A wave of disinformation and what appears to be a coordinated smear campaign has swept across social media, falsely implicating Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha and Attorney General Frank Mbeta in the ongoing Amaryllis Hotel scandal — despite investigators repeatedly confirming that neither man had any hand in the tainted money at the centre of the affair.
‘Not a Shred of Evidence’ in Attempt to Tie Mwanamveka, to Hotel Controversy”
The wild claims began circulating rapidly across several online news outlets and social media platforms in the immediate aftermath of the arrest of former MERA boss Collins Magalasi, with unverified posts attempting to drag both senior officials into the unfolding controversy.
However, officials from Parliament who conducted an inquiry into the Amaryllis saga have flatly rejected any suggestion that Mwanamvekha is connected to the scandal, insisting there is not a shred of truth to the claims and branding the online allegations nothing more than a smear campaign designed to damage his reputation.
Mwanamvekha himself has so far declined to directly address the spreading claims, telling reporters he did not wish to “dignify” what he described as fake news with a response.
Commentators have challenged anyone with evidence linking Mwanamvekha to the hotel saga to report him to police.
Sources close to the matter suggest the Finance Minister may be facing a targeted political smear campaign, with detractors allegedly seeking to undermine his credibility after he oversaw a period of relative economic stability — though this remains an allegation rather than a confirmed motive, and no individual or group has been formally identified as being behind the disinformation drive.
The episode has reignited debate around the dangers of unchecked, sensationalist reporting on social media, with Malawian media experts warning that such practices can seriously mislead the public and erode trust in journalism when crucial context is stripped away.
Media Council of Malawi (MCM) Executive Director Moses Kaufa said journalism ethics do not require every headline or social media post to contain every single detail, but stressed that the information presented must never create a false or misleading impression of events.
“MCM Code of Ethics requires journalistic material to be credible, balanced, fair and verifiable. Therefore, the headlines should reflect the story and avoid misleading the audience. Journalists are also required to avoid speculation,” Kaufa said.
He acknowledged that some media houses and journalists may be tempted to resort to sensational reporting purely to attract attention online, but warned there are serious real-world consequences that follow — including public outrage, reputational damage, personal humiliation, or even the fuelling of violence.
“Once the audience perceives that media houses are more interested in clicks than truth and human dignity, credibility of the entire profession suffers,” he added.
Kaufa urged newsroom editors to actively safeguard the integrity of digital journalism by strictly adhering to ethical standards, stressing it was essential for newsrooms to regularly assess whether their reporting genuinely informs the public, provides meaningful context, respects human dignity, and serves the wider public interest.
“A story can generate more clicks but still be poor journalism if those views were achieved by stripping away context, invading someone’s privacy or provoking outrage,” he said.
Media expert Anthony Gunde echoed those concerns, warning that the explosive rise of social media reporting has intensified competition for audience attention, often at the expense of accuracy. He said some editors may now prioritise attention-grabbing framing over conveying the true meaning of a story.
“This is worse within the context of science communication, such as issues of health and climate change, which many news reporters lack knowledge of,” Gunde said.
He urged Malawi’s more established, conventional media houses to resist falling into the same trap, warning that doing so risks steadily eroding public trust over time — a lesson the current Amaryllis-linked disinformation episode appears to underline in real time.
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