Malawi denies Moti diplomatic appointment as scrutiny of First Lady’s charity intensifies

• Government FURIOUS as it slams ‘malicious’ claims tycoon linked to First Lady’s charity scandal was handed secret diplomatic post and mining licences

Malawi’s government has gone on the attack, blasting explosive reports that controversial South African businessman Zunaid Moti was secretly handed a diplomatic role and special treatment — branding the claims a pack of lies designed to destroy public trust in the President.

The furious denial comes after governance watchdog CDEDI demanded a forensic probe into First Lady Gertrude Mutharika’s charity, Beautify Malawi (BEAM), after it emerged Moti had pumped cash into the organisation — sparking accusations of murky influence-buying at the highest levels.

Now, in a hard-hitting statement issued on July 14, Chief Secretary Justin Saidi insisted the entire storm was built on fiction, declaring the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) considers the claims “entirely false, malicious and deliberately intended to mislead the public.”

Saidi flatly denied Moti had been given any government role.

“Moti has not been appointed to any government position, diplomatic or otherwise,” he said — insisting the tycoon has received no contracts and no special favours whatsoever.

The government also moved to shut down explosive claims linking Moti to fresh mining licences, revealing a moratorium has been in place on new mineral licences since the DPP took office — specifically to clean up a system branded a mess of active and inactive licence holders.

“Nobody has been issued with a new licence as portrayed by the false story, and no new licences can be seen in the system,” the statement thundered.

The OPC accused shadowy forces of deliberately trying to smear President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s administration and sabotage its anti-corruption credentials — and issued a chilling reminder that spreading fake news is a criminal offence under Malawian law.

“Citizens are therefore urged to verify information before sharing it and to use digital platforms responsibly,” the statement warned.

Saidi insisted the government would not be knocked off course by what he branded “political mudslinging” and “character assassination,” declaring such tactics only “erode public trust, weaken national institutions and distract well-meaning Malawians from the task of national development” — luxuries, he said, Malawi simply cannot afford.