PP gaining ground in central region: JB installs Chief Dzoole
Malawi President Joyce Banda on Thursday attracted a large crowd in Dowa during the installation ceremony of Traditional Authority (TA) Dzoole to Senior Chief at his Mndolera Headquarters with many people joining the “orange revolution.”
Official of the ruling People’s Party (PP) said the party has registered unprecedented number of new members during the visits of the President in the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) stronghold.
PP is confident of capturing parliamentary seats in Dowa in the forthcoming elections.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Grace Maseko, said the reason PP is gaining ground is because the people have appreciated the government’s commitment to addressing critical issues.
In her speech, President Banda expressed her commitment to improving the lives of Malawians.
She also vowed to continue to respect and recognise chiefs who had the interest of their subjects at heart.
“This country can never develop if we don’t prioritize raising living standards of villagers,” Banda said. “I will continue to respect and rely upon chiefs so that they assist government in raising living standards of all Malawians.”
President Banda also announced the elevation of Sub Traditional Authority (STA) Mponela to full TA.
Banda in her speech called upon chiefs to join hands and engage in exchange visits for the development of the nation.
She vowed to take with her on foreign trips chiefs to enable them to learn what others were doing in other countries and use the knowledge to improve their subjects’ lives.
Banda donated 200 bags of fertilizer to Senior Chief Dzoole, and 100 bags each to Senior Chiefs Kaomba and Lukwa who were present at the ceremony.
The youthful Mponela, whose name is Chiyembekezo Chakhaza, was all smiles when he moved to the podium to shake hands with president Banda just after the announcement.
Banda elevated TA Dzoole to Senior Chief and STA Chakhaza to full TA on August 23, 2012 at Mtalimanja Village in TA Chakhaza Dowa.
She elevated the two chiefs when she presided over the graduation ceremony of 29 families who completed a two-year-course at the School of Agriculture for Family Independence (SAFI).
Senior Chief Dzoole, whose name is Alfred Horace Chidyaudzu, is the 11th chief of the Dzoole chieftaincy which has a total of 7,5121 subjects as of the 2008 census.
The 31-year-old Dzoole, a former Mitundu Secondary School pupil who holds a certificate in business administration from Blantyre Business College (BBC), oversees 128 Group Villages Heads (GVHs) and 698 villages.
Dzoole contributed 60 50Kg bags of maize to President Banda’s Combat Hunger Initiative was installed TA on August 18, 2010 after the death of his uncle Foster Mwale. He has a wife and a child.
The Dzoole chieftaincy, which is under the Chewa lineage, dates back to 700 years. The Chewa, led by Kalonga Mazizi, arrived in the country from Luba in what was then known as Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) before settling at Mankhamba.
The Chewa people are found in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and some parts of Tanzania. Their supreme ruler, Kalonga Gawa Undi, is headquartered Nkaika in Zambia.
There are about 15 million Chewa people and 24 million Chichewa speakers across the world. Gawa Undi has more than 212 chiefs under his jurisdiction.–(Additional reporting by Malawi News Agency)
