Charge d’Affaires at Malawi’s Embassy in Israel, David Bisonwatty, David Bisnowatty, has piled pressure on the Directorate of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD), demanding that he be given a contract as a prerequisite for him to continue serving at the embassy.
This contradicts his earlier promise to the Government of Malawi that he would be working on pro bono basis.
In April 2024, Malawi opened its embassy in Tel Aviv with an aim of strengthening longstanding bilateral relations with Israel.
But as the government was scouting for the suitable candidate to fill the vacancy of the ambassador, Bisnowatty offered himself, promising that he would not need a salary to run the embassy.
In May this year, Bisnowatty went further to tell local media that he went to Israel on a pro bono basis, he would take care of the monthly rentals for the embassy.
In return, the Malawi Government gave him the highly sought after Diplomatic Passport together with his wife and kids.
But it is now dawning on Malawians that Bisnowatty was merely avoiding interviews by the Parliamentary Appointments Committee (PAC), which had already expressed its reservations on the way his appointment came.
“Biznowatty, who is already in Israel as the de facto ambassador, claimed he would work pro bono because he has Malawi’s best interests at heart. However, the embassy has already spent over MK600 million on Biznowatty, including purchasing a top-of-the-range Mercedes Benz worth $110,000 (MK275 million) in less than three months since he assumed office in Tel Aviv.Despite these expenditures, there has been minimal impact on Malawi-Israel relations since his appointment,” said the source.
As if that was not enough, Bisnowatty is now pressing DHRMD to give him a contract, which contradicts his earlier promise to offer his services free of charge.
The move has shocked senior officials at the Capital Hill who expected the former legislator to honour his promise.
“The DHRMD has rejected his advances and the matter is now in the hands of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs,” said the source.
Bisnowatty was due to take up the post of ambassador before the Government of Israel rejected him because of his dual citizenship status.
Last week, the media was awash with news about abuse of public resources orchestrated by the de facto Charge d’Affaires barely months after he was nominated into the job.
According to sources, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nancy Tembo, is utilizing the embassy for personal purposes, disregarding standard protocols and procedures.
The sources said they were not surprised that Tembo has turned the embassy into a personal entity because she is the only one who defended his appointment.
“The appointment of Bisnowaty as Charge d’Affaires does not require confirmation by the Public Appointments Committee (PAC),” Tembo defended when Forum for National Development questioned the criteria used in appointing Bisnowatty.
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