Malawi envoy to USA Edward Sawerengera given up to Dec 31 to depart US, faces deportation
The Malawi Government has given its ambassador to the United States of America, Edward Sawerengera, up to December 31, 2021, to depart Washington DC or risk being reported to the US Department for deportation.
The government – through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – is accusing Sawerengera of obstructing his recall, an accusation the envoy is vehemently denying.
In a letter to the envoy dated December 15, 2021, the ministry’s Principal Secretary (PS), Dr. Luckie Kanyamula Sikwese, reminds Sawerengera that “you strongly refuted to have been obstructing the ministry’s efforts to have your recall implemented.”
“You stated in this regard, that to the contrary, you had been prepared to depart Washington DC since 21st March, 2021, the date, which had been communicated to you earlier, as being your deadline to depart for Malawi upon expiry of your tour of duty. In the process, you accused the ministry of being unfair, dishonest, untruthful and malicious for blaming you for its own failure to implement the recall,” writes Sikwese.
The “obstructive” demands are further emphasized in a letter Ref. No. ME/WDC/ADM/DED2021 dated 8th December, 2021, to Ms Lisa Corwick, who is coordinating the shipment of the personal effects in question, on behalf of AGS Global Solutions.
“The demands include that your personal effects and those of the rest of the recalled diplomats be loaded straight into containers and be transported straight to a shipping vessel in readiness for departure to Malawi, and not to a warehouse.
“You have craftily linked this precondition to the clearance of vehicles by stating that for the State Department to release vehicle titles, a confirmation of a prior booked shipping vessel is required and this might take up to 21 days. This is despite the repeated explanation by AGS Global Solutions and the abundant evidence online and elsewhere that the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the global supply chain as containers and shipping vessels are in short supply, expensive and therefore hard-to-get,” a frustrated Sikwese rants in the letter.
According to Sikwese, this situation has consequently made it necessary for global suppliers and shippers to make alternative arrangements such as keeping cargo in warehouses on temporary basis while securing the containers and shipping vessels.
Sikwese further clarifies Sawerengera’s unreasonableness by insisting that their recalls can only be implemented if personal effects are collected from homes and loaded directly to the containers, which must then be transported directly to a waiting shipping vessel in this Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is against the above background that the ministry has reluctantly been moved to give you and all the recalled diplomats a non-negotiable deadline of 31st December, 2021, to depart Washington DC for Malawi.
“The ministry will, in this regard, proceed to issue air tickets to you and the recalled diplomats, including respective entitled dependents. The ministry will not be responsible for any costs arising from any changes to the air tickets nor shall it issue any other air tickets upon expiry of the ones to be issued.
“The mission is also authorized to pay all the concerned, their respective entitlements, including FSAs and rentals up to 31st December, 2921.
“The mission is, however, directed not to make any further payment in any form to all the concerned beyond 31st December, 2021.
“As the last and final resort, the ministry will not hesitate to deploy a Note Verbale to the State Department to request for revocation of diplomatic status and diplomatic passports, should it see it necessary,” warns Sikwese.
Sawerengera was appointed diplomat to Washington DC on a 36 months contract which expired on 19th April 2018 and was recalled by the Chakwera government.
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Didn’t Mr Sawerengera know that his mission in the US was drawing closer to an end? Why has he been playing the hard nat on his recall from the foreign mission? Certainly Sawerengera is not the first Malawian envoy to be recalled after change of government and learned as he is, he should have known what to do in the right and good time to ship his personal effects back home. Zinazi musamangolowetsa ndale when the obvious is clearly visible. There nothing wrong that Chakwera is doing to him as some of you are putting it. Let Chakwera and his… Read more »
Positive development. It’s not appropriate to expend our hard earned taxes on unnecessary expenses
Why not withhold all salary and benefits till he agrees to comply. Suspension.
Mr Sawerengera’s contract was only for 36 months, and it expired in 2018. Despite numerous recalls by the DPP government Sawerengera used one excuse or another to stop his recall from being effected….to the point that the DPP government gave up to implement his recall despite all the financial mess he has caused at the Embassy. We all remember how this man divorced his wife on social media after he became the ambassador to the US…..and yet it was his wife who managed to use her connections within the DPP political party to get her husband, a Mr Sawerengera the… Read more »
Political cronies have already booked the mission. This outsider Sawerenga must go.
Is this the way to treat people. Chakwera Government what’s wrong with you people. Just want to finish all Lomwe and Dpp. Is Chakwera a real Reverend or fake reverend
Bwana Sawerengeka mukukana kubweleko kuno boma linasitha
Chakwera is not to blame here. The man is there illegally probably for 3 years now
Kodi a Sikwese, bwanji kulankhula modzikuza? Kodi katundu aoita bwanji ku warehouse, nanga munthu akafika kuno kumudzi adzigwiritsa chani? Even with global shipping challenges, kuli ma cargo plane kunjaku. You have the responsibility to ensure kuti munthu akamafika kuno katundu wake akhalenso wafika. This man was serving the country, musamuchite treat mnzanu ngati kagalu kakang’ono.
This release was not per say made for public consumption but for the next bunch of politicians gunning for these diplomatic posts. Truth be told these politicians are pestering Sikwese to recall these diplomats but him(Sikwese) knows he can not effect the process because he is handicapped no resources available for such a move. But blame has to be put on Chakwera he misused political capital by keeping these people a day longer on their post. This will end up biting really hard.Sikwese give these guys money to pack their stuff and tell your reall audience on this memo the… Read more »
He was from opposition party so its obvious that they will recall him and put their own person in that position.. If he has applied for and secured citizenship of USA, then he does not need to come back, he can stay there.
His contract expired on 19th April 2018 and all this time (3 years) he was still in the USA! What was he doing there? Was he still working? Malawi is not a serious country at all. Let this man leave the States by 31st December or let him be responsible for his own expenses.
Not serious at all if he wishes to extend his stay then he should meet the cost.
His contract expired in April 2018? And he’s yet to pack/ship his stuff? Get real !!