• Marang House has never received any payments from the Swaziland government, as we are an independent NPO funded by corporate South Africa. The fact that we have taken care of Muzi is our responsibility and is for our account. We are not using the media to collect a debt, as there is no debt. The Minister clearly has no idea what he is talking about.


• We acknowledge the fact that the Swaziland government referred the child to South Africa, but before the intervention of Marang House, Muzi had stayed in hospital for four months, not coming outside at all with his mother sleeping on a chair next to his bed.


• Muzi also currently has an outstanding account of 276,076.00 ZAR, which indicates that the Swazi government has never paid the hospital for his treatments. We can prove this black on white. The Minister's statement that they have paid for the child is therefore false.


• If the Minister's department was working efficiently, the transplant would have already taken place and I would not have to come up with crazy ideas like having a celebrity marry a child to get their attention. My normal job is to run a charity and raise funds to provide a stable home-environment to seriously ill children, not to fight with incompetent government officials. Our sponsors however are paying us to take care of these children and that is what I am doing, all the way.


• The Minister can say and promise whatever he wants, but we want written confirmation and authorization send to the hospital to start with the transplant. We have had enough promises and postponements already. Muzi is very ill and suffering every day. The sooner he gets his transplant, the better. The fact that the department of Health cannot manage the Phalala fund properly is no excuse to have Muzi wait any longer.

The way forward

Since the Minister has publicly declared that the government will pay for the transplant, next week we will focus on making this happen. We will attempt to involve the hospital management in this issue to at least start with 'working-up' the mother, while we will continue to do whatever it takes to obtain official authorisation from the Swaziland government to start with the proceedings and not merely a media statement that was perhaps just made to make this problem go away.