Malawi dismisses fake invite for JB
Malawi Government has dismissed media reports that President Joyce Banda was recently almost duped into a phony State visit to Zimbabwe.
Some sections of Harare’s intelligence agencies reportedly crafted a fake invitation letter for the Malawi leader.
The reports also say Zimbabwe’s prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office issued a statement on Friday, claiming that Zimbabwe intelligence organs faked the invitation and made it look like it was coming from the prime minister’s office.
This development was revealed at a meeting between Tsvangirai and President Banda in South Africa on the sidelines of a book launch last Wednesday.
A report on the website (www.thecitizen.co.tz) of The Citizen of Tanzania published on Tuesday claims that the minister of State in the prime minister’s office, Jameson Timba, briefed both Tsvangirai and Banda about a forged invitation letter to the Malawi leader purportedly coming from Tsvangirai’s office in Harare.
‘Primitive politics’
Reads the report: “President Banda, in response, described the foiled attempt as ‘primitive politics’. Mr. Tsvangirai said he had felt compelled to enter into opposition politics 13 years ago to put an end to such primitive politics.”
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation principal secretary Patrick Kabambe on Tuesday said he was not aware of the fake invitation.
He said all invitations to the President from abroad go through his ministry.
President Banda returned from South Africa on Thursday.
