Ex-MP for Blantyre Rural East Ndalama snubs women’s 50-50 campaign

Former legislator for Blantyre Rural East, Susan Ndalama, who is aspiring to be  re-elected , arrogantly snubbed the chance to market herself through the whistle stop tour of her constituency that was facilitated by NGO, National Elections Systems Trust (NEST) in conjunction with Women Legal Resource Centre under the theme ‘Women Empowered for Leadership’.

After NEST had picked up her fellow Democratic Progress Party (DPP) candidate but as Councillor, Carol Mdala and when the crew reached Ndalama’s residence in Chilaweni Ward, the incumbent refused to be on same stage with her fellow party ticket aspirant.

And it seems there is a personality clash between the two women yet Mdala, in her campaign, she always shares a kind word for her fellow party ticket aspirant in which she pleads with the electorate to give her fellow woman another mandate, saying they share same development principles for the area.

Despite pleas from NEST’s organizers, Isaac Malivasi and Chrispin Kasawala for over an hour, Ndalama stuck to her guns, saying she already was committed with her own campaign programme.

The NEST crew then relented and left with Mdala alone to facilitate her in marketing her manifesto in Chilaweni Ward ahead of the just five days to go May 21 tripartite elections.

On the first campaign trail, Mdala was also all alone but she impressed the electorate, in which at every stop, the people gathered in large numbers and applauded her at every sound and positive pledge she delivered.

The truck that NEST is using as a podium stage, was being stopped by the eager electorate even when it was not planned to stop.

This time around the incumbent Ndalama had indicated her participation only to change her mind at the events hour.

Mdala holds a degree in Business Administration Obtained at the Polytechnic as well as a degree in Political Science obtained at Dublin University in Cape Town, South Africa.

She works for Vanguard Insurance company as a cooperative financial advisor for various financial institutions and she has also worked at Chancellor College’s at Centre for Social Resource.

During the whistle stop she pledged to transform the Ward once voted in, saying it is high time the people enjoyed good amenities such as having excellent road network whose mani access road should be tarred.

“We need to have a proper boarding secondary school, good bridges as well as excellent health services and that can only be achieved through me,” said Mdala, who is up against six men aspirants.

She said she is already connected with potential donors to assist her to have more boreholes, piped water services, electricity as well as empowering fellow women to form a financial cooperative to run small and medium business through provision of affordable loan provision.

“A councillor is the one who identifies development needs of his or her Ward and in turn is supposed to work with the MP in initiating such projects, that’s why am saying vote for us women because we are development conscious.

“Women have been pushed on the sidelines in as far as top leadership is concerned. It’s now time to entrust us with the role of developing our country,” she said.

NEST is facilitating these whistle stop tours in all the 13 constituencies that make up Blantyre District, which has 64 women aspirants vying for seats in Parliament and the District Council.

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