Correcting Misinformation in Times of Eswatini Article, 15 Mar. 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
17 March 2025
Setting the Record Straight:
The Luke Commission (TLC) Responds to False and Defamatory Statements Made by Lizzie Nkosi in Times Article, 15 March 2025
For the record, TLC has historically ignored the mutterings of Lizzie Nkosi out of deep respect for His Majesty and to maintain focus on the health and well-being of Emaswati. However, ongoing statements made by former Minister of Health and current Senator Lizzie Nkosi for the past several years regarding The Luke Commission (TLC) contain blatant falsehoods and misrepresentations, which leave us no choice but to address them. The claims are not only factually incorrect but also an insult to the integrity and sacrifice of TLC’s international donors, staff, VIP (Very Important Patients), and founders.
At the Heart of This Issue: The Lives of Emaswati Are at Stake
This is not about an institution—it is about the lives of Emaswati. For years, political maneuvering has put the lives of patients at risk. The delays in agreements, refusal to collaborate, and misinformation harm the people who need healthcare the most. Emaswati deserve a healthcare system that puts people over politics. The real issue is not about TLC, but about mothers who cannot access emergency care, children denied lifesaving treatments, and thousands of patients left stranded while a few select individuals use political interference to silence the majority.
False Claim: There Is No Dispute Between TLC and Lizzie Nkosi
Lizzie Nkosi has played a direct and sustained role in obstructing TLC’s work, refusing to engage constructively during her tenure. She actively participated in efforts to block TLC’s progress, leaving Emaswati to suffer the consequences of a deteriorating healthcare system.
False Claim: TLC Did Not Sign an Agreement
This is not accurate. The Government and TLC signed a Memorandum of Agreement for emergency funding in 2024, which was intended to act as a bridge to a long-term sustainable performance-based service agreement. However, the sustainable solution has been stalled by continued political interference by a few select individuals, including Lizzie Nkosi, while patients and staff continue to suffer.
Truth Regarding Farming: Providing Food Security for Patients and Staff
TLC’s farm is not a commercial enterprise but a strategic initiative to ensure food security for:
Patients in TLC’s hospital, who require nutritious meals for recovery.
TLC staff, through a subsidized, sliding-scale lunch program ensuring nutritious, balanced meals for all staff.
Job creation and sustainable land use while preparing for future developments for social impact initiatives.
Without this initiative, thousands of patients and frontline healthcare workers would be left without proper nutrition.
Truth Regarding Real Estate: Ensuring Water Security and Sustainability, Not Profit
TLC’s Miracle Campus land was purchased in two acquisitions, with zero government funds involved:
2013: The first portion of the Miracle Campus was paid for in full by the founders’ family and friends in the USA and Canada.
2015: After a severe drought in 2014 dried up the two boreholes and only sources of water on the first piece of land, the TLC board strategically decided to purchase land adjacent to the Usuthu River to ensure water security for patients and operations. The purchase was fully paid for in full by the founders’ family and friends in the USA and Canada, but title transfer was delayed due to legal liquidation proceedings involving the former owner.
2019: TLC subdivided a portion of the land to secure an emergency overdraft, a critical financial tool that was used to support Eswatini’s COVID-19 response—at a time when the Ministry of Health and the National Disaster Management Agency, under Lizzie Nkosi’s leadership, provided no cash support to TLC despite its massive pandemic response efforts.
Deflection: Framing Concerns as General Fiscal Responsibility
Nkosi claims to be concerned about “the use of taxpayer funds” while avoiding discussion of other blatant waste, corruption, and mismanagement. Meanwhile, TLC has accounted for every cent, providing detailed utilization reports to the Ministry of Health, which are clearly on record.
If she were truly concerned about fiscal responsibility, she would demand accountability for the millions lost through inefficiencies and corruption, not the small percentage of funding that has actually gone toward patient care.
Convenient Omissions: The Ministry’s Own Failures
Under Nkosi’s leadership, the Ministry failed to provide adequate quality healthcare, forcing TLC to fill critical gaps in order to save the lives of thousands of Emaswati. She continues to ignore the thousands of Emaswati who are still waiting for basic medical services, surgical procedures, and essential medicines, rather focusing her efforts on TLC’s funding, which represents 1% of the national healthcare budget and 7% of TLC's expenditures in 2024.
Defamation and Legal Action
It is absurd to suggest that TLC’s founders could divert funding from themselves and their life-long service to save the lives of Emaswati. They have dedicated over 20 years of their lives, sacrificing personally to build one of the most effective healthcare models in the region. To misrepresent these facts so falsely is not only irresponsible but also defamatory.
TLC is taking formal steps to address this defamation, including:
Issuing a Cease and Desist Letter to Lizzie Nkosi, demanding an immediate retraction of false statements.
Filing a formal complaint to the Senate President, highlighting the dangers of misinformation being spread by a sitting Senator, undermining the credibility of the legislative body.
Pursuing all necessary legal remedies to ensure the truth is upheld and those responsible for spreading misinformation are held accountable.
TLC remains committed to serving the people of Eswatini with integrity, excellence, and transparency. We will not allow misinformation to stand in the way of life-saving care.
For further inquiries, please contact: Lindani Sifundza, Director of Communications, The Luke Commission +268 7808 7200
