There is growing tension within the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) following a dispute over the recent diplomatic appointments, with Minister of Foreign Affairs George Chaponda reportedly clashing with Deputy Minister of Homeland Security Norman Chisale and another Cabinet minister.
Only Cables can confidently reveal .
According to a memo seen by Cables and addressed by Chaponda to President Peter Mutharika, the recent diplomatic appointments failed to follow established procedures.
Among the concerns raised was the omission of career officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the failure to appoint accountants to some diplomatic missions, contrary to long-standing practice.
Instead, the appointments filled positions in Malawi’s diplomatic missions with relatives, political allies, and party loyalists, while career Foreign Affairs officials and other key personnel were overlooked.
The memo further accuses Deputy Minister Chisale and the Minister of Lands of overstepping their mandate by allegedly making appointments and recommendations without the involvement of the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs.
According to inside cables , Chaponda only became aware of the appointments after Cables leaked the list of Diplomatic appointments.
The developments have created confusion and a crisis in Malawi’s diplomatic representation across various missions abroad.
In his response, President Peter Mutharika is said to have directed Minister Chaponda to rectify the irregularities identified in the appointments.
The corrective measures reportedly include replacing some political appointees with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ensuring that accountants are appointed in line with existing guidelines.
Sources further indicate that the disagreement over the diplomatic appointments contributed to Chaponda temporarily falling out of favour with influential figures within the administration, resulting in his removal from the front bench seating arrangement in Parliament.
The decision was later reversed after Cables revealed the circumstances surrounding the changes.
Cables can confidently reveal that revisions to the diplomatic appointments are now underway in line with the established procedures.
The latest developments are understood to have widened cracks within the ruling party, exposing growing divisions over the handling of key government appointments and the influence other ministers have over key appointments.
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