Callista faces uncertainty in APM’s administration

Many ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters and faithful, including known a

pologistsas well as the rank and file cadets,were obviously enthralled by the High Court of Malawi’s declaration that Peter Mutharika had won the 2014 tripartite elections.

The excited panel also included close associates of former President, the late Bingu wa Mutharika such as his children and widow, Callista Chimombo Mutharika. They obviously expected an uncle or a brother-in-law at State House as it would mean a return to the glorious days before the family tragedy of April 2012.

According to inside sources, the former First Lady is still not over the luxuries and gravitas that come with life at State House.   She could not marry Peter Mutharika as that could have caused uproar and created a terrible image for the Mutharikas.

It was for this reason that Madame Callista might have once in a while thrown herself into the fray during the campaign period, campaigning for the bother-in-law using her throwing–vitriol–at-the-opposition kind of style. She obviously hoped for a new beginning, not as First Lady, of course, but somehow to reclaim half her former gravitas as someone close to the high throne.

After brother-in-law’s rise to the throne, Callista is said to have gone a notch further to make sure that brother-in-law has an able and female ‘helper’ to bring him slippers to the bathroom and make his presidential sojourn as smooth as possible as well as to preserve the image of the office of the presidency.

According to emerging information from inside sources at State House, to achieve the balance she wanted, Madame Callista is alleged to have introduced some of her friends such as Tabu Kalolokesya, Rose Luphale and others to Peter Mutharika to try and convince the old man to take one of them as First lady. This would have ensured that State House doors are open for her as a friend would be First Lady.

Kalolokesya is a former Reserve Bank of Malawi employee who was a close ally of the late Bingu wa Mutharika before the fallen leader married Madame Callista. Luphale is former Head of Public Events while Guga is a former parliamentarian.

Upon hearing about these overtures by Madame Callista, the current First Lady Madame Gertrude Hendrina Maseko   (who was by that time having a mild affair with Peter Mutharika) is said to have been infuriated, and immediately engaged an extra gear to marry the Big Kahuna, said the sources.

“She made everything possible to ensure the wedding was fast-tracked and that Madame Callista and her motley crew were nowhere near the wedding planning. She also made sure that Madame Callista has as little time as possible with her brother-in-law,” one source, a close confidante of the First Lady told Nyasa Times at the weekend.

A security officer at Kamuzu Palace corroborated the lady’s version, saying the two ladies (Madame Callista and GertrudeMutharika) do not see eye to eye. He claimed that the First Lady is responsible for Madame Callista’s sudden drop from circulation.

Peter Mutharika is on record to have publicly pledged support to Callista, saying: “You will never walk alone.”

But as the President is now busy “walking and public kissing on valentine” with Getrude, Callista remains in the shadows, of course not walking alone but not walking on red carpet as it were.