Moswaane must now put up or hush

Mmegi Editor | Monday March 23, 2026 08:59

The Speaker, Dithapelo Keorapetse, delivered a judgment on the allegations made by Moswaane regarding an influx of substandard medicines into the country. After reviewing a dossier of evidence, including savingrammes, letters from BOMRA, and even a death certificate, the Speaker concluded that the Minister was guilty of grave exaggerations.

The ruling did not dismiss Moswaane entirely though. It acknowledged that some medicines had been recalled, which is a legitimate concern. However, proving that two isolated incidents amount to an influx is a stretch too far. Furthermore, the claim that doctors are working under extreme frustration was supported by no evidence whatsoever. Most troubling was the attempt to link these medicine recalls to child fatalities, only for the evidence to produce a death certificate for a 60-year-old woman. That is not a minor error, but a fundamental misrepresentation.

One would expect the Minister to accept such a ruling with humility. Having been found to have exaggerated, the proper course of action would be to acknowledge the finding and move on.

Instead, the Assistant Minister has taken to Facebook, continuing to insist that he was right all along. He appears to be telling the public to ignore the Speaker’s ruling and to believe his version of events. This is not acceptable.

Moswaane faces a simple choice that speaks to the core of his integrity as a public servant. He cannot have it both ways. He cannot be seen to respect the House of Parliament only when it suits him, and then run to social media to undermine its rulings when it goes against him.

If the Minister genuinely believes that the Speaker got it wrong, there are proper channels to address that. But if he is so certain that his claims are watertight, then he must do the honourable thing, produce that evidence on a relevant platform where it can be properly tested.

If the evidence stands up, the truth will come out, and the Minister will be vindicated. But if it collapses under proper scrutiny, as the Speaker has already suggested it might, then the public will know the truth.

What cannot continue is this current trend of making serious allegations in Parliament, being told they are exaggerated, and then retreating to the echo chamber of social media to claim victory. That is not how grown-up government works.

The public deserves better. The Ministry deserves better. Moswaane must act like a minister. He must either leave the issue alone, respect the ruling of the Speaker, or step forward and let his evidence be properly tested.