Ansah attends Ngoni ceremony as Chihana delivers president’s speech

First Vice President Jane Ansah, despite reportedly being frozen out by government, made a point of attending the Umthetho ceremony of the Ngoni people at Hora alongside Second Vice President Enock Chihana – though it was Chihana, not Ansah, who took to the podium to deliver a speech on behalf of President Peter Mutharika.

The arrangement raised eyebrows given Malawi’s constitutional protocol, under which Ansah, as First Vice President, ranks second in command in government, ahead of Second Vice President Chihana – a hierarchy that appeared to have been sidestepped at the high-profile cultural event.

Neither State House nor Ansah’s office offered any public explanation as to why Chihana, rather than Ansah, was chosen to represent the President and deliver remarks at the ceremony, leaving observers to speculate over what the arrangement might signal about the ongoing tensions surrounding Ansah’s position within government.

The Umthetho ceremony, a significant cultural event for the Ngoni people of Mzimba, drew a host of prominent dignitaries, underlining the scale and importance of the occasion.

Among those in attendance were traditional leaders from beyond Malawi’s borders, including Inkosi ya Makhosi Zulu Gama of Tanzania, alongside Inkosi ya Makhosi Gomani V of the Maseko Ngoni.

Also present was former Vice President Khumbo Kachali, whose attendance added a further layer of political symbolism to proceedings, given his own history occupying the very office currently at the centre of speculation over Ansah’s diminished standing within government.

Ansah’s decision to attend regardless, despite apparently being overlooked for the honour of representing the President, is likely to be interpreted by many as a further sign of her determination to maintain a visible public presence, even as questions continue to swirl over her marginalisation within the ruling administration – a pattern already evident in her recent grassroots engagements, including a farmer donation drive and charity luncheon held in Rumphi earlier this week.