The State House talks on Cabinet

Chakwera has said he will not comment further on issues to do with his Cabinet until the time he would be ready to address the nation on the matter.

State House Press Secretary Brian Banda said this during a press briefing held virtually in Lilongwe.

Chakwera promised to review the performance of his Cabinet and have a new one in place by the end of the first quarter of 2021, a promise which Banda has been insisting Chakwera would deliver on.

“As the Director of Communication [Sean Kampondeni] said, President Chakwera will not make any further comment on the Cabinet until such a time that he is ready to do so either himself or through the State House media team.

“You should also bear in mind that it is the President’s prerogative to hire and fire Cabinet ministers and the President will exercise those powers when he is ready to do so,” he said.

Banda added that Malawians should know that there is a Cabinet in place, which is assisting the President in running affairs of the country.

“All the ministers are in place apart from the Ministry of Local Government and Ministry of Transport but, even in these ministries, there are deputy ministers in office,” he said.

Addressing a recent briefing on March 29, barely 48 hours before the end of the first quarter of 2021, Banda insisted that a new Cabinet would be in place by the end of the quarter.

“President Chakwera announced that he will be assessing performance of his Cabinet and name a new one in the first quarter of 2021. The first quarter is not over yet because we have two more days. President Chakwera is on course to naming the new Cabinet and I can confidently say that he will name the Cabinet tomorrow or the other day,” he said.

Speaking at yesterday’s briefing, Kampondeni said Chakwera would on Wednesday meet Malawi Airlines Chairperson to discuss the predicament of the company— which faces liquidation.