA FREED

NO DRUGS, SWAZIPHARM TRUCK IMPOUNDED IN SA FREED

22/12/2023 08:56:00 Stanley Khumalo

Font size:

MATSAPHA – “There were no medical drugs ever transported to South Africa by our truck,” says SwaziPharm.

This was confirmed and seen when the sealed trailers of the truck, which had been impounded in South Africa, were opened at the SwaziPharm Wholesalers (Pty) Ltd property in Matsapha. SwaziPharm Wholesalers (Pty) Ltd Director Kareem Ashraff explained that he had invited the media and government officials to showcase that the perception that had been created when his truck driver was arrested, was off the mark.

When the consignment, which hogged headlines after the truck driver, Bongani Shongwe, was arrested with the consumable supplies at Oshoek Border Gate, it was assumed and or there was a perception that they could have been stolen locally and were being smuggled into South Africa.
Oshoek Border Gate is on the South African side of Ngwenya Border Gate, which allows traffic to enter/exit the two States of Eswatini and South Africa.

Ashraff explained that his company had followed the necessary procedure to transport the medical consumables to South Africa. This, he said, had been done through seeking a permit and on the local side of the border, the truck was cleared. He said at Oshoek, the truck driver was also cleared by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), and was only stopped before the boom gate leading to South Africa. The truck was released to SwaziPharm after seven months of being stuck at Oshoek while ferrying medical consumable supplies valued at E1.5 million. The truck was released at the beginning of the week after their proprietors were fined a penalty of E10 000 for using the wrong port of entry when transporting medical consumable supplies to South Africa.

Meanwhile, subsequent to the arrest of Shongwe (34), at the Oshoek Border Gate, by the South African Police Service (SAPS) under the Border Policing, he appeared at the Chief Albert Luthuli Magistrates Court and he was charged for the contravention of the South Africa Medical Act. At the time, SAPS’s Brigadier Selvy Mohlala confirmed that a liSwati man was arrested. Through a media statement, which was issued by the office of the Provincial Commissioner in Mpumalanga, it was reported that Shongwe was nabbed after failure to produce authorisation for transportation of the consignment across the border.

It was stated that the police, who were busy with their routine duties, searched a truck which was pulling two trailers. During their search, the law enforcers reportedly discovered that the truck was transporting a huge consignment of medical supplies and that it was headed to South Africa, from Eswatini.

Authorisation

The statement claimed that Shongwe, at the time, could not produce authorisation for transportation of the load across the border, hence he was locked up and charged for alleged contravention of the Medical Act. However, yesterday, Ashraff showed this publication that in actual fact, the company, when seeking to return the consumable supplies to South Africa, had been granted the authority to do so by the Ministry of Health.

The document, which Ashraff showed to this publication, is titled ‘Re: Authorisation of SwaziPharm to export to South Africa’. It was directed to the commissioner of Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS) and was dated December 21, 2022. “Your office is kindly informed that SwaziPharm, a registered importer/exporter with the Ministry of Health, has been granted authority to export the following commodities to Supra Healthcare JHB, situated in Johannesburg, South Africa, using invoice number SWAINV370391 dated December 12, 2022,” reads in part the communication.

The authority further advised the commissioner of ERS that the products which were being transported were as per the invoice and extended appreciation to the ERS commissioner in advance. The Ministry of Health signature was appended by the Assistant of Pharmaceutical Services, Brenda Mhlanga, on behalf of the Director of Health Services. Ashraff claimed that despite having this authority, when he sought the intervention of the Ministry of Health, it was not forthcoming. Instead, he said he had to wait for seven months for his truck and consignment to be released.

Meanwhile, Ashraff also showed this publication’s reporter communication purported to be from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), which was addressed to the prosecutor of Shongwe’s case. The communication from Advocate Moletele Maebana, advised the prosecutor that Ashraff had taken ownership of the consignment which was confiscated. “I confirm that together with the investigating officer, Sergeant Kubheka, we met with the employer of the above-mentioned accused, wherein he indicated that he would take the responsibility as the accused was only his driver,” reads in part the communication by SAHPRA’s Advocate Maebana.

The communication by SAHPRA further expressed concern that the confiscated consignment was not kept in any storage and it would be compromised. Advocate Maebana, according to the document, communicated that his office did not have any problem as the matter was long overdue and did not object if admission of guilt fine could be fixed by the office of the prosecutor. The communication further advised that the SAHPRA had no objection if the consignment could be released to the owner, only on condition that it would be taken back to Eswatini.

On the other hand, Ashraff said: “We were made to pay E10 000 admission of guilt fine for exporting consumable supplies into South Africa despite that we were returning the supplies to SUPRA Healthcare JHB, where we had initially bought them.” The E10 000 admission of guilt fine, according to documentation exhibited by Ashraff, was paid on December 18, 2023, at Chief Albert Luthuli Magistrates Court as a fine for Shongwe. The businessman expressed discontent in the manner the whole issue was dealt with, as he said the truck could have been ordered to return to Eswatini if the paperwork was not sufficient for it to enter into South Africa with the consignment.