Reuters reports that Malawi has announced today that it has lifted an entry ban on Zambia’s new president, Michael Sata, trying to head off a diplomatic spat before hosting a major regional conference next month.
President Bingu wa Mutharika’s government arrested Sata in 2007 when the then opposition politician entered Malawi to visit a former president. Sata was bundled into a car, driven several hundred kilometres, dumped at the border and told he could never come back.
Presidential spokesman Hetherwick Ntaba said Sata could no longer be treated as a “prohibited immigrant” now that he was a head of state.
“Under such circumstances, the fear of immigration embarrassment in Malawi for President Sata cannot arise in international diplomacy,” Ntaba said in a statement.
Prior to the announcement, Zambian media had said that Sata would not go to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa summit in Malawi because of the way he was treated by Mutharika’s government.
Mutharika has also strained ties with major aid donor Britain by expelling its ambassador over a leaked diplomatic cable in which the envoy called the Malawian leader autocratic.
He has faced international criticism and further losses of aid for his impoverished state after his forces killed 20 people in an anti-government rally in July.
Opposition leader Sata won election early this month in a peaceful transfer of power in Zambia, a rarity in Africa, where elections are often rigged or results ignored, with many leaders trying to subvert the democratic process through force.
Sata sued the Malawian authorities and the case is still in court. Malawi has never disclosed the reasons why it deported Sata
[Reuters]
lol embarrassment ba Malawi
Ako usulile ekopa noko (He whom you look down upon marries your mother!)… this Bemba saying has so many realities. It is interesting how humans decide to stereotype someone or something and take further steps to actualise it even against logic. Granted, perhaps the Malawians had a point then, but it has come back to haunt them for the way it was handled. Could have had the decency to at least fly him back the way he flew in???? Hope this mess is over with this gesture.
BINGU, YOUR TIME TO GO IS COMING. MALAWIANS ARE FED
So someone has finally managed to push some sense into that fools head mbingu.
yaba abena malabi thats why mtharika must be careful as the opposition in that country will get him too. they have learnt a lesson from zed that donchi kubeba is pawafu
President sata, hope u go there and forget what happen, it was humuliating, but thts part of life on planet earth.:-\”
Mbingu is one useless presido, i have ever come across! nonsense!
If i were Sata, i would go there with hands in my pockets!
you have cracked my ribs lol……
Too funny!!!
….a little too late for that now!
# 7 LOL!
Send Guy Scott! besides the President will be busy working in the country. The 90 days begin now.
SATA SHOULD GO AND RUB SHOULDERS WITH OTHER PRESIDENTS. IT IS NOT ABOUT MALAWI BUT AFRICA. MALAWI IS JUST A COINCIDENCE. NO NEED TO BOYCOTT IT. HE CAN GO AND QUICKLY LEAVE SOON AFTER THE MEETING.
Very ungrateful cows. They benefited more from us than we did from them. How about (no offence) all those abachawa we had in Zed? I hope HE doesn`t bother about them ala!
Very ungrateful c*o*w*s. They benefited more from us than we did from them. How about (no offence) all those abachawa we had in Zed? I hope HE doesn`t bother about them ala!
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WE DONT NEED BINGU OR MALAWI BUT MR SATA SHOULD ATTEND THE CONFFERENCE IN MALAWI AND DOES NOT NEED TO SHAKE HANDS WTH MUTHAKIRA AND VERY SOON HE WILL BE KICKED OUT OF OFFICE BY PEOPLE OF MALAWI AS WE ZAMBIANS DID TO HIS FRIEND RUPIYA BANDA. VIVA ZAMBIA VIVA MR SATA
Malawi,Zambia and Zimbabwe were one great country of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Federation though was painful created bonds among Africans and its not possible to break this bond, the peoples of these Nations are just too connected to disagree, they have a lot in common, they share the same names, they eat the same type of food and the Languages are almost similar.We are simply blood related simple. My message is, we should not let Politicians divide us, my plea to my brother Sata is let the water under the bridge go into the Ocean, you are now the President enjoy the benefits of being a President, prepare to be respected by citizen of Malawi and Zimbabwe because you are one of them. Forget what Bingu did to you because Bingu is not Malawi soon he will also go like RUPIYA.
He must not go let him send the vice or the minister of commerce! No need to start moving about there are more important issues he needs to address at home. Besides time is running out!
ba sata tata make sure you go there, it’s the only way will know you aint bitter about the past. Let bygones be bygones. Do it for peace and reconciliation remember what you said about renaming airports. VIVA ba kamba
13:40:48 the flag above is not a Malawian flag
Sata needs to put all this behind him and act as required of him as head of state but he could not go by using the excuse of him just gotten into office and a representative sent. The incident in Malawi highlights the luck of human rights in that country.
Malawi have changed the national flag, may that be corrected please. What happened should be a lesson to us that we need to treat one another kindly always not at times!
Lets invade and annex malawi. That will keep our soldiers busy for a while!!
Sata should not go to Malawi.Let Mbingu apologise.lifting the ban alone is not enough.What is there to gain in malawi anywere
Whene you make decisions not based on fact, attributes and old fashioned reason you get embarassed alone the way…Sata is now Nkwazi…Zambia 4 Malawi 1!
