Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) director general Godfrey Itaye has been removed from his position.

Details are sketchy, but it is understood that Itaye has been reassigned to the Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC) where he served prior to his move to MACRA.

MPC postmaster general Henry Sham has replaced Itaye at the regulator.

The latest development has again highlighted growing discord between civil society groups and the government.

Most recently the Malawi Human Rights Commission and other organisations, including the Human Rights Defender Coalition (HRDC), accused the regulator and Itaye of “being toothless” after failing to take action against the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for airing what the Commission claims was “obscene and disparaging content” against the country’s vice president Saulos Chilima.

Chilima has teamed up with other political parties to challenge the incumbent Peter Mutharika.

Last week Malawi Human Rights Commission chairperson Reverend Patrick Semphere was forced to call for a meeting behind closed doors with officials from the Ministry of Information to discuss MBC’s language against Chilima.

After the meeting, Semphere said, “We are wondering why it is taking time for MACRA to act on MBC’s recent unprofessional conduct in which the station used swearwords against Chilima.”

Civil society organisations joined the Human Rights Commission to petition the regulator to take action against the national broadcaster, but Itaye refused to suspend the broadcaster’s licence.

Communication sent to MACRA reads: “MBC is denying us and the nation the right to credible information and it is leading the country astray, yet MACRA does not appear to take any efforts to enforce the Communications Act against MBC.”

Tension escalated after Itaye threatened to shut down the country’s three largest private broadcasters for allegedly violating their broadcasting licences during the ongoing political campaigns, ahead of fresh presidential elections.

Itaye said the political broadcasts by Mibawa TV, Times TV and Zodiak Broadcasting Station were “indecent, insulting and offensive” and were against the provision of their licences.

The country’s Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communications Technology Mark Botomani did not respond to a media inquiry on Itaye’s removal from MACRA.