A charity chaired by Malawi’s first lady, Gertrude Mutharika, has accepted multimillion-dollar pledges from two men facing serious legal scrutiny in South Africa,
A charity chaired by Malawi’s first lady, Gertrude Mutharika, has accepted multimillion-dollar pledges from two men facing serious legal scrutiny in South Africa, amid questions over its governance and regulatory compliance.
It has done so without providing publicly available audited accounts or confirmed proof of registration under Malawi’s updated non-profit regulatory framework.
The Beautify Malawi Trust, led by Mutharika, held a relaunch ceremony at Kamuzu Palace, the presidential residence in Lilongwe, in February, attended by President Peter Mutharika and senior government and ruling party officials.
Within three months, the trust had received a $1 million (about R16m) pledge from Zimbabwean businessperson Wicknell Chivayo and a 300 million kwacha (about R3m) donation from Malawian-born preacher Shepherd Bushiri and his wife.
