Lilongwe, Malawi — Malawians were shocked on Tuesday after reports that Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Director General George Kasakula was forced by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) thugs to go on live television and apologize to President Peter Mutharika.
Writing on his Facebook page, Malawian writer and political commentator Onjezani Kenani, who is based in Geneva, said that Kasakula was confronted by a group of seven men at his office around 10 in the morning.
Kenani said the men made Kasakula’s secretary open the door and then accused him of insulting President Mutharika. They allegedly ordered him to pack his personal things, lock his office, and hand over the keys.
“George has a valid contract until 2027 and reports to work every day,” Kenani wrote. “But today he was told to leave his office and later forced to appear on TV to apologize to the President. What people saw on MBC was not from his heart — it was done under pressure.”
The story has caused public anger and widespread condemnation, with many saying this shows that the DPP is bringing back its old culture of fear, intimidation, and abuse of power.
“Dear DPP, this nonsense must stop,” Kenani warned in his post. “We are a nation ruled by laws, not by fear. Malawians voted you out in 2020 because of this same behavior. If you bring it back, you will make governance very hard for yourselves, because people will rise again to defend democracy.”
Media groups and human rights activists have also expressed concern, saying what happened to Kasakula is a threat to freedom of the press and a sad reminder of Malawi’s past political violence.
Kenani ended his message with a strong warning:
“People voted for DPP to transform lives, not to trample rights. This nonsense must stop.”
