Squatters occupy diplomats’ houses

Houses meant for Malawi High Commission staff in Pretoria, South Africa, are occupied by squatters after diplomats abandoned them, a source from the mission has told Weekend Nation.

The source said seven institutional houses have been invaded after the diplomats claimed that they were in bad state and opted to live in rented houses.

According to the source, the houses in question are number 209 Bauhinia Avenue, 193 Sterelitsia Avenue, 162 Stapelia  Avenue, 113 Korannaberg Avenue, 158 Stapelia Avenue and 90 Graskop Street in Waterkloof Heights, a residential suburb of Pretoria.

The other, deputy High Commissioner’s residence, is number 210 Delphinius Street in Waterkloof Ridge, south-east of Pretoria’s central business district. Only the High Commissioner Stella Ndau is living in an institutional house.

Explained the source: “At the point of vacating, the diplomats claimed the houses were in a bad state and needed refurbishments, but the High Commission has done nothing. Instead, the houses have now turned into ramshackle units.

“Currently, the house meant for the deputy high commissioner alone has about 13 illegal occupants. It includes a boys’ quarter, a guest wing and a drive-in garage which has also been turned into a room.

“We would have saved a lot had the commission renovated them quickly, but the commission is now spending thousands of dollars in housing allowances to accommodate the diplomats.”

According to figures we have sourced, first, second and third secretaries in South Africa and other southern African countries receive between $1 500 and $2 500 as monthly housing allowance per while attachés’ rates depend on their government grades.

For instance, military attachés are ranked above first secretaries because they hold senior positions back home such as colonels or brigadier generals.

Since February 13 2024, Weekend Nation has tried to speak to High Commissioner Stella Ndau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu, but they have not provided responses to our inquiries.

Said Kunkuyu in a WhatsApp response: “I sent your inquiry to the responsible offices, including the Ambassador in SA [South Africa], I’m yet to get a response.”

We attempted to get hold the High Commissioner through two mobile numbers, we independently verified she had been using for her comment on the issue but we did not succeed.

On one mobile number, Ndau querried us where we got the number saying: “You seem to have a wrong number… Who gave you this number? Did you get this number from Foreign Affairs?”

But when when we reached out to her using the other mobile number, she did not respond to our WhatsApp messages. She also did not answer our call.

When contacted to justify why government is spending taxpayers’ money on housing allowances for the mission’s diplomats when institutional houses are not being put to use, Secretary to Treasury Betchani Tchereni referred Weekend Nation to one of his directors Williams Banda.

“The matter is under investigation by auditors and [we] will provide information once the report is out,” Banda said.

Spokesperson for the office of the Attorney General, Emmanuel Lawyer, also said an audit was being conducted on the matter which will help the Attorney General deal with the matter.

On his part, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Kabaghe said he was not ready with a response after several reminders through phone calls as well as WhatsApp messages.

However, Mavuto Bamusi, an expert in good governance and public expenditure tracking and analysis, said what is happening at the commission amounts to institutionalisation of greed where diplomats have put their interests above national interests.

“This is undiplomatic and wasteful behaviour which is contrary to austerity measures announced by President [Lazarus] Chakwera. The conduct by these diplomats amounts to sabotage of principles of public finance management as government is losing millions of kwacha paying the housing allowances, when there are government houses available,” said Bamusi.

He added: “Government is losing more money through payment of ground rent and city rates to City of Tswane [Pretoria] for these houses that are vacant. This is sheer wastage and abuse of taxpayers’ funds.”

Bamusi suggested that government must immediately renovate the houses and order the diplomats to occupy the units, arguing it is “a lie to say that the houses are completely dilapidated, when less than three years ago other diplomats were living in the same houses”.

In an earlier interview, former diplomat retired Major General Reuben Ngwenya observed that most problems affecting foreign missions were due to lack of seriousness by authorities.

“The main challenge is lack of follow-up by authorities from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on what happens in the foreign missions. For instance, when an embassy has been closed and staff recalled, it takes too long to complete the process,” he said.

Added Ngwenya: “The best the Foreign Affairs should do is to have a department purely responsible for foreign missions to be following up on what is happening, not only to the properties, but everything.”

In Canada, Malawi Government has been using taxpayers’ money to pay insurance and property management fees for almost 20 years on two institutional houses that were left behind after closing the embassy in 2024.

The two houses—one in Ottawa for the high commissioner—were part of six properties owned by the Malawi Government.