The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has terminated the contracts of all district reporters and several other reporters recruited last year, Malawi24 has learnt.
According to a source within the public broadcaster, the affected employees were informed of the decision on Thursday. The source said all district reporters who were recruited under three-year contracts have had their employment terminated with immediate effect.
Apart from the district reporters, some reporters who were recruited on permanent terms during the same period have also reportedly been dismissed.
The reasons behind the move remain unclear. However, sources claim that MBC management is allegedly linking the recruitment of the affected employees to political influence under the previous Malawi Congress Party (MCP)-led administration.
Additionally, the source said MBC management has justified the dismissal of some employees who were on permanent terms, arguing that they were originally meant to be recruited as district reporters and were erroneously offered permanent positions contrary to the intended recruitment arrangement.
Meanwhile, some of the affected employees are now threatening to convene a meeting to discuss the development and map the way forward, arguing that the decision has left them jobless despite some still having years remaining on their contracts.
As of press time, MBC management had yet to comment on the matter.
