Politicians from the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) are using a shadow company and South African national to buy off Malawi Government property in South Africa’s City of Cape Town.
The latest effort to strip government property abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Malawi High Commission in South Africa to send it the state of the house and the cost of rehabilitating it.
The letter signed by Vupe Kumkwenzu on behalf of Secretary for Foreign Affairs indicate the Ministry needs details to decide whether to sale the property to one Mrs Maaike Taiden who had enquired about buying the property.
“The property is in damaged state. It has been neglected. So they will weigh the cost of rehabilitation over just selling it. Its a trick used all over,” said a source at Foreign Affairs who claimed several politicians have been asking about the properties in South Africa.
The Investigator found that several politicians including one senior Accountant General official and State House official have shell companies in South Africa that are being used to get huge contracts from Government and the proceeds being invested in South Africa.
“If anything the query should not have come to Foreign Affairs it should have gone to the Embassy. That letter was written in Malawi, the rest is a ploy,” charged one official familiar with the matter.
Our search could not identify anyone with that name in Cape Town.
Malawi lost its buildings that used to be embassies in London, Namibia and some houses in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
In 2013, the Nairobi Malawi Embassy and Ambassadors residence were almost sold and had to be saved last minute.
Nobody has been brought to account for the property lost.
