A heated exchange erupted in Parliament on Tuesday after government accused the opposition of making unsubstantiated claims over the cost of repatriating Malawians fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The dispute followed remarks by Lilongwe Nyanja legislator and Malawi Cngress Party (MCP) Director of Youth, Steven Baba Malondera, who claimed at a political rally in Lilongwe Chilobwe that government was spending about K1.6 million to repatriate each returnee.

Deputy Leader of the House, Shadric Namalomba, dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.

He said Baba Malondera, as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, should make public statements based on verified facts.

Baba Malondera defended his remarks, saying they were based on a report presented to Parliament by the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, which indicated that K24 billion had been allocated to repatriate 15,000 Malawians.

He argued that the figures translate to about K1.6 million per person, far above the estimated K240,000 actual repatriation cost, raising questions over public expenditure.

Aspolo Mousah – Staff Reporter, Lilongwe