Although beleaguered Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Jane Ansah has been denying close links with the Mutharika family, there is new evidence that the two families are as close.
President Peter Mutharika’s wife Gertrude last week visited Jane Anash’s mother Mrs Mjojo in area 10 in Lilongwe who is sick.
Mrs Mutharika had to make the 360 kilometre trip despite travel restrictions especially for the first family who are holed up at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre for the past one and half months.
Only true friends would take risks, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic to visit a mother of another true friend.
Mutharika has blatantly refused to fire Ansah from her position as MEC Chair despite both the Constitutional Court and parliament recommending for her dismissal for presiding over a fraudulent presidential election which has been nullified.
“Yes it is true that the First Lady came to visit Mrs Mjojo here at her home in Area 10. There is nothing wrong in people visiting and cheering someone who is sick,” said a family member who refused to be named when we called at the Mjojo residence.
“The problem with you journalists is that you want to politicize everything. The First Lady has friends too, she is also human and that is why she was here,” said the family member before slamming the gate in our face.
Insiders said Mrs. Mutharika has now a new friend in Ansah and the two are now ‘very close’ than before.
In a related development, some disgruntled workers at MEC have confirmed that Ansah has now taken over some functions and duties of the secretariat.
“It is very sad; some things that were being done by the Secretariat are now being done by the Chairperson. There were some press releases announcing the cancellation of registration exercise in Blantyre City and also another one suspending the voter registration because of Covid-19. She was advised not to go ahead with these decisions as they required some consultations but she defied all of us and signed the statements by herself, she did t even consult her fellow Commissioners,” said one staff member who did not want to be named.
“It is very pathetic and to be honest, we all cannot wait to have new commissioners maybe we will have some pride to say we work for MEC, otherwise it is embarrassing for us to go out there and say we work for MEC, our reputation has been soiled,” added another member of staff.
Another insider also revealed that all is not well between Ansah and Chief Elections Officer Sam Alfandika especially on financial matters.
