Malawi vice president Joyce Banda fired from ruling party
Emmanuel Muwamba – President Bingu wa Mutharika has fired two senior party members-Vice President Joyce Banda and former minister Khumbo Kachali from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Banda and Kachali were first and second party deputy president presidents respectively.
Mutharika who is also president of the party fired the two at a meeting of DPP National Governing Council (NGC) on Saturday.
The meeting lasted about four hours. The party asked Banda and Kachali to defend themselves “briefly”.
A statement signed by the party’s secretary general Bintony Kutsaira says the party resolved to dismiss the two because they failed to defend themselves on various accusations of numerous anti-party activities.
Party publicity secretary Dr Hetherwick Ntaba could not tell whether the allegations levelled against the two are joint but only said the activities of the two were bringing a lot of confusion in the party.
He told the press that there were a lot of issues raised the two, including the allegations that they were forming parallel party structures that were against the President and the party.
Banda speaking through her press secretary Ruth Govati confirmed that she was expelled from the party. Kachali has not made any statement.
The dismisal of the two party vice presidents comes barely after a week after Ntaba said the reported bad blood between the President and his vice was just a myth.
Banda and Kachali are reported to have refused to endorse president’s brother Peter Mutharika as DPP 2014 torch bearer.
However, Ntaba has maintained that Peter Mutharika’s candidature was not discussed at the meeting. He said the decision to fire the two had nothing to do with the party’s 2014 candidature.
