Malawi's civil society has welcomed the return of Henry Mathanga as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM), describing it as a long-overdue victory for the rule of law after years of political interference that damaged the country's most important financial institution.
In a joint statement released on Monday, the Malawi CSO-led Black Economic Empowerment Movement (MaBLEM) and the Forum for National Development (FND) said Mathanga's reinstatement is not simply about restoring one official to office, but about correcting a serious injustice that weakened the independence, stability and credibility of the central bank. They said his removal in 2020 was unlawful and driven by politics rather than professional or legal grounds.
Mathanga, a career central banker who has served the RBM since 1984 under five different administrations, became a casualty of what the two organisations described as the politicisation of the RBM following the change of government in 2020. They noted that he was targeted not because of misconduct or incompetence, but because of perceived political associations, even though the law protects the central bank from exactly that kind of political capture.
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MaBLEM and FND pointed out that the dismissal of the RBM Board at the time violated the Reserve Bank of Malawi Act, which requires continuity in leadership to protect institutional memory and stability. They said FND had warned the government then that firing the entire board, including senior executives like Mathanga, was illegal and exposed the bank to manipulation, a move they argue contributed to Malawi's broader economic instability.
After his removal, Mathanga was arrested and charged, but five years later the State has failed to secure a single conviction, with charges repeatedly being altered. The two organisations said this pattern shows how the criminal justice system has been abused to give political cover to an unlawful decision. They warned that this practice, now common during political transitions, allows careers to be destroyed without due process and undermines confidence in both the justice system and public institutions.
They also rejected claims that Mathanga is not fit to hold office, saying the law is clear that only people convicted of crimes involving theft, fraud, dishonesty or forgery can be disqualified from serving at the RBM. Since Mathanga has no such conviction, he remains legally eligible to serve. They stressed that under Malawi's Constitution, he is innocent until proven guilty, and denying him the right to work based on unproven allegations is unconstitutional.
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MaBLEM and FND further clarified that Mathanga's return is not a fresh appointment, but a reinstatement to a position he was unlawfully removed from, meaning the government is simply correcting an illegal act rather than making a new political choice.
They said the development should serve as a warning to political leaders that public service is governed by law, not by partisan interests or personal vendettas, especially in sensitive institutions like the central bank. They added that targeting professionals based on their home region, religion or perceived political loyalty weakens the state and ultimately hurts ordinary Malawians.
The two organisations also called on the judiciary to speed up cases, saying prolonged delays allow unresolved charges to be used as tools to keep people out of work and out of public life, which has no place in a constitutional democracy.
They concluded that Mathanga's reinstatement must mark a turning point in Malawi's governance culture, away from the politicisation of public service and towards respect for professionalism, legality and institutional independence, warning that when a country sidelines its best experts, the whole nation pays the price.
