Malawi women organise demo against Chakwera over gender imbalance

October 8, 2020 Judith Moyo -Nyasa Times 37 Comments

The Women Manifesto Movement, comprising various women empowerment civil society organisations (CSOs) are organising a nationwide protest this Friday against President Lazarus Chakwera’s failure to fulfil the Gender Equality Act (GEA) requirement of 60:40 representation of either sex in public appointments.

Malawi women plan holding peaceful demo on gender imbalance

According to a notice on the demonstrations, women in Blantyre plan to march from the Old Town Hall through Chipembere Highway to Kamuzu Stadium, while in Lilongwe they will march from Kamuzu Central Hospital roundabout to the Parliament buildings.

In Mzuzu, the demonstrations will start from Katoto Secondary school ground to the Mzuzu City Council.

In all areas the demonstrations are expected to start from 10am to 1pm.

Chairperson for the NGO Gender Coordination Network, Barbara Banda , who is one of the organisers for the protests, said the aim is for Malawi women “to make a stand against systemic discrimination in public appointments.”

Banda said they want to raise awareness, encourage dialogue and see change in the appointment of women in public positions.

“Our ultimate objective is that we get heard. We want it clearly known that we are no happy,” she said.

The appointments by President Chakwera announced in a statement signed by the Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Zangazanga Chikhosi, showed that only nine of the over 60 boards most of them education institutions are chaired by women.

On Monday during a special weekly briefing at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, Chakwera said he will achieve the gender valance during his term as it will be a step by step approach.

But he ruffled feathers of women when he claimed there are few women who are well-qualified challenging the activists to furnish him with curriculum vitae and directory of qualified women to make such appointments.

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37 replies on “Malawi women organise demo against Chakwera over gender imbalance”

  1. I think these women are misled by NGO Coalition leader. I don’t think the coalition shared the same strategic goal for their nationwide demonstrations. The president said “there are less qualified women to fit in the positions” and he asked them to feed his desk with names and curriculum vitaes so that he can shift. But what do they do co opting demonstrations which will not do them any good. Interesting move is they are not petitioning their grievances to any authority. Then what’s that? JUST STOP IT AND COOK NSIMA HOME. What NGO Gender Coalition must do is firstly listen to Chakwera before acting irresponsibly. You are embarrassing Malawi nation with your no sense demos. We have serious alternatives to propel this economy if you should be reminded.

  2. Azimayi want everything for free except sex yet they are the ones on top of orgasm. They want a free vehicle ride. They want a free drink. They want a free job without interviews. They are not decent by the looks. They are evil except a few. African women are very pathetic and always want to be treated with kid gloves.

  3. Women must learn to fend for themselves. Why should they cry for positions instead of fighting early pregnancies? Work hard to ensure that girls are going to school and achieving their goals. A good example is the Director of Atsikana Pa Ulendo who is helping girls in Lilongwe Nsaru area. Inu mulufuna u board chair. There judges who are women. There PSs who are women. Most of the women who make noise have a very bad background. What we want is development not demonstrations. You will fail. If Chakwera gives them an inch they will take a yard. Atumidwa ndi Pitala Muthalika awa.

  4. You can’t perform even in homes comprising of your own husbands and children, can you handle public offices? Mavi yinu

  6. Yes women should have enough representatives gender in balance is the poor reflection of our country it has to stop so many culpable women, what do you think women are learning in schools? Make way for them be confident about your culpabilities as men, stop oppressive behaviours.

    2. You are quite right, we have very good examples of capable women like Jane Ansah and Seodi White……

  8. Kumeneku akuti ndi azimayitu…….osati ziamuna zina zopanda MANYAZI NDEVU PEYA PEYA UKU kuti muzikasilira mbina za azimayi…….chonde, asiyeni azimayi akamasuke…..KUMENEKU NDI KWA AZIMAYI okha okha osati AZIBAMBO…..iyayi….ngati mukufuna azimayi pitani ku Bwandiro usiku basi osati kumeneku ayi……MEN ARE NOT INVITED HERE……ndiza azimayi basi..musakatichititse manyazi ayi….. ukakachiwona CHIMZIBAMBO DZIWA KUTI NDI MBUTUMA ndidzianthu dzolowa mchimbudzi cha akazi…chopanda manyazi….

