By Vincent Gunde
An independent presidential candidate Isaiah Emmanuel Sunganimoyo, has described calls for resignation for Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda by the Chewa Heritage Malawi, as not fair.
The Chewa Heritage Malawi wrote a letter to Chimwendo Banda demanding for his resignation for failing to unite Chewa chiefs who are divided claiming that a certain Chewa group has rebelled against His Majesty Dr. Kalonga Gawa Undi of Zambia.
In the letter, the Chewa Heritage Malawi said there have been long misunderstandings rocking the Chewa tribe which has led to no love amongst the Chewa’s themselves and Chimwendo Banda being the Minister of Culture has failed to resolve their differences hence for him to resign from his position as Minister responsible for Culture.
Speaking through a video clip, Sunganimoyo has dismissed claims made by the Chewa Heritage Malawi that they are not happy with Chimwendo Banda who is also Secretary General of the MCP saying Chimwendo Banda is the engine driving the MCP.
Sunganimoyo said appointment of a Minister is to serve government not a tribe for which that Minister is coming from saying Chimwendo Banda is serving all the cultural groupings and tribes across the country including his Chewa tribe.
He said Chimwendo Banda is a government minister not a Minister for the Chewas saying the Chewas have no powers whatsoever to have the Minister of Culture under them as this will be taking politics into the Chewa tribe.
The independent presidential candidate has appealed to the Chewa Heritage Malawi to sit down and rescind their decision of calling for the resignation of Chimwendo Banda for failing to resolve the long misunderstandings rocking the Chewa tribe in Malawi.
“If there are disunity among the Chewa tribe, the blame should not go to Chimwendo Banda, we are happy with him for the work he is doing as a Minister,” said Sunganimoyo.
But, a Malawi Congress Party(MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has backed the Chewa Heritage Malawi that their letter demanding the resignation of Chimwendo Banda is right claiming that if President Chakwera has failed to run the country because of wrong advices from Chimwendo Banda.
Kamphangala said President Chakwera is a shame to the country and the Malawi Assemblies of God claiming that he was voted in 2020 based on trust that him being an ordained Priest, he will stamp out corruption and make the country move forward but instead he has destroyed the country more than the what the DPP did.
He has joined the Chewas demanding for Chimwendo Banda’s resignation saying he would have loved if he can resign today for President Chakwera to dissolve his cabinet and brought to book all those that took a hand in presenting lies to him for development projects completed on paper while not existing on the ground.
“I, personally support calls for Chimwendo Banda to resign, he is one of the ministers who has made President Chakwera to be insulted and castigated by many Malawians including the Chewa themselves,” said Kamphangala.
He has warned the MCP that if the party is to be ousted from government on the 16th September, 2025, it is because of three ministers in the names of Dr. Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma, Moses Kunkuyu and Richard Chimwendo Banda claiming that these people are not wanted by MCP members.
Kamphangala has finally advised President Chakwera to fire these three ministers for sanity to prevail in the mighty MCP but if he maintains them to 16th September, 2025 many Chewas are not ready to vote for him to come back into power.
