By Tabith Tebulo

In a blistering audio interview on Times TV’s Hot Current, former President Joyce Banda tore into her one-time ally Lazarus Chakwera, accusing him of presiding over Malawi’s “epic mess” with what she described as a “clueless” management model. Banda held nothing again, sarcastically praising Chakwera’s “genius” in permitting Malawians to resort to chitedze because the nation grapples with endless shortages—from gasoline to foreign exchange to agricultural inputs below the damaged Affordable Input Program (AIP).

Banda mocked Chakwera’s incapability to arrange “even the most basic functioning team” of technical consultants to deal with these points, leaving the nation to flounder whereas he stays on an extravagant nation tour. The tour, Banda identified, is a taxpayer-funded marketing campaign stunt exhibiting off a fleet of recent authorities autos, a lavish show that feels particularly insensitive as Malawians endure punishing gasoline queues. Banda advised that the foreign exchange spent on these autos might have been higher used to import gasoline, a much more pressing want for the nation proper now​.

Adding additional gasoline to the fireplace, Banda criticized Chakwera’s worldwide journeys, describing them as “garbage missions” that deliver again nothing of worth. Instead of forging significant partnerships or discovering actual options, she stated, Chakwera returns solely with “symbolic gestures” and hole guarantees, leaving Malawians to query the advantages of his relentless travels.

With the 2025 elections looming, Banda’s sharp critique has struck a nerve with a public rising weary of what she termed a “clownish reign” that locations marketing campaign theatrics over governance. For a frontrunner who has but to deal with the core wants of his individuals, Banda’s phrases function a stark reminder that Malawians are bored with ready for actual change.
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