Prince Harry avoids talking Malawi politics

Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry for a number of official engagements, is avoiding the country’s politics which has seen a wave of protests following the highly disputed May 21 elections.

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) official Macdonald Sembereka had told a UK newspaper that it would be good if the  Duke of Sussex met leaders of the civil rights organisations.

But on Sunday during a reception in his honour at the British High Commissioner’s residence, Prince Harry instead engaged Oxfam on a number of governance issues including discussions on the collaboration that exists between civil society organisations and government accountability institutions.

“Prince Harry appreciated the efforts made in the governance sector by many actors and we appreciated Her Majesty’s government support towards strengthening Malawi’s governance institutions and social accountability initiatives,” said Lingalireni Mihowa, Oxfarm country director.

Other participants on the table during the reception included the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director, the director of Public Prosecutions, the director of Financial Intelligence Agency, the chairperson of Congoma, the regional director of Care International and the chief executive of Malawi-Scotland Partnership.

While in the country, the prince is expected to visit Liwonde National Park in Machinga where he will witness an anti poaching demonstration exercise jointly conducted by local rangers and the UK military.

He will also pay tribute to guardsman Mathew Talbot of the Coldstream Guards who lost his life in May, 2019 while on an anti-poaching patrol.

Later, Prince Harry will visit Mauwa Health Centre in Chiradzulu to appreciate the Pharmacy in a Box and Youth Reproductive Health Outreach programme before departing for South Africa on Wednesday.