LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s civil society under the banner Malawi Civil Society Led Black Economic Empowerment Movement (MaBLEM) Taskforce on Sunday demanded that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) clarify or retract the remarks made by an expert on terrorism linking Malawians especially Muslim Yaos to terrorism.
MaBLEM Taskforce observes that “the remarks have negatively affected our nation’s image and reputation beyond our borders as links to terrorism is a serious allegation.
The grouping have joined the call Council of Muslim theologians in Johannesburg condemned the report made by South African Broadcasting Corporation – SABC news saying Malawians were involved in the Al-shabab Kenya terror attack.
The Malawi government has also however through Ministry of Information on Saturday demanded full retraction of the articles from Times Group titled; “Malawi implicated in Kenyan terror” arguing that the story compromise journalism ethics of putting the nation at disrepute.
Below is the full letter MaBLEM Taskforce to The General Manager South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) signed by its Chairperson Robert James Mkwezalamba;
Malawi Civil Society Led Black Economic
Empowerment Movement
(MaBLEM) Taskforce
C/O P.O. Box 20355, Lilongwe 3
Phone: 0999950524 / 0999950925
19th January 2019
The General Manager
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
Private Bag X1
Auckland Park 2006
Johannesburg, South Africa
CC : The South African High Commissioner to Malawi
South African High Commission
P.O. Box 30043
Lilongwe 3,
Malawi
: United Nation Resident Coordinator to Malawi; MS. Maria Jose Torres Macho
: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Malawi
: Minister of Information, Malawi
: Director General, Malawi Communication and Regulatory Authority, MACRA
Dear Sir,
DEMAND LETTER TO SABC TO CLARIFY THE REPORT THAT MALAWIANS OF
YAO MOSLEMS ARE BEING RECRUITED AS TERRORIST BY AL SHABAB
We write to demand that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) clarify or retract the
remarks made by an expert on terrorism linking Malawians especially Muslim Yaos to terrorism.
The remarks have negatively affected our nation’s image and reputation beyond our borders as links
to terrorism is a serious allegation.
As Malawians we cannot keep quite when such allegations are being made by such a reputable broadcaster without any authentication, a thing which has the effect of making the whole world believing the assertions as true.
You might wish to note that such allegations have ability to cause hate towards Malawians and we
challenge SABC to further take to task their so called expert, who unfortunately is linked to SABC
through Channel Africa to justify his assertion.
Failure to do this, SABC must carry out a full retraction and apology to the Malawi Government, the people of Malawi, Malawi Moslems and above all the Yao tribe.
The South African Government must join Malawi in this demand as we have so many Yao Moslems
that travel to South Africa and the said report might create hate and animosity towards them and
even suffer attacks.
Malawians are already at risk of xenophobic attack, and the assertions made
might fuel further attacks on Malawians.
We as a Civil Society grouping, believes that NO Malawian is recruited nor participate in terrorism
by Al Shabab or elsewhere, therefore let the expert and SABC provide evidence or else we will be
forced to seek legal redress on the matter.
We demand the due process of the law and an end to xenophobic acts and innuendos by SA citizens towards Malawians or any personalities of foreign nation resident in South Africa.
By copy of this letter, we strongly demand an immediate intervention on this matter by the Malawi
Government through Ministries of Information and Foreign Affairs to put the matter into acceptable
conclusion.
In particular, we request the Ministry of Information to order Malawi Communications
Regulatory Authority (MACRA) to block all SABC channels in Malawi should they not issue a
disclaimer or retraction and apology within the next 14days.
Signed
Robert James Mkwezalamba
Chairperson MABLEM
HRCC
chairpersonhrcc@gmail.com
Fryson Chodzi
Coordinator..MABLEM forumfornationaldevelopment@gmail.com
