It’s Bingu who fired Malopa – Mpinganjira
Late president Bingu Mutharika is the one who fired former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Director General Bright Malopa who was compensated with a whopping K62.5 million by the Industrial Relations Court for unfair dismissal.
Reacting to news that Malopa had been compensated K62.5 million by the IRC, Minister of Information and Civic education who is also government spokesman Brown Mpinganjira said he was surprised with the pay out. He clarified that it was not President Joyce Banda who fired Malopa.
“I want to make it clear that President Joyce Banda did not fire Malopa. It was the former President (Bingu) who removed him from MBC and also appointed the current Director General Dr Benson Tembo,” Mpinganjira is quoted in the local paper.
But it was President Banda who announced ‘immediate changes’ in April, 2012, just a few days after Bingu’s death where among others Malopa, minister of Information Patricia Kaliati and Inspector General of Police Peter Mukhitho had been sacked.
Mpinganjira claimed that by the time the late Bingu was firing Malopa, he (Malopa) was at his farm and Tembo was appointed.
Mpinganjira claimed Bingu died just before making an announcement of the firing of Malopa and appointment of Tembo.
But Malopa laughed off Mpinganjira’s remarks wondering whether it was possible for “Bingu to rise from the dead, fire him and then died again”.
He also said it was not the duty of Presidents to hire and fire CEOs of parastatals saying that mandate is left in the hands of the board of directors of parastatals.
Although Mpinganjira claims that government was surprised with the compensation because Malopa was already fired, MBC was represented in the case by the Attorney General.
