Court stops DPP’s Mchacha removal

T

he High Court of Malawi has stopped former president Peter Mutharika and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from firing legislator Charles Mchacha as regional governor for the South.

Mchacha sought court relief after the party replaced him with Thomson Kamangira last week.

DPP and Mutharika’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba backed Mchacha’s dismissal, saying it was a political strategy for the party to reclaim power in the 2025 Tripartite Elections.

But High Court Judge Simeon Mdeza of the Lilongwe Registry yesterday granted Mchacha an order restraining implementation of the decision.

Reads the ruling in part: “That an injunction be and is hereby issued restraining the defendants from implementing their decision to remove the claimant from the position of regional governor of the Democratic Progressive Party and replacing him until determination of the within matter or until a further order of the court.

“That the claimant do file inter parties application for the continuation of the within injunction within 28 days from the date hereof.”

Prior to Mchacha’s removal, the party also dismissed Kelvin Chirambo and Joyce Chikukula as director of youth and director of women for the North, respectively.

The two were accused of opposing the endorsement of the candidature of Mutharika in the 2025 presidential election.

Yesterday, Namalomba said the party was yet to be served with the injunction.

The injunction also comes days after Thyolo Thava legislator Mary Thom Navicha resigned as DPP deputy chief whip in Parliament, citing continued leadership wrangles.

She told The Nation yesterday that it was better for her to concentrate on developing her constituency.

“DPP is a family, and we all need to think about challenges Malawians are facing,” Navicha said.

Meanwhile, political analyst Dr George Chaima has said the chaos in DPP is a result of lack of proper guidance from the leadership.

“Every institution needs a leader with wisdom, vision and agility to steer the party further rather than killing it. When we look at the leadership style of Mutharika, you can only conclude that he is aimed at killing the party,” he said.

Cracks in DPP came to light in August 2020 after estranged secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey told The Nation that Mutharika had done his part and that the party needed a new person to lead it into the future, calling for an early convention.