Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) board of directors has dismissed the public broadcaster’s director general George Kasakula for “gross misconduct”.
Both Kasakula and MBC public relations and customer affairs manager Chisomo Mwamadi confirmed the development in separate interviews yesterday.
In a brief response, Mwamadi said Kasakula was relieved of his duties on grounds of “gross misconduct”.
Kasakula, on the other hand, said he received the dismissal letter yesterday.
“It is true that the board has summarily dismissed me. They are saying I was partisan,” he said in a telephone interview.
The board’s decision follows Kasakula’s appearance before its Human Resource and Administration Committee last week on a charge of politicising the public broadcaster.
Ka sa ku l a , who wa s suspended last October soon after the change of government, said he defended himself during the hearing and intends to challenge the board’s decision.
“When you feel that somebody has violated your
rights, you have liberty to go to court so I will exercise that option,” he said.
Kasakula, who was appointed in 2021, signed a new contract running from June 2024 to 2027.
Prior to his suspension, Kasakula was on October 10 assaulted by suspected governing Democrat i c Progressive Party cadets at MBC TV Kwacha Studios in Blantyre where they forced him out of his office and dragged him to a live studio to apologise to President Peter Mutharika and First Lady Gertrude Mutharika for negative comments during the campaign.
Sect ion 117 (3) of Communications Act (2016) provides that the director general shall be removed from office on several grounds, including incompetence, misconduct and involvement in active politics.
In an interview yesterday, Media Institute of Southern Af rica Malawi Chapter chairperson Golden Matonga noted that every administration has put pressure on the public broadcaster to toe a certain political line.
He said Misa Malawi proposes a review of the Communications Act of 2016 to change the manner of appointment of the board of MBC and management of the public broadcaster.
Sect ion 112 (1) of Communications Act (2016) provides that the President shall appoint members of the MBC board and each appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament.
In December, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Shadric Namalomba warned MBC against deliberate failure to uphold the institution’s mandate as a nationa l broadcaster, stressing that political bias and unprofessional conduct will no longer be tolerated.
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