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Big names fall in Embassy shake-up |
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Written by Joseph Langa
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 |
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Bigwigs including former Escom Board Chair Agrina Mussa have fallen in one of the major government embassy shake-up that has seen 23 envoys being recalled.
The diplomats are being recalled from the United Kingdom, United States of America, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Japan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt and Zambia.
Mussa, a spouse to former cabinet minister, Henry Mussa was High Commissioner in South Africa where she was sent amidst controversies when Parliamentary Appointments Committee refused to confirm her appointment.
She is being recalled amidst confirmation from Ministry of Foreign Affairs that sent a team to investigate an alleged mismanagement of funds for refurbishment structures at the Embassy.
Another big-wheel that has come off is former secretary for Defence, James Kalirangwe who was High Commissioner in Tanzania. His staff at the embassy hosted a farewell party for him last week according to an email message sent by one of the officials.
Former Clerk of Parliament, Roosevelt Gondwe is also cleaning his shelves from the Malawi Embassy in Japan where he was sent after being replaced by incumbent Clerk of Parliament Matilda Katopola.
The list also includes former Malawi Television Director General, Benson Tembo who was sent to Zimbabwe to pave way for Rodrick Mulonya at the national TV station. Tembo was already repatriated and his position was supposed to be taken up by First Lady-in-waiting Callista Chimombo who was already confirmed by Parliament.
Foreign Affairs Director of Finance and Administration, Eric Ning’ang’a who could not be drawn to provide a list of recalled diplomats to Malawi News this week said apart from civil servants, those under repatriation will stop receiving their pay with effect from the day that they have been recalled.
He said civil servants would be redeployed to other departments and ministries on salaries befitting their new positions.
Ning’ang’a said last week that the 36 months contracts for the diplomats that are being recalled already expired saying some of them stayed there for up to 10 years “and it’s high time they came back”. He indicated that new diplomats would take up the vacant positions “very-very soon.”
But Parliamentary Appointments Committee Chair, Nicholas Dausi told Malawi News this week that all diplomats that his committee interviewed were already posted to their various missions.
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