Bingu fired former MBC boss—BJ
Minister of Information and Civic Education Brown Mpinganjira (BJ) yesterday claimed that former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) director general Bright Malopa was fired from the institution by the late Bingu wa Mutharika and not President Joyce Banda.
Mpinganjira’s reaction comes in the wake of our Christmas Day edition story which stated that the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) assessment has put Malopa’s compensation for unfair dismissal at K62.5 million (US$149 164).
Said Mpinganjira: “I want to make it clear that President Joyce Banda did not fire Malopa. It was the former president [Bingu] who removed him from MBC and also appointed the current director general, Dr Benson Tembo.”
However, Banda announced on April 10 2012 that she had appointed Tembo as the director general of MBC.
But Mpinganjira, while admitting that an announcement was made by the President’s administration, pointed out that she only formalised the appointment.
“What happened was that Bingu removed Malopa and appointed Tembo as director general. As he [Mutharika] was about to announce the appointment, he passed on,” said the minister.
However, the Communications Act provides that it is the board of directors of MBC which is an appointing authority for such positions.
Mpinganjira said if Banda had wanted, she could have changed Tembo’s appointment as it was not yet formalised, but that she saw no basis of doing that.
Asked why the court ordered MBC to pay compensation to Malopa if he was already fired, Mpinganjira said he was equally surprised.
“It’s surprising because when Tembo was being appointed, Malopa was at his farm and I am surprised with this huge compensation,” he said.
Mpinganjira also said he was told that MBC was preparing to make some compensation and that Treasury was aware. He however said he did not know that it was this issue.
However, MBC was represented by the Attorney General’s office in the case.
Reacting to Mpinganjira’s remarks, Malopa said it was laughable that “the minister is suggesting that Mutharika rose from the dead to fire him and then died again”.
Said Malopa: “In any case, it is not the business of presidents to hire and fire CEOs of parastatals. That function is the preserve of the boards of directors.”
On the other hand, Tembo yesterday said he had all along thought that it was Banda who appointed him.
“Go back to your records of April 10 [2012] where it was announced that Her Excellency had appointed me. What happened behind the scenes is not something that I can comment on,” said Tembo.
He refused to comment on Malopa’s issue.
Chief Secretary to the Government Hawa Ndilowe did not pick her phone after several attempts. The Nation wanted to crosscheck Mpinganjira’s claim that it was Bingu who appointed Tembo.
Sources disclosed that the court ordered MBC to pay the K62.5 million to Malopa within 14 days and that a garnishee order was obtained after the expiry of the date.
I can’t believe that the whole PP propaganda machinery would believe that blaming the firing of Malopa on Bingu would save them face. Has PP run out of ideas? or do they not have clever people to help them get out of stick situations like this Malopa saga? If indeed Bingu fired Malopa as Mr Mpinganjira would like illiterate Malawians to believe him, why did the PP govt not reinstate him to avoid the consequences we are seeing now i.e. the K62 million payout? Some times it helps if you just apologise that you got it wrong than trying to make such insane excuses that even a toddler would not believe in.
This is the problem that political parties that put senile people like Mpinganjira in such public facing positions should be prepared to stomach. Mpinganjira is an old man whose sanity is hanging in a balance right now. His sanity has been made worse over the years due to not only his old age but most importantly his unquenchable thirst for other men’s wives; the guy can’t keep his pipe down for even a second.
Mr Mpinganjira should understand that Malawians are really angry at this moment due to the on going Cashgate saga therefore his defence on this unnecessary payout to a Mr Malopa is not helpful. Its taxpayer’s money that is being wasted here to pay someone who we all know that is a psychopath who took MBC as his farm.
just give him (malopa) his money its u who made a mistake by firing the C E O withought following a proper procedures
Even if it were me, i wud have fired the fool. He was unprofessional, biased and totally partisan. Not fit to head a public institution!
Malopa alibe MSCE neither a Diploma or Degree. Anyone who is doubting this, then check with MANEB and the institutions he claims to have been to.
But procedures shld have been followed so that the tax payers shldnt make ths man a millionaire. Who is a fool now? 62million is a lot of money and it can take me more than 15 yrs to get it on my current salary.
Everything that goes wrong,its Bingu,you better keep quiet you are shaming us big time,it is now clear that you are all thugs in the PP,I was led to believe thät Mpinganjira was a born again christian,but now I have made a u turn,for this reason I warn all women in the PP to take care
We don’t care who fired him but we care who pays him to which we obviously know its my money going to him.
To me about his Credentials I don’t really care but what he did to the Nation. He was good to what he knows best,
Cashgate is still in Malawi see this.
Something is wrong in Malawi
Malopa will take 40mk. The rest will be shared by who?
pipipiiiiiiiiii,odi uko amayi atuluke muboma.Boma ili chilichonse choipa adapanga ndi Bingu,zabwino anapanga ndiiwo.mseu wa chitipa-karonga ndi amayi anamangisa.Boma lamaboza ngati ili sindinalione ine.cashgate inayamba nthawi ya bingu.To me & the rest of malawians we dont care who fired him all we care about is our hard fought money being wasted making aguy instant millioneer while our sons,daughters,wives,aunt,uncles in short relatives sleep on hungry stomachs & to make things worse they r dying because of no medicines in the hospitals.come may 2014 u r out of gvt 4ever.u r adisgrace to the nation.