Media Council of Malawi acting executive director passes away

The Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Malawi) issued a statement soon after the announcement, made by MCM chairperson Rev. Patrick Semphere, where it expressed its deep shock with the passing on of Dambula. MISA-Malawi chairperson, Anthony Kasunda said Dambula will be remembered for his contribution to the media industry.

"George has been very active in his advocacy work from a rights perspective, as evidenced through his contributions at the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) where he worked as programmes officer whilst serving Media Council of Malawi as acting executive director," he said.

MISA-Malawi says it joins the media fraternity in Malawi and all Malawians in mourning the demise of Dambula.

"He has departed at a time when the media industry in Malawi needed his skills most," he said, who also sent condolences Dambula's family, relatives, colleagues and the entire media fraternity.

Dambula who will be laid to rest today in Kawale, Lilongwe, started his career as an information assistant at state owned Malawi News Agency (MANA) in 1989, where he worked as reporter and copywriter.

During the multiparty dispensation in the country in 1994, Dambula worked as deputy editor at the defunct weekly Malawian newspaper, before joining Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a religious civil rights body that single handedly negotiated for the transition for the autocratic rule to multiparty democracy in 1996 where he was, as its Programmes Officer, managing its IEC projects in democracy and governance; was working as its media liaison, developing manuals, newsletters and other IEC materials, coordination of lobbying and advocacy activities among others.

At PAC he rose to become head of programmes and it was at this point starting in July 2011 he started working as acting executive director for MCM. Dambula had a Law Diploma from the University of Malawi's Chancellor College and Master of Arts in Mass Communication obtained from Leicester University.