Kondwani Nankhumwa sues Brown Mpinganjira, others


As cracks in the erstwhile ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) widen, the party’s vice president for the Southern Region Kondwani Nankhumwa has dragged the party’s spokesperson Brown Mpinganjira and three others to court over remarks connecting a recent episode of violence to Nankhumwa.
The other three are the party’s regional governor for the east Sheik Imran Mtenje, vice president for Central Region Zeria Chakale and regional governor for the Southern Region Charles Mchacha.
Recently, some DPP members disrupted a press conference that publicity secretary Mpinganjira was about to address in Lilongwe. The members roughed up Mpinganjira before he was kicked out of the press conference venue.
However, Mpinganjira and other members proceeded to hold a press conference at an undisclosed venue where, among other things, they tackled the issue of violence that took place earlier in the day.
In the summons filed on March 2 2021, and which The Daily Times has seen, Nankhumwa— who is also Leader of the Opposition in Parliament—says Mpinganjira, at the said press conference, made a reference that Nankhumwa was behind the violence.
“The words equivocally mean and meant to mean that the claimant is a habitual criminal, crooked, not fit to be a Leader of Opposition, not fit to be a Member of Parliament and not fit to be the vice president of the Democratic Progressive Party,” the summons reads.
On Chakale and Mchacha, Nankhumwa claims that the two uttered defamatory words.
Nankhumwa, who confirmed filing the summons, is claiming damages for defamation, loss of public image and other reliefs.
