Violet Chakwera, the daughter of Malawi’s president, has officially taken up a post in the Malawian embassy in London – it follows months of speculation that she had joined the diplomatic service.
This has proved controversial as one of President Lazarus Chakwera’s key campaign pledges when he won elections in 2020 was to end nepotism.
He faced widespread criticism when Ms Chakwera attended a training session for newly appointed diplomats last year.
Reports had then indicated she would be going to Brussels to work as third secretary at the Malawi mission to the European Union.
But following the backlash, President Chakwera appeared to reverse the appointment.
He told BBC’s HardTalk programme in July that the allegation that he had appointed his daughter as an envoy was a lie, challenging “those making such claims to check their facts”.
In the following months, Ms Chakwera, who used to work in the travel industry, took up a job at State House, working as a personal assistant to her mother, First Lady Monica Chakwera.
A foreign ministry official has now confirmed that she has begun work at the Malawi High Commission in the UK as first secretary responsible for investments.
In an interview in Malawi’s private Daily Times newspaper, President Chakwera says this was not his decision as he is only responsible for appointing ambassadors and deputy ambassadors – and all other posts are decided by the foreign ministry.
BBC
