By Staff Reporter
Dr. Kenneth Zikhale Reeves Ng’oma, the National Strategic Planning Director in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), has hailed the great relationship that is there between Malawi and Zimbabwe. Zikhale together with his Deputy , Hon. Mrs Kelita Kanyandula, are in Harare in Zimbabwe to attend the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) 7th National Conference, whose theme is “Building a prosperous Zimbabwe; leaving no one behind and no place behind.”
The conference has attracted 13 sister party delegates from different countries across the world. The ZANU–PF ruling party is holding its national congress at Robert Mugabe Square in Harare, Oct. 26-29. The aim of the congress is to formally nominate the president of the party, who will contest the upcoming 2023 elections. Incumbent President Mnangagwa is the sole candidate
According to Dr Zikhale, he is there to cement the cordial relationship that is there between the two countries “Malawi’s President, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, values and promotes cordial relationships with countries neighbouring Malawi.Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Father and Founder of the Malawi, nation believed in bilateral agreements as well, in order to promote peace and tranquillity among neighbouring states of Malawi.” said Zikhale
The relationship between MCP and ZANU-PF has been warm from long time ago, during which period, it is envisaged that Kamuzu managed to buy four Land Rovers to assist ZANU-PF meet its political ambitions. ZANU-PF had its first President Canaan Banana and Robert Mugabe as his Prime Minister.
Other well known political figures in Zimbabwe at that time were the likes of Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and Ian Smith, just to mention a few.
MCP is the only surviving party from the time of colonialism in Malawi. Amongst all political parties that existed during colonialism, African National Congress (ANC), a social democratic political party, is the longest serving political party in Africa, which got its independence in the year 1994 when the first past the post – apartheid election installed Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa from a paramilitary wing of uMkhonto we Sizwe. ZANU-PF got its independence in 1980.
The then Nyasaland got its independence through Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1964, once entered into federation with Rhodesia and Zambia. Kwame Nkrumah through his Convention People’s Party, became Prime Minister in the year 1952 and took over as President after Ghana gained its independence from the British on 6th March 1957, and Ghana as a nation has since clocked 65 years of independence.
Dr. Kenneth Kaunda served as President of United National Independence Party (UNIP) up to 1991. Zambia gained its indepedence on 24th October, 1964. Another African Nation party known as Kenya African Union (KANU), led by into Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, gained independece in 1964, but failed survive political dynamics.
Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is commended by many Malawians for his initiative to encourage and protect the hard-earned relationship that exists between Zimbabwe and Malawi by sending delegates to ZANU-PF for the second time since he got into office.
More that 3500 delegates are expected to be part of the conference including delegates from Mozambique Frelimo, Tanzania Chama cha Mapinduzi, Botswana Democratic Party, The former Mayor of Lilongwe City in Malawi, Juliana Kaduya and Nyachenda Mkandawire, attended ZANU-PF National Women’s Conference in Harare last year.
