First Lady donates to Nsanje flood victims
Barely a week after authorities prevented the country’s Vice President Joyce Banda from donating relief items to flood victims in Nsanje district, First Lady Calista Mutharika was on Sunday in the area distributing the items before holding a rally where she lambasted opposition leaders.
The estranged VP was refused access to visit the flood victims by the District Commissioner Rodney Simwaka who claimed that the second citizen had broken the procedures hence the block.
But Nyasa Timessource at the Nsanje District Council said VP did not break any procedure but government authorities had directed the DC to bar her because a senior official from government was yet to cheer the victims.
“There was nothing like violating the procedures, individuals, NGOs and companies time and again just pop up to visit flood victims and donate relief items. The issue was that since they got affected no senior official has been to the area and they were trying to save their faces,” said the source.
On Sunday, the First Lady, accompanied by a few government and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials like Minister of Gender Reen Kachere and member of parliament for the area (Nsanje Lalanje) Sam Ganda donated various items to the victims.
The assorted relief items which included kitchen utensils, maize, sugar, baby chairs and toys were distributed to the victims from the areas of TA Mbenje and Mlolo.
Later she addressed a gathering at Bangula where she asked the remaining people who are still in the flood-prone areas to relocate to upland.
She assured the sufferers that government and other NGOs will continue assisting them until their lives are fully recovered from the disaster.
Over 6000 people have been affected in the district by floods that displaced them last month following heavy downpours.
