The profound question posed by Sylvester Namiwa, the self-acclaimed apostle of economic empowerment and good governance, ultimately raises far more questions than his script can answer. In a display of breathtaking audacity, Namiwa has casually claimed that First Lady Gertrude Mutharika is the toxic source of some imaginary rift between the President and his first deputy. It is an impressive leap of fiction, though completely unburdened by reality.
What Namiwa conveniently forgets from the very outset is a basic constitutional fact: President Professor Peter Mutharika actually has two deputies—Reverend Pastor Jane Ansah and Mr Enoch Chakufwa Chihana. He completely misses the glaring point that both of them are treated exactly the same. Nobody receives special treatment. Yet he talks of a rift involving one Vice President while leaving out the other. Of course, Namiwa is not looking for equality; he is transparently demanding VIP, red-carpet treatment specifically tailored for Vice President Jane Ansah.
The only real question left hanging in the air is: where exactly is he harvesting this grade-A gossip? In a week when someone has spent considerable time and resources launching a completely unprovoked attack on Mrs Mutharika, Namiwa’s fiction actually undermines the integrity of the very office he is pretending to protect. One would think logic comes from wisdom, but apparently it is currently out of stock.
First of all, for those who managed to sit through basic journalism school, news is supposed to have a proper structure. It must answer the fundamental questions: what happened, where did it happen, who was involved, when did it happen, how did it happen, and why? When operating in an investigative mode, there is an even more critical question that must be answered: what is the ultimate impact?
Now, let us take a gentle walk down fantasy lane with Namiwa. For strange and mystical reasons, he believes the First Lady is actively manufacturing a rift between the President and his first Vice President. In trying to solve this riddle, one might genuinely develop a massive headache. The First Lady has absolutely no official role in the presidency. She is the spouse of the President, not a civil servant or an appointed political office-holder.
Therefore, the hilarious fallacy of suggesting that she suddenly controls the state leaves us with two uncomfortable conclusions. First, Namiwa is insulting the Head of State by suggesting that the President is weak and takes his marching orders from the living room couch. Those who actually know the Professor know exactly who the boss is. He is one of the most straightforward and independent leaders you will ever encounter. He said it clearly himself: “I don’t want to be a ‘chiboliboli’ (puppet) President.” He set his agenda and, so far, has followed his words to the letter, much to his critics’ dismay.
It is highly difficult to swallow Namiwa’s illusion that the President is suddenly taking daily orders from the First Lady on whom he can or cannot talk to.
However, since Namiwa has resorted to attacking the President’s wife, it becomes difficult not to wonder whether Vice President Jane Ansah herself is the ultimate source of Namiwa’s script. Because, seriously, where else does Namiwa get the confidence to point at Mrs Mutharika as the source of this perceived conflict? Obviously, this script is not being leaked from the corridors of Sanjika Palace; according to this narrative, it is being mailed directly from Mudi House.
The real challenge for this narrative is that reality on the ground speaks a completely different language. The Vice President is still fully funded, approvals for her official activities are still being granted, and the strongest evidence that these allegations are merely political propaganda is her continued, uninterrupted attendance at Cabinet meetings.
Cabinet meetings are held at presidential residences, where the chief host is none other than the First Lady. Yet Pastor Jane Ansah has been cordially invited to, and has attended, every Cabinet meeting. Honestly, if someone in that household did not want her there, she simply would not be on the guest list.
So let us circle back to journalism basics. What happened in Namiwa’s assertions? It simply did not happen. Where did it happen? As we can clearly see, nowhere, especially since the Vice President enjoys direct, unfettered access to her boss, the President. As for how it happened, when it happened, and why it happened, these are questions that cannot be answered by Namiwa or whoever generously sponsored his remarkably expensive press briefing.
As alluded to on Monday, the political pattern remains identical. Having utterly failed to find any legitimate fault with the President, the strategy has shifted to drumming up cheap hatred against Mrs Mutharika. Of course, they are desperately trying to provoke the President into reacting aggressively, hoping someone gets arrested so they can jump up and down, shout “Boom!”, and claim they finally have proof that APM is a dictator.
But the period from 2019 to 2020 completely shattered that theory and, in the eyes of his supporters, demonstrated President Mutharika’s democratic credentials. Despite the intense provocations, chaotic demonstrations, and vile insults, he held his head high. He allowed people to demonstrate all the way to the gates of Kamuzu Palace. Even when the judicially inspired takeover of government took place, he peacefully retired to Mangochi. Malawians eventually saw what many regarded as the truth. Throughout it all, Mrs Mutharika was insulted, ridiculed, and demonised.
Yet, when Malawians democratically returned them to Sanjika Palace, both the President and the First Lady chose peace and love over anger and vengeance. They have, not merely in words but through visible deeds, recognised every corner of Malawi as having contributed to their return. More importantly, they have not been ashamed to publicly praise God for everything.
In stark contrast, Vice President Ansah is proving to be a complete novice in high-stakes politics, and someone appears to be trying far too hard to make a mountain out of a molehill. Following her controversial private trip to the UK in December 2025, both her defensive language and her continued media interviews give the impression of someone fighting silent, imaginary battles.
The burning question is: whose bidding is she actually doing? Surely Namiwa could not have independently come up with the idea of attacking the President’s spouse, who is outside active politics, over serious matters of state. Many political players want Mrs Mutharika to break her silence and start trading insults like a certain former First Lady. But they forget that she served as First Lady from 2014 to 2020 and never once descended into political mudslinging. She never attacked anyone. Her speeches have consistently focused on girls’ empowerment, peace, love, and happiness.
Perhaps instead of deploying desperate proxies like Namiwa and using selected media platforms to attack First Lady Gertrude Mutharika, those who believe Veep Ansah is “suffering” should offer her some sound advice: borrow a leaf from the Sanjika Palace Queen and preach love, unity, and empowerment. The time for aggressive politics will surely come, but right now, it is far too early.
By the way, history reminds us of a stubborn, unshakeable fact: no Vice President in this country has ever been directly elected to the presidency. One ascended to the office following a presidential death, but it ended in tears. Those wishing for something unfortunate to happen to the President may be in for a very long, very painful wait, because they are not gods.
Instead of trading in cheap gossip, activist Namiwa should follow up on the billions allegedly lost during the previous five years, the economic impact of which continues to punish the poor. Otherwise, his sudden entry into the gossip market lacks any logical coherence and ultimately undermines the Vice President herself. It makes her appear desperate for attention. There are two Vice Presidents in Malawi. Mr Namiwa might want to take a few lessons in logic.
