Safiel Percy Kachipande was born in Ntcheu, Malawi. He is a former civil servant and diplomat for Malawi diplomatic missions to Germany, US and South Africa[1] [2].
Prior to entering the foreign service, as a civil servant he was District Commissioner for Dedza District and Zomba District[3]. He also worked on the Malawi-Canada Railway project.
In the United States, he was also a Consular in the 1987-1989 for the Malawi permanent mission to the United Nations in New York and to the embassy in Washington, DC [4] [5].
In South Africa, he served as the First secretary and later acting Ambassador during apartheid South Africa[1]. Due to his determination to pursue top quality education for his family, one of his daughters became the first black student to attend and hence integrate Pretoria High School for Girls (PHSG) during the apartheid era where schools were legally separated by race[6]. PHSG thus became the first all-white public school in the province of Northern Transvaal (now Gauteng) to integrate under the leadership of headmistress Anne Van Zyl.[7] In South Africa, he worked as a UN observer during South Africa's first democratic election process, helping to ensure free and fair elections. He was instrumental in ensuring continued diplomatic relations between Malawi and the new ANC government during the transition period in South Africa.Diplomatic relations between Malawi and South Africa had been unstable because Malawi was the only African country with a Black majority government (the other being White minority-ruled Zimbabwe), to have diplomatic ties with South Africa throughout the apartheid era. His efforts resulted in Nelson Mandela's first trip to Malawi after his release from jail and prior to becoming the president of South Africa and assurances of continued relationship between the two countries. In 1992, Malawi was also transitioning to a multi-party democracy and changing oppressive laws under Kamuzu Banda[8].
In Malawi he worked with the Ministry of justice and Ministry of Education[9]. He was on the board of directors of the Designated Schools Board. He retired as a civil servant in Malawi. He ran a successful campaign as a parliamentary candidate in the 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections for Ntcheu West[10] [11] [12]. The results of which were being contested due to alleged irregularities during elections[13].
He currently does charity work with Project Wellness, Canada that builds boreholes in rural areas[14][15].