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MBC, TVM bosses given six months |
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Written by Vincent Phiri
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Saturday, 13 March 2010 |
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Government has given the Director General of Malawi Television (TVM) Bright Malopa and Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) boss Patrick Khoza six months to stay in their positions.
Minister of Information Rexford Thotho confirmed the development in an interview Thursday. He said MBC and TVM would merge before the end of August hence the extension of Malopa and Khoza’s contracts for six months before the merger takes full effect.
“The extension of the contracts is indeed there because the committee that is facilitating the merger between MBC and TVM has given an indication that the process would be through before the end of August.
“Since we are expecting that TVM and MBC will successfully merge between June and July, we have extended the contracts of the two Directors General until that period,” said Thotho.
Malopa signed his contract as MBC Deputy Director General about four years ago, and was transferred to TVM early last year as Acting Director General after the institution’s former boss Kenson M’bwana was posted to another government department.
Meanwhile, Khoza confirmed in an interview that his contract expired in December last year but said he was yet to receive communication from MBC board of directors about his fate.
“It is true that my contract expired last year in December and currently I’m on a month to month basis. I have not received any communication that my contract has been extended until June this year.
“Communication has to come from the board and I’m just waiting for that communication,” said Khoza.
Efforts to talk to Malopa proved futile as he did not pick up his phone on several attempts.
In January, Malawi News reported that the ongoing discussions of the merger between MBC and TVM were in limbo.
Earlier Thotho said contracts renewal revolve around procedure and that some officials from the two institutions and Public Reform department in the Office of the President and Cabinet, who have formed a taskforce that is working on the modalities of the merger, would consider the inclusion of the two positions [of TVM and MBC Directors General].
He said the taskforce is working on how the two public broadcasters should operate under one management and board of directors.
“I just want to draw to your attention that the taskforce that is working on the merger between MBC and TVM would include modalities on how the two institutions will operate under one management,” said Thotho.
Sources say most senior officers at the two institutions would lose their jobs after the merger, a development that Thotho dismissed.
“Nobody is going to lose their job; what will happen is that in case services of some people will not be required after the merger those employees will be transferred to other government departments,” said Thotho.
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