Nsanje Chiefs Demand Apology from DPP Over ‘Cows’ Remark
Chiefs from the Lower Shire have demanded an apology from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) for allegedly referring to people from the region as “cows”.
The chiefs claim that some DPP MPs, led by Sameer Suleiman, condemned President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s tour of development projects in the Lower Shire, saying it was “useless” and that he should have visited people in Machinga instead of “cows” in the Lower Shire.
The chiefs, including Senior Chiefs Mulolo, M’gabu, and Chimombo, have given the DPP a 7-day ultimatum to apologize for the remark, failure to which will mean that the DPP will no longer be welcome in the Lower Shire.
The chiefs made the demand while witnessing the offloading of fuel from train wagons into tankers at Marka in Nsanje. They argued that President Chakwera is a leader of all Malawians and has the right to visit any part of the country at any time.
“Is it a sin for President Chakwera to visit us in the Lower Shire?” asked Senior Chief Chimombo. “We’re told some opposition DPP MPs led by Sameer Suleiman said Chakwera was touring cattle in the Lower Shire instead of visiting people in Machinga. Are we cattle ourselves? We demand an apology for this insult within 7 days, failure to do so will mean DPP will never need the people of Lower Shire.”
The demand comes after President Chakwera visited the Lower Shire between September 9 and 12, 2024, for a number of state functions, including the inaugural receipt of wagons containing 1.2 million liters of diesel from Beira in Mozambique. However, instead of appreciating the development, some opposition DPP MPs allegedly started circulating false stories that the train wagons were loaded with molasses, not fuel. This forced some traditional leaders to storm the offloading bay to witness the offloading of fuel.
