HRDC urges Malawi govt to reveal cost and authority behind president’s South Africa trip

Malawi’s Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has called on the government to disclose the constitutional arrangements governing presidential authority during President Peter Mutharika’s absences abroad, as well as the cost to taxpayers of his frequent foreign travel.

In a statement issued on Thursday made available to  Nyasa Times, the coalition acknowledged the Office of the President and Cabinet’s decision to formally announce Mutharika’s departure for a private visit to South Africa, describing it as a step in the right direction.

But it said the government’s communication fell short of what transparency and accountability required.

“We believe such communication should be timely, proactive, and sufficiently detailed to promote public confidence in government and uphold the principles of transparency and accountability,” the statement said.

While accepting that the president is entitled to undertake private travel, the coalition said the government’s statement left several critical questions unanswered – chief among them who exercises presidential functions while Mutharika is out of the country, and whether constitutional requirements governing the transfer of executive authority during his absence have been complied with.

The coalition, chaired by Michael Kaiyatsa alongside national coordinator Kelvin Chirwa, said it was equally concerned about the financial implications of the president’s travel, noting this was one of several foreign visits he had undertaken this year at a time when Malawians were grappling with a severe cost-of-living crisis, chronic foreign exchange shortages, rising public debt and mounting pressure on state finances.

“In these circumstances, transparency regarding the use of public resources is not optional – it is a constitutional requirement and a fundamental obligation owed to taxpayers,” the statement said.

The coalition said citizens had a right to know whether the visit was being financed wholly or partly from public funds, what state resources had been deployed to support the trip, and what the total cost to taxpayers would be.

If the trip was entirely privately funded, it said, the government should say so unambiguously.

HRDC set out three specific demands:

• that the government clarify the constitutional arrangements governing the exercise of presidential powers during Mutharika’s absence;
• disclose whether public funds or state resources were being used to facilitate the visit and publish its estimated cost;
• and publish a comprehensive record of all the president’s foreign travel this year, including the purpose, funding source, total expenditure and public benefit of each trip.

“At a time when Malawians are making enormous economic sacrifices, those entrusted with public office must be prepared to account openly for the use of public resources,” the statement said.

“Accountability cannot be selective – it must apply equally to every public office, including the presidency.”

The statement was endorsed by HRDC board members Madalitso Banda, representing the Eastern Region; Harold Kachepatsonga, Central Region; Gibson Chisale, Northern Region; and Loveness Thole, representing Women Human Rights Defenders.

The intervention comes as Mutharika’s pattern of undisclosed private travel – this marking his fourth trip to South Africa in seven months – has drawn increasing scrutiny from journalists, opposition figures and civil society, with critics questioning both the frequency of the trips and the government’s reluctance to detail their purpose or funding.

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