Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati on Friday stormed the area of Traditional Authority Ngokwe to evict Group Village Head (GVH) Chilambe who was occupying Community Child Based Care Centre (CBCC) structures as his personal apartment.
In an interview, Kaliati said it was naive for the chief to be staying in the CBCC premises as his home as it compromised government efforts in promotion of early childhood development.
She blamed authorities in Machinga for failure to take action on such a development which may have a negative impact on the education status of the area.
“We cannot develop if people are illiterate and the issues of Gender Based Violence cannot end if we are not letting our younger generation have access to education just as it has happened here in Machinga,” she said.
In an interview, GVH Chilambe said he moved into the structure after his house collapsed in 2019 as a result of heavy rainfall and wind.
On his part, Paramount Chief Kawinga expressed concern that the chief was using public infrastructure as his personal empire, describing it as retrogressive.
“Since 2019, some chiefs attempted to chase him from the structure but he was very stubborn that after somedays he moved back to the structure and continued using it as personal,” Kawinga added.
Kawinga has since warned GVH Chilambe not to return to the CBCC, saying doing so would call for the intervention of the police.
Chilambe Community Child Based Care Centre was built in 2011 by international tennis superstar Roger Federer’s Foundation.
Reported by Martin Chiwanda & Racheal Mkotama
