Exposing the Manipulator: Malawi’s “accidental” President, Joyce Banda

𝑩𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑴𝒐𝒚𝒐

Professor Blessings Chisinga once coined the term “accidental President”—a President who stumbles into power without purpose, without a vision, and certainly without anything substantial to offer. And if anyone embodies this label, it is none other than Joyce Banda. Her rise to power was the result of tragic circumstances—the sudden death of President Bingu Wa Mutharika in 2012—and it quickly became clear that she was entirely unequipped to lead. She presided over this nation for a mere two years, and her tenure was an absolute disaster.

Malawians were so disillusioned with her lackluster leadership that they booted her out of office in 2014, swiftly sending her packing after she completed the remainder of Mutharika’s term. The people of Malawi, it seemed, had seen enough. Her disastrous rule, marked by rampant corruption and looting of state resources with the likes of Paul Mphwiyo and Oswald Lutepo, proved that she was not only incompetent but deeply complicit in the very schemes that were draining the nation’s coffers.

And then came the infamous moment of her “presidential” genius when, after losing the 2014 election, she appeared on state-run television and, citing a completely fabricated section of the Constitution, declared that the elections were null and void. A non-existent legal clause? A slip of the tongue? Or perhaps just another desperate attempt to cling to power. What followed was nothing short of embarrassing as she made a mockery of herself—caught in the act of dishonesty, leaving her credibility in tatters.

Fast forward to today, and Joyce Banda is at it again—this time with a string of outrageous claims. In a recent interview with Zodiak TV, she fabricated yet another absurd narrative about the Tonse Alliance, claiming there was a secret five-year power-sharing deal between President Chakwera and Vice President Chilima. The truth, however, is far simpler and far less dramatic. The Tonse Alliance agreement, freely available to the public, clearly stipulates that any such deal was entirely contingent on decisions made by the National Executive Committees of both MCP and UTM—two parties that, let’s not forget, are no longer aligned. Banda’s attempt to twist the facts shows an utter disregard for reality and an alarming ability to manipulate the truth.

Furthermore, one would expect some measure of gratitude from Joyce Banda, given the mercy President Lazarus Chakwera has shown her and her party. After all, her allies remain in key government positions, appointed by Chakwera himself. Roy Banda, her son, enjoys a diplomatic post in Dubai, Ibrahim Matola, a Peoples Party member, is the Minister of Energy, and several others continue to serve in high-profile roles, despite their master’s attack on the appointing authority. Yet instead of being thankful and cautious, Joyce Banda has chosen to launch these unprovoked attacks against Chakwera, the very person who offered her party an olive branch when no one else would.

It is high time for Chakwera to stop tolerating such betrayal and replace these ingrates with those who have remained loyal and who are working tirelessly for his re-election. It’s time to show that loyalty and hard work will be rewarded.  If Chakwera were a man of Donald Trump’s stuff, he would have long since removed these opportunists from their positions, replacing them with those who align with his vision and who genuinely believe in the future of Malawi. As the old Malawian saying goes, “Njoka saweta”—you can’t domesticate snakes.

𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍.