Joyce Banda set to raise Malawi minimum wage by 64%: Pledges to create smart villages
Former president Joyce Banda says her administration will raise the minimum wage for all Malawian employees to K40 000 from the current K25 000, representing a 64 percent upward scaling and is upbeat that once voted into power, Malawi will move from poverty to prosperity.
She was speaking on Sunday at Fumba Farm Ground in Lunzu, Blantyre where she addressed a public rally attended by thousands of her supporters and admirers.
The People’s Party (PP) torchbearer noted that the local workforce is eking a living awkwardly because of low wages from both local and foreign employers.
“It is not right for our people to work for the whole month only to get K25 000. We shall adjust that upwards to K40 000 coupled with more efforts to make life easier for this group of people,” said Banda.
The once Forbes Africa’s Most Powerful Woman further said she will on the other hand also protect small businesses by removing ‘unnecessary’ taxes that hinder sector growth.
“Our men and women who operate small scale businesses pay multiple fees to several authorities thereby hindering chances to recapitalize their businesses. This is unacceptable and we will deal with it once and for all,” she said.
JB also said she plans to transform the country’s livelihoods by creating ‘Smart Villages’ which will have free electricity and decent housing for all.
This program will be a continuation of her landmark Mudzi Transformation Trust which she implemented during her two-year tenure.
Commenting on the current political landscape, JB told the rain-soaked gathering that she and her runningmate, Jerry Jana, the former Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) chief executive officer Jerry Jana—who was at some point director of economic affairs in PP – will battle for power on one ticket and that she hasn’t and won’t endorse Vice President and UTM leader Saulos Chilima.
Banda—who came a distant third in the 2014 presidential contest—had earlier given up her quest to return to State House, citing her 68-year-old age and that she had done enough, including being Malawi’s president. She then effusively endorsed UTM Party’s Saulos Chilima.
“At a time such as this, I have looked around and said this person [Chilima] has more energy than I have. All I can do is support him to get to the destination. I don’t have to be on the ticket,” she told British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) before the nomination of papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) at Comesa Hall in Blantyre.
She said Vice-President Chilima is “a young, able gentleman and he can lead this nation”.
But Banda and her PP pulled out of the alliance with UT, taking along her endorsement and saved it for herself.
At the Sunday rally, she repeatedly noted that other quarters would like confuse her supporters by continuing with the sentiment that she is still endorsing Chilima.
Banda also spoke on education, health, agriculture as well as economic growth.
More Malawians trust Joyce Banda than any other political leader in the country, according to a survey by Zomba-based Institute of Public Opinion and Research (Ipor) released last November.
Mai sikuti dziko silingaende inu mutakhala pasi. Azimai azanu akukusekani for being a confusionist.
Ici mwanena uku mwapita nguni nguni bwa
Sit down and nurse your legs .we sik and tired of lies.khalidwe la kuutsikana ndi lomweli mukuonetsa panoli
TIME WASTEFUL,
Has she or hasn’t she endorsed Chilima? First she says she hasn’t and will not endorse Chilima, and then we are told she effusively endorsed him. Which is it? It is all very well promising all these financial goodies if she is elected, but what are her basic economic policies and strategies to finance them? Is she an economist?
Amayi ndi Mwana wanu musatitopese! why didnt you do this when you were accidental President
Retirement awaits you on 21st Mai!! Stop this Newsense now! kkkkkk
Eish this woman my foot
Anthu aku malawi amasowa zochita. Sign of poverty. She has no vision whatsoever. People without vision perish. She perished us arleady with cashgate, kugawa ngombe, kukweza mafumu, mudzi transformation all useless project. Who trusts her?
shameless woman
No to CASHGATE 2, No to Family political parties, No to Mommy’s boy!
ine mayi oipa mtima ngati uyu sindinamuone. Zoona amafuna mwana wake uja zootcha ESCOM zimamukhuza uja kuti akhale runningmate wa chipani chathu? mwalemba m’madzi ndi kupusa kwanuko. kagwereni uko ndi chipani chanu cha anthu okuba. sitinaiwale kuti munayambitsa cashgate tu paja
You are the confusionist, you say one thing today to the International Media and tomorrow you say something really different……. so who is confusing who??
Joice akuyeneleka kuti asayime pachisankho..koma mmalo mwake alumikidzane ndi atupele, ndipo akadzawina atupele mayi banda adzalemekedzedwe ngati President opuma..