“If She Wants Money, Let Her Follow the K67 Billion”: Suleman Mocks Kabwira’s K500 Million Defamation Lawsuit

In a no-holds-barred political showdown laced with mockery, sexism, and unapologetic arrogance, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) firebrand Sameer Suleman has publicly shredded a K500 million defamation claim filed by Minister of Higher Education Jessie Kabwira, calling it “very laughable” and lacing his rebuttal with crude jokes and a jab at Malawi’s missing K67 billion.

What was supposed to be a legal response has instead turned into a theatre of ridicule—staged by a sitting legislator against a government minister—while exposing just how low Malawi’s political discourse has sunk.

Kabwira, a senior figure in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and its Publicity Secretary, is demanding half a billion kwacha in damages for what she describes as sexist, humiliating, and reputation-damaging insults hurled at her by Suleman during a DPP rally in Blantyre on June 8.

Among the slurs: Suleman allegedly echoed a twisted version of a comment made days earlier by Minister of Trade Vitumbiko Mumba, turning it into an outright insult on Kabwira’s hygiene and appearance. Speaking in Chichewa, Suleman reportedly said, “kuchipaka Vaselini two days chili mbuuu kutuwa,” insinuating she looks unwashed even after applying lotion.

Mockery Over Legal Process

But rather than showing any remorse or engaging with the gravity of the allegations, Suleman has poured more petrol on the fire—mocking the entire lawsuit and dismissing Kabwira as being on a “money hunt.”

“Yes, I received her letter. It’s laughable,” Suleman scoffed. “She’s digging up statements I made in Parliament. But she should know MPs are protected there. As for the rally, I never even mentioned her name. I said ‘Kabwirabwira’—that’s wordplay.”

In a chilling dismissal of the K500 million legal demand, Suleman sarcastically advised Kabwira to instead go chase the K67 billion in missing government funds, saying: “If she’s after money, there’s K67 billion lying idle somewhere. She knows where it is—maybe she can go share that.”

This, despite the fact that the lawsuit is based not just on a single rally comment but on what Kabwira’s legal team describes as a consistent pattern of verbal abuse and gender-based harassment, including previous statements in Parliament where Suleman allegedly compared her to a “gule wamkulu” and mocked her hygiene.

Sexism Dressed as Politics

Beyond the personal spat, this case exposes the toxic underbelly of Malawian politics—where gender-based insults are hurled in public without consequence, and where those in power, especially women, are subjected to degrading character assassinations.

Legal observers note that Kabwira’s case could test Section 6 of the Gender Equality Act, which criminalizes verbal sexual harassment, even outside the workplace. But it’s clear Suleman is counting on impunity, parliamentary privilege, and public spectacle to bury accountability.

Theatrics or Test Case?

What started as a legal challenge is now turning into a character war, with Suleman digging in, showing no remorse, and weaponizing the media to attack rather than defend. Kabwira, on the other hand, is standing her ground and, for once, using the courts rather than responding with similar vitriol.

The question now is whether this will end in a courtroom showdown—or if, once again, political misogyny will be swept under the rug while the public cheers on the loudest voice in the room.

As the deadline looms on Kabwira’s seven-day ultimatum, all eyes are on whether she will take this case to the courts—or whether Suleman’s mockery will once again go unanswered. Either way, Malawi is watching, and the cost of silence may be far more than K500 million.

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