Councilor Chirambo eyes to become first female mayor for Blantyre City

The next mayor of Blantyre will be elected on July 19 and Councilor Gertrude Chirambo of Namalimwe Ward has plans to entice fellow councilors to nominate as well as vote for her to become the first ever female mayor for the commercial capital City.

This will be her second attempt at the Mayorship which she lost against Noel Chalamanda five years ago. Chalamanda was later replaced by Wild James Ndipo, who has also retained his seat for Chigumula Ward and is likely to gun to retain the mayoral seat as well.

Of the 23 councilors, just four are women and 16 are from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), four from UTM Party and three voted in as independents. The women councilors are Chirambo (Namalimwe), Joyce Connie Malunga (Green Corner), Mary Kachale (Nkolokoti) and Thokozani Kawatira Phekani (Soche West).

This is Thokozani Phekani first councilorship while the other three have retained their seats. There were so many female aspirants for the seat of councilor throughout the country through the 50-50 campaign that touted voters to try a shot at women in leadership positions.

But the campaign, though it managed to bring in several women, did not meet its objective. Of the 193 seats for Member of Parliament, for example, only 44 are women from 32 last time around.

Chirambo is set to ignite another signal for women empowerment in politics riding on the back of newly elected Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara.

“Indeed, God willing, I will be contesting for the Mayorship again and I pray that I should get the support of the men as well in order to have a woman as a Mayor.

“With their support, I plan to be an effective mayor in order to serve our residents well as promised them during the campaign,” Councilor Chirambo said.

Meanwhile, Councillor Gerald Paul Lipikwe from Limbe Central is also being tipped to be nominated for the post of deputy mayor.

Lipikwe said he shall be greatly humbled and will certainly accept the wishes of fellow councilors.

“It will be a humbling role to play and certainly I shall accept the nomination for me to serve the Council well in order to meet the expectations of the residents that voted for us,” Lipikwe said.

At the swearing in of Oath of Office that was administered by Commissioner of Oaths, Mphatso Matandika  on Friday at the Town Hall Chambers at Chichiri, the aspiring councilors for the seats of mayor and deputy were informed that the only qualification needed for both posts is just being a councilor and that all Members of Parliament for Blantyre also have voting rights.

From Friday, June 28 to July 5, the councillors are being asked to nominate their choice of candidate for mayor and the deputy, to be presented to the City Council secretariat between July 1-5.

The secretariat shall then announce the nominees on July 9 which shall kick start a campaign period up to the day prior to the elections.

During the period between July 9-19, the secretariat, in conjunction with Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) shall prepare an electoral process that shall include printing of ballot papers.

The full list of councilors is as follows: Gertrude Lucy Edgar Chirambo (Namalimwe), Joseph Junior Batumeyo (Ndirande Matope), Bosco Mateyu Banda (Ndirande Gamulani), Thom Lita (Ndirande Makata), Joyce Connie Malunga (Green Corner), Emmanuel Matewere Chimombo (Mapanga), Mary Kachale (Nkolokoti), Gerald Paul Lipikwe (Limbe Central), Isaac Jomo Osman (Bangwe Nthandizi), Joseph Nyson Makwinja (Bangwe), Raphael Mzimu (Namiyango), Wild James Ndipo (Chigumula), Lyson Jangale (Misesa), Phillip Litchowa Kameta (Chilomoni), M’ngerezi Edwin Chinthuli (Mbayani) and Jonas Tembo (South Lunzu), all representing the DPP.

The four from UTM are Balaba Funny Kanojerera (Nyambadwe), Aaron Leonard Chimbanga (Soche East), Thokozani Kawatira Phekani (Soche West) and Chidika Dickens Nyimba (Blantyre City Central).

The independents are Ali Kingsley Mbewe (Blantyre South), Rasta Uche Selassie Yesaya (Michiru) and Eric Isaac Mofolo (Mzedi).

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!