  10. Tikudziwa wakutumani Pitala, zanu izo ife no inch moved, zili bwino pano under LMC than it was under APM. Three months mukufuna muyambe kudya katatu ngati mwalima kale, aaaaaaa phuma bwanji? Pitani ndi ufulu wanu koma ndiza ziii mukulilirazo. JANE ANSAH anaononga mbili ya azimayi pa utsogoleri, fizi yayikazi ndiyoopsa kwambiri Grezelder anatero. Mapepala ndi performance are two different things. From my experience most women managers are underperformers expect a few.

  11. Go women go. Lets do it. We should clean the patriarchal rubble and do away with toxic masculinity.

  12. Anena bwana President kuti bwelesani mayinawo and tiwone tipanga bwanji and inu you are planning ma demo.
    Useless women…
    Go and fix mabanja anu kaye uko otherwise muzililabe kuti wiiiiiwiwiiiiwii..

  13. I don’t think Chakwera and Chilima will be moved even an inch with this demonstration. These guys are selfish who feel they know it all and are the vest in whatever they are doing. I remember when Chakwera was interviewed on BBC by Peter Okoche on the Ministerial positions which included a husband and wife, brother and sister and two in-laws. Chakwera’s promise was that he will look into what people are concerned with and address those concerns accordingly. Alas! only to find that the next day he had to confirm the names as they were and make announcement of the same in our media. Again look at what these Mafias promised us during the campaign: Universal fertilizer subsidy for every Malawian, Customs free week, MK14,000 passport, Permanent driving licence, One Million jobs, Civil servants salary increase, and many others to be achieved within their one hundred days. Look at what they are preaching now, different from what they promised. These guys just wanted our votes, They were fooling us so that we get attracted to them. We have nothing else to do other than serious demonstrations which are continuous. All in all, they snatched the government from Peter who won

  14. GOD’S WORK DEFECTOR LAZALO CHAKWERA SUNATI, U THOUGHT LEAVING DOWN GOD’S WAS GOOD, WAIT AND SEE.MORE AND MORE DEMOS ON 1-FERTILIZER 2-100% TAX FREE BASE SIMUKWANITSA 3-CABINET ONLYMABANJA AKUKASUNGU NDI CHIKWAWA KOMANSO AMBIRI MWA NDUNA AKULILONGWE.

  15. Zopusa basi. Things should be based on MERIT and not on your stupid gender equality thing.

    1. Many capable women. From your sentiments I can see that women in your family are failures and by your attitude we know where men like you come from

  16. Foseki
    So you are crying for positions. Just to enrich your self. If you are qualified just get a good job
    When Nsundwe women were Raped you did nothing. When the woman getting fire wood was being abused by forest guards you kept quite.
    Foseki

  19. You who advocate for women empowerment, look at how women have failed to perform when given the opportunity eg Joyce Banda JB as former state president on cashgate, late Catheren Chimwenje at MANEB and her successor Maria Nowa Phiri, recently Jane Ansah at MEC, all these women have indicated they cannot perform, why push for disaster. The only woman who has performed is Martha Chizuma only, leadership is not only through education there is some instinct behaviour attached to it.

    2. Very true! Just like when Joyce Banda had ‘achinyamata’ in positions during her term, they looted the left, right and centre.

    3. Our presidents have failed us and they were mostly men. comment on that because the buck stops there

    4. If men were so good at running the country we would not be the third poorest in the world. Zakukanikani

    5. We have had 5 presidents before Laz in 56 years. A woman ruled for only 2 years and you say azimayi failed. What kind of idiotic thinking and analysis is that. Cash gate was K24billion. Bingu there was MK267billion unaccounted for. Adjusted from MK560 billion to avoid too much anger. The cement deal ya APM alone was K5billion. We can’t even bring in Atcheya and how many state enterprises were stolen from Malawians. This is not a gender thing. It’s about the law. If the law says 60/40 then follow the law. If the law had said 33% men 33% women and 33% dogs it still shud have been followed. That’s what is called respecting laws.

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