Voice Mhone tells PAC ‘mum hails from Thyolo’:  Rejected

Ambassador-designate to Germany Voice Mhone failed to persuade the Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament during interviews for diplomatic posts to confirm him by saying he comes from the President Peter Mutharika’s home district of Thyolo.

All along Mhone, former chairman of Council for Non government organisations (Congoma) has used Nkhatabay in the northern region as his home.

But he told PAC of his connection to the Lhomwe belt, saying his mother was from Thyolo.

PAC reportedly could not confirm his appointment but referred it back to President Mutharika.

Other names who failed to get the nod of the committee included Ambassador-designate to Brazil Edward Sawerengera, High Commissioner-designate to South Africa Chrissie Kaponda and Ambassador-designate to Egypt Yunus Mussa.

Kaponda had links with the Lhomwe tribal grouping, Mulhako wa Alhomwe, but also had unspecified contracts with government and failed to convince the committee whether these would be terminated on her appointment.

PAC confirmed on merit Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union  Ted Kalebe, Ambassador to the United States of America Necton Mhura, Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union (AU) Chimango Chirwa and High Commissioner to Mozambique Frank Viyazyi—were approved.

Chimango Chirwa also said his father was from Euthini in Mzimba, but his mother was from Mulanje.

PAC was interviewing the appointees with the exception of Thoko Banda who was disqualified when it was learnt that he had called leader of Zimbabwe President Mugabe an ‘idiot’ in an interview he had conducted while in Germany.