By Burnett Munthali
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda has rejected reports that he has resigned from his position, describing a resignation letter circulating on social media as fake and insisting that he has no plans to leave the party’s top leadership.
Nyasa Times reported on September 7, 2026, that Chimwendo Banda addressed the resignation rumours after a purported letter began circulating online. The MCP secretary general used his social media platform to directly challenge the authenticity of the document and reassure his supporters that he remains in office.
In a post published on September 6, Chimwendo Banda dismissed the alleged resignation letter in a mixture of Chichewa and English, making it clear that he had neither considered resigning nor submitted a resignation.
“Mukuzungulira kalata ya resignation. This is fake,” Chimwendo wrote, according to the report.
He went further, declaring that he would not resign, using the Chichewa expression “olo kamba atadukula” to underline the strength of his position. The phrase invokes the image of a tortoise crawling and was used rhetorically to stress that his resignation was not something he was contemplating.
The statement comes as social media continues to play a significant role in the circulation of political claims in Malawi, where purported official letters and announcements can spread widely before their authenticity is established.
Chimwendo’s response has consequently shifted the focus from the alleged resignation to the credibility of the document itself. Rather than announcing a departure, the senior MCP official has publicly maintained that he remains committed to his position as secretary general.
The episode also highlights the growing challenge faced by political parties and public figures in dealing with unverified information shared through social media platforms.
For Chimwendo, however, the message was unequivocal: the resignation claim does not represent his position, and he says he intends to remain in the MCP leadership.
The controversy is likely to keep attention focused on developments within the MCP, particularly as political parties continue to manage internal debates, leadership questions and rapidly spreading information online.
For now, Chimwendo Banda’s own public statement is that he has not resigned and has no intention of resigning from the MCP secretary general position.
