Malawi’s main opposition bloc is escalating calls for official clarity on President Peter Mutharika’s extended unannounced stay in South Africa, as the southern African nation grapples with cascading crises including crippling fuel shortages, rolling nationwide power outages, dwindling essential medical supplies, and a severe foreign currency crunch that has paralyzed key import operations.
The 86-year-old head of state departed Malawi on October 6 for what government officials have only labeled a private personal visit, marking his fifth documented trip to South Africa in the current calendar year. No detailed public disclosures have been released regarding the purpose, itinerary, or exact timeline of any of these repeated cross-border visits, drawing mounting public scrutiny from citizens and political observers alike.
In a press briefing held Thursday in the Malawian capital Lilongwe, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) campaign director Moses Kunkuyu emphasized that the opposition does not dispute the president’s legal right to travel for private matters, but stressed that the nation cannot afford a leadership gap at a moment of unprecedented hardship. “Malawi is at a critical juncture where decisive, visible governance is non-negotiable,” the MCP stated in an official communiqué. Kunkuyu called on Vice-President Jane Ansah to address the nation directly to outline who is overseeing day-to-day state operations, and to present a concrete roadmap to resolve the overlapping crises hitting ordinary households hardest: months-long fuel queues at service stations, erratic power grids that have disrupted small business operations, empty pharmacy shelves in public health facilities, and restricted access to hard currency that has pushed up prices for all imported essential goods.
Kunkuyu noted that Malawian citizens are not demanding the president’s immediate return from personal travel, but basic reassurance that a clear, accountable authority is steering the country through its economic turmoil, rather than a de facto leadership vacuum.
Government officials have pushed back firmly against the opposition’s demands. Information Minister Shadric Namalomba dismissed claims of a governance gap in remarks to local media, asserting that “a serving head of state retains full authority over all national affairs at all times, regardless of his physical location.” When pressed to share details of Mutharika’s ongoing South Africa visit, Namalomba refused further elaboration, noting that the trip was explicitly categorized as private. He went on to accuse the MCP of attempting to weaponize national hardships that he claimed were created during the opposition’s previous term in office, when Mutharika’s predecessor Lazarus Chakwera held the presidency. “Malawians voted our administration into power precisely because the MCP failed miserably to resolve these very challenges,” Namalomba said, urging opposition leaders to refrain from public criticism while the current government works to address inherited structural issues.
Earlier this month, senior state officials moved to quash unsubstantiated social media rumors claiming Mutharika had secretly traveled onward from South Africa to India for undisclosed medical treatment. Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi confirmed the president remained in South Africa, and urged the public to disregard unvetted online speculation. Mutharika has previously dismissed all past public questions about his health as “silly and laughable,” repeatedly stating he remains in full good health and fully capable of executing his presidential duties.
The president’s extended absence has already forced a last-minute adjustment to Malawi’s diplomatic representation at a regional summit: Mutharika formally delegated the country’s trade minister to lead the national delegation at the ongoing Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit taking place in Zimbabwe.
Mutharika first assumed the Malawian presidency in 2014, serving a single term through 2020, before winning a landmark 2024 presidential election that saw him unseat incumbent Lazarus Chakwera to return to the highest office exactly one year prior to this latest overseas trip.
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Malawi opposition demands answers over president’s prolonged stay abroad
