Chaponda claims defamation victory against Chakwera: Court to assess damages
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation George Chaponda has won damages after a High Court registrar Justus Kishindo ruled in his favour in a defamation lawsuit against Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera.
Chaponda took legal action against Chakwera for slander and defamation over the remarks he made to the media that Chaponda said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) did not need the Northern Region vote to win the May 20 Tripartite Elections.
According to Chakwera, Chapola is reported to have told a media house that DPP won the 2009 elections because it had national appeal not because of support from the Northern Region.
Chaponda was quoted to have said: “Let me challenge you. We will win in May without people from the North voting for us.”
He, however, said he made no such remarks and through his lawyers Sikwese and Company, he wrote Chakwera demanding a public apology within three days or face a lawsuit but Chakwera did not apologise prompting Chaponda to instruct his lawyers to go ahead claiming damages for slander and defamation.
MCP secretary general and member of the party’s legal team, Gustave Kaliwo, who had said MCP stood by what Chakwera said in connection with Chaponda, did not enter into defence prompting the Registrar to enter a default judgement.
In his claim contained in civil cause number 633 of 2014, Chaponda said Chakwera’s remarks had made him be perceived as a tribalist, regionalist or “a troublemaker intent on bringing chaos in the country”.
High Court in Lilongwe will this Thursday assess damages which Chakwera, the leader of opposition in Parliament, should pay.
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chakwera munthu woipa afuna kuyambitsa chisokonezo
I think chilichonse tisanene kuti zikuchitika chifukwa DPP inawina chisankho ayi. Honourable DR G Chaponda anawapempha abusa powayipisira mbili kuti apepese. Chifukwa Dr Chaponda sanayankhule koma abusa anakana kusonyeza kukula mtima. Ndi zowawa kwambiri wina kukuwonongera mbili. Abusa akanakhala kuti amaganiza mozichepetsa ngati munthu wowopa Mulungu akanapepesadi. So kunyonza Dr Chaponda nkulakwa chabe. I rest my case
THE VIEWS MADE BY THE ABOVE SAYING THAT HE DON;T WANT DPP ARE HIS OWN AS AN INDIVIDUAL.LET HIM KNOW THAT MULTPARTY REQUIRE MANY PARTIES,IF ONE HAS NOTHING TO SAY,DO NOT SAY ANYTHING OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE JUDGED WITH WHAT YOU SAY TO BE WHAT YOU ARE.GOD BLESS OUR NATION. GOD ALSO BLESS PEOPLE WITH INTERGRET AMEN.I LOVE YOU ALL IRRESPECTIVE FROM WHERE YOU COME FROM. ALL OF US ARE MALAWIANS IN ONE MALAWI. LOVE ONE ANOTHER IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Are you happy chaponda now that you have won the case ??
Why couldnt you settle the matter out courts mr man ??
Do you go to church ???
When your friends will be in gvt foyou expect them to do the same to you ??
What sort of leaders and elders do ee have who cannot forgive one another and forge ahead with developments ???
May God forgive us all !!
The court should fine Chakwera heavily, as a lesson to other blatant accusers who are bent on ruining reputations of others. The fine should not be seen as just a slap on the hand: that fine should include legal costs incurred by the foreign minister; and that woul be appropriate. Asah!
I am baffled as to how this party did not learn a lesson from getting sued on it’s record during the dictatorship. MCP’s pockets are NOT deep – far from it. Is bankruptcy pending, before 2019?
Dpp is really dead in the north.We don’t want to hear of these thieves who got the govt through backdoor.Chaponda was trying to be clever with his words.We don’t really need Dpp in the north.
Chakwera! A man of God ukufuna uyambise mipatuko iwe eti!! Uzaferamo! u president suzaunukha! Ungazaphese anthu! Munthu woipa! Kodi ndi chifukwa chake unathamangira ku ndale eti, munthu wokonda ndalama,!
Ameneyi angokhala Chatsika osati Chakwera chifukwa alibe nzeru
Atambala awiri salira mkhola limodzi mulira mpaka20(9 chakwera sinthawi yake musiyeni Peter agwire ntchito
we are only for Gods rule