…and the counting of trips begins. Ati Ministry of traditional what?… and you call this devlopment? Ma rubbish. Madumbo maliketi ati minister of defence, ha ha, ha. Will Nsanada ati transport and something something, what a joke. Too many Bemba’s in this Cabinet any way. PF chaps who really mean well must be ashamed of this. HH is the man. We are watching you fellas.I am going for my beers in Kabwata. Years go by fast.
We are sending Donchi Kubeba mecenaries to assist the opposition there so as to kick out Mbingu.
Let’s not be emotional here,let reason govern us,let bygones be bygones!
I hope Mr President you dont go to Malawi. They havent apologized or at least given out the reasons they did what they did to you sir. Instead you should send a deputy minister to represent Zed thats it. You have bigger fish to fry!!!!!
How embarassing! This is why its bad to have a lawless society. Malawi must be running on jungle laws.
Boss it would be a good time for you to test the Challenger which Dickson Jere used to boast about when he was getting drank at legends club with his friends and hules….so just go and enjoy the manone..you can go in the morning and be back in the evening get a group photo with the rest..
LT please use the correct Malawian flag. This flag was changed and its a criminal offense to use it. Google and get the new flag!
Lets wait and see what Katumbi will do, after his support to MMD who were broadcasting from his province.
Mr President,attend the meeting.wat happened was before u became President and u must show mature leadership by going if its your country’s welfare ure really concerned about..otherwise there could be implications on a wider scale…Man Up and do the job u were elected for..and yes this is part of the job therez alot at stake if u choose not to go
Mr. President i know u will read this, don’t go their, kwati pali ka country, there are just too broke.
Reading from the story above, SATA is still banned from entering Malawi.
What will be allowed is the ‘office of president’.
This is because of the technicality that has arisen as SATA now holds the office which cannot be banned.
If Malawi had a way of separating the two, you would have seen that actually SATA is still a prohibited imigrant.
People in Malawi are well known for their atrocities. I remember in the time of Kamuzu a lot of people were victimised for being in the opositon. It’s like Wamutarica is short sited he never new Mr. Sata will be the next president and acted like an MMD cadre. Before our president goes there Mutarika should personally apologise for the embarrasment he gave to our president and tell us why. If he fails to do that we should send a Minister for foreghn affairs so that he can remember what he did not just mere lifting of the fimofimo. This should be good lesson to all people that let us live in harmony with all, you never know who will be the next president in any country after each election.
Bingu Southern Africa’s newest recruit to Tyranny must quit before he causes a Tunisia in Malawi
Malawi can fcuk off.
Ubukopo Mbingu! He should know that he is going to account for those hummers he bought for his campaigns one day just like his countryman RB is sweating over those bedfords and hiluxes packed at sikanze and lusaka central police now. donchi kubeba
Mr. President, I think don’t travel to Malawi. Send Guy Scot to avoid embarrassments. More over the case is in courts of law which has not yet disposed off. As Zambians I think we demand the explanation why they declared toy as prohibited Immigrant. This shows how corrupt both the MMD Government was the Malawian is! Shame on you BINGU. Mmaarrubbisshhii!!!!!!!
Your Excellence,just go ahead.Travel to malawi and attend the meeting.Malawian never acted alone in that case.They were just told what to do from our zambian gov’t.It was unfortunate for a country to accept instructions from another country.Bingu is also failing any time
Presidential spokesman Hetherwick Ntaba said Sata could no longer be treated as a “prohibited immigrant” now that he was a head of state.
What a stupid statement this is.
Sata should never go to Malawi anyway, as there is nothing there.
Bingu is a disappointment to democracy.
Bingu never listens to advice. He is the most arrogat human being in Malawi and is slowly surpassing the dicatorship record of Stalin, Hitler and Idi Amin. He is the most corrupt humanbeing Malawi has ever known. He should apologize as demanded by King Cobra. I love this man Sata because he is principaled. As A Malawin myslef I do not like the way Bingu deported the British High Commisoner. I wish God had done something to get rid of this thief who survived at COMESA through emmbezzelement of funds and opened up farms in Zimbabwe. God save Malawi get him out soon Amen.
president sata shudnt go there cos the case is stil in the courts.if they want him to go there bfore the case is disposd off let bingu who is bhind the embarasment apologiz en nt jst say sinc sata is nw president he is welcom in malawi.cos we are seeing a fool here trying to b clever.lets learn to say sorry wen ur wrong en never i say never to enter into othr nations internal affairs
# 8, LMAO!
Iwe chi Bingu, mini Mugabe, ba koswe imwe! You’ve made your bed and now lie in it.
Sata never has to go to Malawi or Zimbabwe, if anything those two embarrassments of Africa need Zambia more than we need them.
Malawians are paupers, a lot of them in chawama and kanyama with forged NRCs,in south africa they work as houseboys and toilet cleaners. What they only know is muti and witchcraft. Zambians are a proud nation.fusaki malawit fusaki. Viva Mr Sata.