South Africa has called for deportees to be “found guilty of illegal trade in alcohol.”
Malawi says several of its representatives have been deported after being found guilty of selling alcohol without a fine.
Malawi’s finance ministry in Lilongwe on Friday said South Africa had given ambassadors and their families 72 hours to leave the country.
The South African foreign ministry said in a statement that the decision was made because delegates “have been found guilty of illegal trade in alcohol” after a thorough investigation into their alleged negligence.
Pretoria said investigations into similar offenses and other missions commissioned in South Africa “are in the forefront and the same will be done if found guilty”.
Malawi’s foreign ministry has complained that “Malawian ambassadors… were declared civilians” and promised to punish the police if they returned home.
Several Lesotho embassies were deported to South Africa on Thursday for similar reasons.
South African journalists have reported that Lesotho’s most influential ambassadors have been importing alcohol without paying taxes and then reselling it at pubs and restaurants.
