There was drama at parliament building on Wednesday morning as George Chaponda was sent out of the Business Committee meeting where both he and Kondwani Nankhumwa appeared to represent Leader of Opposition.
Speaker of the House Catherine Gottani Hara told the meeting that Chaponda has an injunction on his head, stopping him from being Leader of Opposition.
Gotani Hara, conceded that parliament is tied with the laws and that it follows what the laws spitulate.
However, the speaker allowed Chaponda’s whip Jappie Mhango to attend the meeting.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) appointed Chaponda as Leader of Opposition in Parliament after firing Kondwani Nankhumwa from the party.
Social media reports are indicating that a human rights activist based in South Africa who has been a critic of the MCP led Tonse Alliance government since 2020 when President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera was voted into government is coming to Malawi to join the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
Ben Longwe has now been proved to be a darling of the MCP, his audios have turned against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) the party he has been advising on what best to do and news of his coming to Malawi to join the MCP, is not a surprise.
Charles Ben Longwe
He has been praising President Chakwera for his policies claiming that his government is now moving well because of good policies praying to the Almighty God to continue bless him to walk the talk to reach the promised land of Canaan.
Speaking through an audio clip from South Africa circulating in various social media platforms, Ben Longwe, faulted some people wrong for fabricating lies that he is coming to Malawi to join the MCP following Commandant Redson Munlo who was welcomed into the MCP during a rally held in Mwanza by President Chakwera.
Longwe said he can not join the MCP but he is MCP himself appealing to those who wants to prove him wrong to contact the Malefula family in Zomba and they will be told that Ben Longwe is MCP and cannot join any other party apart from the MCP.
He said he turned against his party-MCP from 2020 for practicing bad policies but since President Chakwera is now implementing good policies for the development of the country, he has joined him in his quest to build a new Malawi.
The activist has thanked President Chakwera for not signing Political Party bill of funding parties” observing that the Bill was passed in Parliament by all members but President Chakwera thought it wise of not signing it into law saying this is what a good leader must do putting Malawi, first.
Longwe said had President Chakwera started not signing other Bills which seems to be infringing rights of the citizens into law soon after being sworn in as President of the country, Chakwera would not have enemies as seen today.
He has appealed to President Chakwera to continue not signing useless bills when they come to his table for Malawi to remain in peace, the country is lacking good policies, saying if they don’t have money to run their parties, they should disband the parties and not waiting for Parliament to give them money.
“Malawi is sailing through a sea of economic challenges, people have no money in their pockets and Parliament funding political parties, that’s nonsense,” said Longwe.
On a sad note, Longwe has expressed his grave concern over MPs who speaks during President Chakwera’s rallies that they don’t of speak of hunger which is biting hard their people but speaking more of their parties reminding them that people attending their rallies have no food and will not eat politics of their parties.
The Mozambique government has suspended two border police officers suspected to have assaulted a Malawian truck driver, Elaston Ngonyani last month.
Mozambican officials disclosed this during a Joint Technical Committee of Officials Meeting on the Malawi-Mozambique Border Reaffirmation Exercise and Emerging Issues in Mangochi on Monday.
Elaston Konyani being assaulted by Police officers
The Mozambican delegation told the meeting that they condemned the actions of the Police officers at Zobue, adding that the concerned officers have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation that has been instituted by the Mozambican authorities.
According to minutes of the meeting which 247 Malawi News has seen, the Malawi delegation informed the Mozambican delegates that due to the incapacity suffered by Ngonyani, there should be consideration of payment of damages to him.
The two delegations agreed that the investigation report will be shared with Malawi once concluded.
Meanwhile, Malawi Consulate in Mozambique’s Tete Province Happy Saka has welcomed the suspension of the two police officers
“As Malawi Consulate we are very happy that Mozambique government has actually accepted and managed to condemn the behaviour of the police officers,” said.
He added that the Mozambique government has made a commitment to ensure that the investigations are conducted without interference.
Embattled Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa has dragged former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to court, against his firing from the party.
Through his representatives led by prominent lawyer Wapona Kita, Nankhumwa argues that the party did not follow proper procedures when the decision was being made.
Meanwhile, the matter has been slatted for interparte hearing on February 12, 2024.
Nankhumwa and APM
But speaking to 247 Malawi News, DPP Spokesperson Shadric Namalomba insisted that they did not follow rules to remove Nankhumwa from the party.
He said they are ready to face Nankhumwa in court to show him the right path they used to remove him from the party.
“We followed the party’s procedures and we are ready to face him in court,”said Namalomba.
Nankhumwa and other senior members among others Grelzedar Jeffery, Nicholas Dausi,Ken Nsonda were fired from DPP for leading an ‘illegal’ National Governing Council meeting on December 6, 2023 at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe.
Since the court sanctioned June 23, 2020, presidential election, the past ruling DPP has been caught in the infigh, something experts say can end the party.
President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera last Sunday treated his former primary school headmaster at Kaning’a Full Primary School, Mr. Michael Chatsunda Banda to a luncheon at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
President Chakwera said he decided to invite Chatsunda Banda to celebrate him for a huge role that he played in his life both as a student and a person.
President Chakwera with former teacher Michael Chatsunda Banda
“Many decades later, and after an enriching chat with him, I still admire his outright dedication to education,” said Chakwera through his Facebook page.
“We will continue utilising people of his calibre as the reference point in our pursuit of better education standards.”
