UDF shrugs off talk Atupele had pressure to wed

The United Democratic Front (UDF) says its president, Atupele Muluzi, was under no pressure to wed despite some political figures taking advantage of his previous marital status.

Atupele, 35, married his long-time companion, former legislator Angela Zachepa during a colourful Islamic Nikka ceremony at his Kapoloma Village, Ntaja, Machinga on Saturday. The couple has two children together.

Some politicians took advantage of his previous status to question his leadership credentials. Atupele is the UDF torchbearer in 2014 Tripartite Elections.

But UDF publicity secretary Ken Ndanga on Sunday said Atupele was under no political pressure to wed before the elections.

Said Ndanga: “[Atupele] was under no pressure, political or whatsoever to wed. He did that because it was the right thing to do.”

Ndanga, however, said UDF is happy and proud of its leader and that this will present a better image of the party.

“By deciding to wed his long time companion, our president has demonstrated the need to maintain family values which is a quality of leadership,” he said.

After the Nikka, the couple hosted scores of invited guests to a luncheon and a wedding reception just outside former president Bakili Muluzi’s Kapoloma residence.

Several prominent personalities attended the wedding ceremony. They included Speaker of the National Assembly Henry Chimunthu Banda, Leader of Opposition in Parliament and former Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president John Tembo, MCP director of research Lingson Belekanyama, Press Corporation Limited (PCL) group chief executive officer Matthews Chikaonda, former chief secretary to the government Bright Msaka.