Prominent governance and human rights advocate Undule Mwakasungula has strongly criticized civil society organizations (CSOs) calling for the dismissal of State House Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga over corruption allegations linked to the Zuneth Sattar case.
Kapondamgaga is among several senior Malawian officials named in documents submitted to the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the United Kingdom in a high-profile corruption case involving UK-based businessman Zuneth Sattar. The revelations prompted the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) to urge President Lazarus Chakwera to immediately remove Kapondamgaga from office.
However, Mwakasungula has labeled such calls as reckless, premature, and damaging to Malawi’s democratic principles. He accused some CSOs of abandoning the rule of law in favor of politically charged activism.
“While I fully recognize the important oversight role CSOs play in a democracy, they must operate within the bounds of the law,” Mwakasungula said. “Kapondamgaga has not been convicted of any crime. The matter is still under legal consideration in a foreign jurisdiction. We cannot crucify someone on the basis of allegations alone.”
He warned that treating unproven accusations as grounds for dismissal undermines due process and risks setting a dangerous precedent. “When civil society becomes complainant, prosecutor, and judge, we erode the very justice we claim to defend,” he added.
Mwakasungula stressed that Malawi’s Constitution upholds the principle of innocence until proven guilty and gives the President full discretion over hiring and firing his appointees. Pressuring the President to act without legal conviction, he said, would not only be unconstitutional but politically destabilizing.
He also questioned the weight being given to foreign court documents without evaluating their relevance or compatibility with Malawian law. “Appearing in UK court filings does not equate to guilt under our legal system,” he argued.
Defending Kapondamgaga’s position in State House, Mwakasungula described him as a key figure in President Chakwera’s administration and re-election campaign. “To remove him now—just months before the election—would be political suicide. It would destabilize the campaign machinery at a critical time,” he warned.
While affirming the importance of fighting corruption, Mwakasungula called for a measured and lawful approach. “We must resist turning anti-corruption into a witch-hunt. Justice must be fair, not politically convenient,” he said. “We’ve made progress—high-profile figures are facing prosecution. Let’s not derail that by politicizing justice or punishing people by association.”
He concluded by urging CSOs to remain vigilant but grounded in constitutional principles and legal integrity. “True democracy demands both accountability and fairness. We must not sacrifice one for the other.”
