DPP wants Prophets TB Joshua, Msiska quizzed over Bingu’s death
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says it wants Nigerian church leader TB Joshua questioned following a fulfilment of his “prophetic” announcement on the sudden death of late president Bingu wa Mutharika.
Mutharika died in a sudden cardiac failure on April 5 exactly two months before this date in which TB Joshua said an old African president would die in two months’ time.
In her first state of the nation address Friday, President Joyce Banda said she was appointing a commission of inquiry to look into when and how Mutharika died, what medical attention he received, and the “activities of various individuals during and in managing the transition.”
Making his contribution to the address, DPP leader in Parliament Dr George Chaponda , said they were “grateful” to the President for considering appointing a commission of enquiry to investigate the death of the late President.
“It is the hope of the family and indeed the DPP that this will include interviewing those who were celebrating after the death of the late President and slaughtering cows,” said Chaponda in a speech monitored by Nyasa Times through an audio emailed by our parliamentary correspondent.
Chaponda did not name those who were celebrating Mutharika’s death but hit back on Leader of Opposition John Tembo’s attack on the late president, saying “many saw his speech as a climax of those who were celebrating the late President’s death.” But added: “ I refuse to believe that he could be one of them.”
Former president Bakili Muluzi is reported to have slaughtered two cows on April 7 at his Kapoloma home village.
The DPP parliamentary boss also said they want the inquiry to interview “some of the Prophets who were at the forefront of making public announcements relating to the time and death of the President.”
Chaponda did not mention TB Joshua in his address, but the Nigerian preacher was on record to have predicted the death of an old African president.
While Malawian’s self-proclaimed prophet Kangawa Sunny Msiska predicted that Mutharika would die before the end of his term of office in 2014.
Msiska, who leads Gethsemane Church in Ndirande township, Blantyre, has been foretelling that Mutharika would not pass the year 2013 before something happens to him.
Following the revelation which was reported on Nyasa Times, prophet Msiska was arrested on 17 April, 2011.
Coup Plot
Commenting on announcement by President Banda to set up investigations into alleged attempts to keep her away from taking the Presidency, Chaponda suggested that it would have been appropriate to set up a ‘Peace and Reconciliation Committee’ emulating what was done in South Africa.
He said DPP’s “major concern” is that the President has indicated in her speech the establishment of committees to investigate various issues, saying “ if such committees are not properly handled, they could turn out to be instruments for witchhunting and retribution.”
Chaponda said: “We are making such conclusion judging for example, from what the President has been informed to have been done by the so called mid night six coup plotters. “
After Mutharika died on April 5, the government took two days to confirm his death and allow Banda, who was vice president, to step in. It was reported that DPP were trying to prevent her from becoming president, even though the constitution decrees the vice president should take over.
Chaponda told Parliament that the former Cabinet was “merely seeking the Constitutional Court to interpret Section 85 of the Constitution to determine whether someone from another party other than the ruling Party could become President in the event of the office holders incapacitation or death especially as the Constitution is silent on the same but clear on the Second Vice President.”
Banda formed People’s Party after she was expelled from DPP.
Chaponda said the legal process of referring the matter to the Constitutional Court “was stopped immediately the then Vice President who is now President was sworn in as President. “
He pointed out that the legal process involved all the former Cabinet members who were at the time in the country.
Chaponda said the inquiry committee should be ” independent and come out with objective findings and will not be used as an instrument for impunity or retribution.”
He also expressed gratitude to government for according late Mutharika “ a dignified burial” befitting a Head of State.
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