Nankhumwa faces expulsion

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national disciplinary committee has summoned the party’s vice-president (South) Kondwani Nankhumwa to a disciplinary hearing this Wednesday in Lilongwe.

The committee accuses Nankhumwa, who is also Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, of undermining the authority of the party’s president Peter Mutharika for holding whistlestop tours in Blantyre between July 15 and 25 2023 without seeking approval.

The letter, signed by secretary of the disciplinary committee Jean Mathanga, which we have seen, warns Nankhumwa that he may be expelled from the party or suspended  or censured should he fail to avail himself before the committee.

The letter also warns him against mobilising supporters to disrupt the hearing.

Ironically, the committee was appointed at the party’s recent controversial National Governing Council (NGC) in Mangochi, which is subject to court proceedings in the High Court.

Nankhumwa in an interview yesterday confirmed being summoned to the disciplinary hearing at the Dream Village in Area 43 in Lilongwe on August 2 2023 at 9 am.

“The letter surprisingly came through WhatsApp from Dr. Jean Mathanga. Let’s leave it here,” he said.

Mathanga, who neither confirmed nor denied authoring the letter, declined to comment yesterday, saying the committee’s chairperson George Chaponda was mandated to speak to the media.

But both Chaponda and the party’s spokesperson Shadreck Namalomba said in separate interviews yesterday that it was not true that the party had summoned Nankhumwa to the disciplinary hearing.

“It is not true. I am the chairperson of that committee, I would have known. There is no such a letter,” Chaponda said.

However, according to the letter dated July 25 2023, it informs Nankhumwa that the committee received a complaint from the party’s deputy secretary general, Aaron Sangala, on his alleged conduct which contravenes the DPP constitution.

Nankhumwa, according to the letter, will be charged with undermining the authority of the president contrary to Article 6 (vii) and (ix) of the DPP constitution.

“You conducted whistlestop tours in the Southern Region without seeking approval from the president…and thereby undermined the authority of the president…and displayed disrespect to the leadership of the party,” reads part of the letter.

The committee further informs him it wants to hear his side of the story before it could make recommendations to the party’s central committee.

“Take notice that if you fail to attend the disciplinary hearing without any justifiable reasons, the committee has the power to make recommendations to the central committee for necessary sanctions including expulsion, suspension or censure,” it reads.

The letter further says Nankhumwa faces similar actions should he mobilise his supporters to accompany him to the disciplinary hearing or should they disrupt the hearing.

A party official Billy Malata recently obtained an injunction to stop the recent NGC, but the party obtained a stay order from the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal that allowed them to proceed with the NGC.

When he granted the DPP the stay order, Justice of Appeal Dingiswayo Madise ordered the party to file a fresh application with notice within seven days for the continuation of the order of stay.

He gave Malata and his team 14 days to respond and ordered that Malata be allowed to attend the NGC meeting together with all other members of the NGC of the DPP.

The DPP failed to file the notices at the end of the 14 days.

Malata’s lawyer, Wapona Kita, said in an interview yesterday that there were processes he was undertaking after the DPP’s failure to file notices, but he said he did not want to preempt.

DPP legal adviser Charles Mhango said in an interview yesterday that they were briefed by their lawyer Fred Chipembere but said being clients, they were not supposed to comment, suggesting Chipembere could be better-placed to do so.

Chipembere said he was attending a funeral yesterday and was unable to comment.

This is the second time , the party has summoned Nankhumwa for disciplinary hearing.

In 2020, the Leader of the Opposition was also summoned and charged with four counts of disciplinary breaches.

Nankhumwa was accused of undermining Mutharika as party president for imposing himself on the position of Leader of Opposition, conspiring to mislead Mutharika and failing to explain his education background.

Last year, Nankhumwa also fought with the party over rallies he conducted at Nyambadwe Primary School in Blantyre. The party said he never sought permission from the party to hold the rally.

Cracks in the DPP came to light after its embattled secretary general Greselder Jeffrey in August 2020 told The Nation that Mutharika, who lost the June 23 2022 court-sanctioned Fresh Presidential Election to President Lazarus Chakwera, had done his part and that the party needed a new person to lead it into the future.

But the party later fired her alongside Nankhumwa, treasurer general and Rumphi North legislator Jappie Mhango and Mulanje West legislator Yusuf Nthenda.

The matter ended up in court and was concluded. However, the party still remains divided with one camp led by Nankhumwa and another by Mutharika amid the leadership succession challenges.