Blunder: MBC presenter describes Peter Mutharika as dead


In just a few weeks, state owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation ( MBC) has for the second described incumbent President Peter Mutharika as dead.

This is another time the station has mistaken Peter for his fallen former President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Maseya: made the blunder

This time around, it has been presenter Steven Maseya missing Peter for Bingu.

He was along with co-host of a propaganda program Hope Chisanu.

Maseya was expressing worry that other politicians were celebrating the death of Bingu in 2012 only to mention Peter Mutharika instead.

The clip has since gone viral.

It comes following the suspension of four journalists said to have made an error that saw the airing of a report that dubbed Peter as dead instead of Bingu who died while in power in 2012.

The report was about the unveiling of Bingu’s statue only for the reporter to say it was Peter’s and the line editors had missed that too before it aired in the main evening bulletin.

Initially, Mutharika’s own runningmate Everton Chimulirenji had at a public rally made a similar mistake.

DPP top official Sam Vuwa Kaunda also made the same mistake.

The two Mutharika’s are often mistaken due to their likeness in voice, facial features and the academic ranks of Professor.

Bingu founded the DPP having broken out of his parent party, the UDF in 2004 and is often aligned to the successes of the party as his first term has been vehemently touted as transformative by commentators.

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