State House has brushed aside allegation that Prophet Shepherd Bushiri came on the same flight with the President Lazarus Chakwera from South Africa on Friday evening.
Bushiri, who is on bail in South Africa, returned from to Malawi on Friday night in what he has described as a tactical withdrawal. Social media reports had earlier speculated that Bushiri might have returned home on the same flight with Chakwera.
State House Press Secretary, Brian Banda, on Saturday afternoon described the allegations as false.
He also said Chakwera and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, did not discuss the issue of Bushiri during their meeting in Pretoria on Friday.
“The topics of discussion between President Lazarus Chakwera, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and their delegations were highlighted by the two leaders during their joint press briefing,” Banda said.
However it started it all when media reports indicated that President Chakwera, in a meeting with traditional leaders from the Northern region where Bushiri comes from promised them that he would find out the issues that were surrounding Bushiri. This was after he was asked a question by one of the leaders if government could intervene on the situation of Bushiri.
Chakwera at that meeting registered that as the matters were in court, there was little that he could do but would find out from authorities in South Africa on the issue.
On Thursday, November 12, Chakwera flew into South Africa. Ahead of him, dignitaries including the Minister of foreign affairs Eisenhower Mkaka, had already gone into South Africa.
At the meeting of the Malawian and South African President, it is not known if the issue of Bushiri was tabled. At a joint presser, they both pointed to other bilateral issues including the employment conditions of Malawians in South Africa.
Chakwera was supposed to return to Malawi on Friday afternoon. His flight was however delayed in what state house claimed were issues with his delegation that he wanted to have cleared and return with all including the advance team.
His flight arrived at around 1 am on Saturday.
