Malawi’s opposition has called on the government to explain President Peter Mutharika’s prolonged stay in South Africa, as the country grapples with fuel shortages, power outages and worsening economic difficulties. The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) said the government needed to reassure citizens that the country’s affairs were being properly…...
Malawi’s opposition has called on the government to explain President Peter Mutharika’s prolonged stay in South Africa, as the country grapples with fuel shortages, power outages and worsening economic difficulties.
The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) said the government needed to reassure citizens that the country’s affairs were being properly managed while the 86-year-old president remained outside Malawi.
Mutharika left the country on October 6 for what officials described as a private visit. It is his fifth trip to South Africa this year, with limited details made public about the visits.
“Malawi is at a critical moment, and there is a need for decisive action,” the MCP said.
According to BBC, while speaking to journalists in the capital, Lilongwe, on Thursday, the party’s campaign director, Moses Kunkuyu, said the opposition was not challenging the president’s right to travel but wanted Vice-President Jane Ansah to address the nation on the country’s mounting problems.
“The issue is not that the president has traveled,” he said. “The issue is that people are suffering and want reassurance that somebody is in charge.”
Kunkuyu urged the government to explain how it intended to tackle persistent fuel shortages, frequent electricity blackouts, dwindling supplies of essential medicines in public hospitals and difficulties accessing foreign currency.
However, Information Minister Shadric Namalomba dismissed concerns that Mutharika’s absence had created a leadership vacuum, insisting that the president remained in control of government affairs.
“A state president is always in charge at any time, anywhere,” Namalomba told local media.
He declined to provide details about the president’s visit, saying, “A private trip is private.”
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The minister also accused the opposition of exploiting the country’s difficulties, which he attributed to problems inherited from the previous administration.
“That is why Malawians voted us into government, not them. May I request them to seal their mouths as we address the problems they miserably created and failed to solve,” he added.
On Thursday, Mutharika delegated the trade minister to lead Malawi’s delegation to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit in Zimbabwe.
Earlier this month, government officials also dismissed social media reports claiming the president had travelled from South Africa to India for medical treatment.
Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi said Mutharika remained in South Africa and urged the public against circulating unverified information.
The president has previously dismissed speculation about his health, describing the claims as “silly and laughable” and insisting that he was well.
Mutharika returned to power in October last year after defeating former president Lazarus Chakwera. He previously served as president from 2014 to 2020.
His latest absence comes as Malawi faces a severe foreign currency shortage that has disrupted fuel imports and driven up transport costs.
Long queues have formed at petrol stations, while unreliable electricity supplies and shortages of medicines have further fuelled public frustration.