Malawi has denied Zambia’s main opposition leader Michael Sata entry into the country and deported him, a Zambian immigration official said on Friday.
Immigration Department spokesperson Mulako Mbangweta said Sata, leader of the opposition Patriotic Front, was deported from Malawi late on Thursday.
”It is true that he [Sata] was [deported] upon arrival at Chileka airport in Blantyre, but we do not have any reasons,” said Mbangweta
Sata was not immediately available for comment.
”He was brought back to Zambia by road late last night through the Mwami border but his passport had no endorsement stamp to show that he had been to Malawi and he was denied entry,” Mbangweta added.
Sata, who narrowly lost the September 2006 elections to incumbent President Levy Mwanawasa, caused controversy at home after he conceded he had been meeting Taiwanese businessmen in Malawi amid allegations they funded his election campaign.
Sata had publicly stated during the poll campaign that he was going to cut ties with China and instead recognise Taiwan if he won the vote, after accusing Chinese investors of paying poor salaries to Zambians and ignoring safety standards.
Sata, who remains popular among poor Zambians, accused Mwanawasa during the election campaign of betraying them. He vowed to throw out Chinese and Indian investors in mining, accusing them of exploiting workers and paying few taxes.
Mbangweta said Sata had presented proper documents to Zambian immigration officers at Lusaka airport and that he was cleared to leave for Malawi on Thursday morning.
Malawian security officers handed over Sata to Zambian immigration authorities at the Mwami border post, east of the capital Lusaka, without explaining why he had been deported, Mbangweta said. — Reuters