By Vincent Gunde
It has been established that three Group Village heads who recently were elevated from their positions to Sub T/As Chipeni, Chidothi Mkulu and Manondo under T/A Mkukula in Dowa South East constituency, were promoted out of politics to support Deputy Minister for Health Halima Daudi in her campaign with subject to re-election as Member of Parliament (MP).
Deputy Minister for Local Government Joyce Chitsulo presided over the elevation of the three chiefs without the presence of T/A Mkukula and Chiwere at a function which was held in the council’s Chamber, only T/As Dzoole and Chakhaza were in attendance.
In 2013 former President Dr. Joyce Banda elevated GVH’s Mwamcheka Matapila, Kasalika, Mtsinje, Chipeni to the position of Sub T/As and it was found that only those who were appointed in Chewa dominated areas were allowed to work while those in Ngoni chiefs were not, such as Kasalika and Msinje.
The elevation of these chiefs to the position of Sub T/As were made not in consultation with their chiefs such as Mponela, Kayembe, Mkukula, Chiwere and Msakambewa, the then, Secretary for Local Government Mr. Christopher Makileni played his influence him being coming from Dowa district.
In 2015 a stop-order was issued by the High Court of Malawi nullifying all the chiefs who were appointed to the new positions of Sub T/As in the district and this was after Sub T/A Kasalika went to the court against T/A Mponela for not recognizing him as Sub T/A.
The Court issued a temporary relief of 90 days for Sub T/A Kasalika to file grounds of defending his new position for the court to set a date of hearing the case Sub T/A Kasalika vs Local Government and Attorney General but this was not made till this day.
Chieftainship wrangles in Dowa district have been the order of the day with some claiming that T/A Mponela being a Ngoni is favoring fellow Ngoni chiefs sidelining g Chewa chiefs who forms the majority in the area case in point Senior Group Jonasi whose case is still in court.
Sub T/A Mtsinje’s case went far to the Supreme Court of Appeal against T/A Mponela where the court upheld the High Court decision that Mr. Paul Ntandika was the rightful heir to the throne of GVH Mtsinje and ordered Mr. Benjamin Tenthani to stop using the name Sub T/A Mtsinje but the opposite is being seen to this day that Tenthani is being recognized as Sub T/A Mtsinje.
When contacted to verify the issues surrounding his area, T/A Mponela said his area has no Sub T/A and those claiming to have the title are doing that out of his knowledge saying even their appointments were made without his involvement.
Chief Mponela said as for Mr. Benjamin Tenthani to be Sub T/A Mtsinje, he is a clever man who found himself to be involved in matters of the Chewa Heritage Foundation (CHEFO) and at the same time claiming to be chief saying he personally don’t recognize him as Sub T/A Mtsinje beside attending government functions in his own capacity as chief.
He said it is his wish to see to it that the issues affecting chiefs in his area are resolved amicably saying for long he has been inviting GVHs Jonasi, Kasalika and Mtsinje families to his headquarters for one long lasting solution or him travelling to meet them at one point, but no side is willing to meet and discuss the matter for the way forward.
Chief Mponela has finally appealed to GVHs Jonasi, Kasalika and Mtsinje to come to him for the issues to be resolved amicably so that they move together saying fighting will not take them anywhere but to give contact and dialogue a chance.
On the issue of some people collecting K32,000s from village heads in January and February, 2025 for their names to be added on the list of 20,000 chiefs in Malawi to be considered by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to be receiving monthly honoraria allowances (Mswahala), Chief Mponela said he has never sent any one and the issue is out of his control and is being handled by the office of the District Commissioner.
Chief Mponela has lamented that some people are using his name because they know it will be easy as not many people can approach him to find out if it is true or not saying the DC staff came and took all the necessary details from the Village Heads and the Group Village heads.
“I don’t remember anyone paying me anything and neither did they pay the DC staff, if someone is collecting money he should be dealt with as an individual,” he said.
