Diplomatic mishap: South Africa mistakes Malawi VP Chihana for opposition politician Chimwendo Banda

South African government suffered an embarrassing diplomatic mishap after mistakenly identifying Malawi Second Vice-President Enoch Chihana as opposition politician Richard Chimwendo Banda.

Chihana arrived at King Shaka International Airport in Durban on Saturday to represent President Arthur Peter Mutharika at the 46th Ordinary Summit of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government.

Chihana confirmed his mission on arrival, saying Mutharika had also directed him to hold high-level bilateral and multilateral engagements while in South Africa.

“At the direction of the State President, Mutharika, I will also attend high-level bilateral and multilateral discussions to strengthen Malawi’s diplomatic and economic relationship with fellow SADC countries and investors,” he said.

But in an official social media post announcing his arrival, the South African government introduced Chihana as “Malawi’s Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda”.

“ARRIVAL | Malawi’s Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda arrives at King Shaka International Airport ahead of the 46th Ordinary Summit of #SADC Heads of State and Government,” reads the original post.

It added that the Malawian representative had been received by South Africa’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, ahead of the regional gathering at Durban International Convention Centre.

There was one major problem: the man pictured was not Chimwendo Banda. It was Malawi Second Vice-President Enoch Kamzingeni Chihana.

Making the diplomatic mix-up even more striking, Chimwendo Banda is not a minister in Mutharika administration.

He is Secretary General of Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which lost power to Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2025 Malawi general elections.

Chimwendo Banda previously served as Minister of Local Government and Leader of Government Business in Parliament under former President Lazarus Chakwera. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Chakwera administration.

South African government swiftly deleted and replaced the erroneous post after the mistake was spotted. The corrected post properly identified Chihana as Malawi Second Vice-President.

Mutharika was already in South Africa

There is another twist to Chihana’s presence in Durban. President Mutharika was himself already in South Africa, having spent 11 days there on a private visit.

Despite being in the country hosting the SADC summit, Mutharika did not attend the regional gathering and instead delegated Chihana to represent him. Mutharika returned to Malawi on Saturday, the same day Chihana arrived in Durban.

Mutharika has made several private visits to South Africa since returning to power, including trips in December 2025, March, June and August 2026.

Repeated visits have attracted questions over their frequency and purpose, although government has consistently maintained they are private.

Chihana, who leads Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), serves as Malawi’s Second Vice-President, while DPP’s Jane Ansah is First Vice-President.