Of Noel Chalamanda’s downfall & Donald Trump’s rise

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Wild Ndipo, Noel Chalamanda

Following Noel Chalamanda’s downfall in the mayoral elections, I committed to take a selfie along all roundabouts in the City of Blantyre. When I confided in a very close friend of this mission, he was shocked!

Before he could ask me why? I explained: It is clear, judging on the reaction on social media, that like Donald Trump, no one expected Ndipo to unseat his boss.

Noel Chalamanda
Mayor Chalamanda

The general expectation was that Noel Chalamanda would retain his mayoral seat. People took to social media to express their frustrations on ‘the system’ that had kicked out Mr. Chalamanda out of office, saying he had transformed the city from the pits of hell where previous mayors had left it.

With interest and for purpose of debate, I asked a couple of people of Chalamanda’s achievements. First on the list of everyone I asked was ‘roundabouts’. Inu simukuona momwe ma roundabout akuwonekera! To say I was shocked with this is an understatement.

Are roundabouts the legacy that Chalamanda was fighting for a second mandate? Are roundabouts the reason why people, including well known writers and respected journalists as well as activists, showered insults and other defamatory remarks at Ndipo including on his looks?

Some claimed ‘Blantyre’s cleanliness was the reason they had banked on Chalamanda’s second term’. I posed: who makes Blantyre, a city that was once voted the cleanest city in the world, filthy? Anyway, we love washing other people’s dirty laundry.

In channelling their frustrations, it is now claimed that the bylaws must be amended to allow all people of Blantyre to vote in these elections; similar to demands by the Democrats in the US who are demanding the abolishment of the electoral college in preference for the popular vote following Donald Trump’s victory despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.

This group asserts with authority that ‘councillors’ who voted for Ndipo are not representing us because the majority of ‘us’ wanted Chalamanda.

Wild Ndipo, Noel Chalamanda
Ndipo & Chalamanda (left)

“The councillors did not consult us. They were voting for their own interests,” they fume, forgetting it were the same councillors who voted for Chalamanda about 2 years ago. I did not ask whether 2 years ago, the frustrated lot were consulted.

But shouldn’t we be taking councillors to task rather than the system that gave us Chalamanda? Is it the system that made Chalamanda lose or was it the councillors voting their personal interest rather than that of their electors – the us.

What assurance do we have that if we are all allowed to vote in these city mayors, we will get the results we want?  Can the ‘new’ system that we want not be open to abuse and manipulation? I believe that if all Malawians had been allowed to vote during the third/open term crisis, Bakili Muluzi could possibly have still been president to this day.

We knew that mayoral elections in the city were underway but I have my doubts if any of us contacted our councillors to tell them whom we wanted them to vote for. I am convinced it is not the system we should be fighting.

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18 Comments

  1. even NDIPO will not manage to make everyone happy ndizosiilana izi aliyense adyeko basi nde pamalawi pamenepo umayamba kuzikonza wekha kaye

    1. Yaa zinazi Brenda timusiyire mulungu ndine wakumpoto koma ntchito za Noel zimatidalisa and that day atalengeza kuti walephera, I was very sorry coz amkhomelera but his is still young tsogolo lowala lilipo satana ndiwaboza

  2. roundabouts are not supposed to be in highways or freeways i don’t know where Malawian planners are getting this its a mess. roundabouts should be in avenues. check the mess your roundabouts bring during pick hours. Replace roundabouts with robots, flatten and widen your roads

    1. Muzimvesera chilimayo akamayankhula akuti sibwino kumangoyimbira manja zili zonse,nanga mpaka roundabout in highway

    2. In ganeral we don’t have good planers in Malawi…even Malawi House Co-paretion is useless organization how doesn’t what they’re doing.

    3. i dont understand people Who planed Blantyre City, look in the Inner City Roads are so tiny , buildings are too close to the roads even If they to extend the Roads it can not be possible

  3. Dzikoli Lathuli Ndilodzadza Ndikatangale Ndi Ziphuphu Zokhazokha. Munthu Ukati Akhale Wachilungamo Umadedwa Kwambiri. Kapena Kuchita Zabwino Palibe Angakondwe. Aliyense Amaene Amapita Kumipando Ikuluikulu Mbomamo Nkhani Yayikulu Ndikufuna Kukhara Ndindalama Mmatumba Mwao Osati Kutukula Dzikoli Ayi. Chalamanda Amayesa Kutukula Town Koma Ena Kwaiwo Adaona Ngati Ndichiphinjo Chowakanikitsa Kuchita Zakatangale. Mpaka Ena Alowapo Mwachinyengo, Mkumati Achita Zinthu Zachilungamo Zakupsya?

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