Veteran broadcaster Benson Tembo has transitioned from Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) board chairperson to director general (DG) following his appointment to replace fallen head Brian Banda, it has emerged.
MBC public relations and customer affairs manager Chisomo Mwamadi in an interview yesterday confirmed Tembo’s appointment.
In a communication simply signed as MBC Board of Directors, the board said the appointment is with effect from November 11 2026.
“The board believes that Dr. Tembo’s extensive broadcasting experience, deep institutional understanding, international exposure and proven leadership capabilities will be instrumental in steering MBC towards greater institutional effectiveness and relevance in an increasingly dynamic media environment,” the statement reads in part.
Tembo, who holds a PhD in communications, has also served in several diplomatic capacities, including as High Commissioner to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
| Nation
He also played a pioneering role in the establishment of MBC TV, then Television Malawi and was its first DG following its launch in 1999.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa, who recently called on MBC to be independent and professional, said the appointment gives Tembo another opportunity to demonstrate that he can do things differently.
Tembo first joined MBC on February 3 1973 and rose through the ranks to hold several senior leadership roles, including head of presentation and deputy DG. He also had another
stint as MBC DG between 2012 and 2015.
Meanwhile, Mastern Moffat Banda has succeeded Tembo as MBC board chairperson.
Tembo’s transition to executive management mirrors that of April 2026 at Malawi School of Government where the council also appointed its then chairperson Professor Lewis Dzimbiri as its substantive DG, a move that raised legal and ethical questions among governance pundits who faulted the council for recruiting its own sitting chairperson without holding formal interviews. But Dzimbiri clarified to The Nation that he did not appoint himself
