Chief Fuka Mapili, whose names are Witly Graham Phiri, of the Thonga people of northern Malawi has said he is not aware about President Rupiah Banda’s father having originated from his chiefdom.
The traditional leader refuted claims by former Zambian ambassador to Botswana Milton Phiri that President Banda’s father, Bwezani Banda was born in Tukombo Village of his chiefdom.
The 71-year-old traditional authority, as they are known here, who presides over 50, 000 subjects with six senior group village headmen and 25 village headmen, said in an interview at his Mbamba headquarters yesterday that he was not aware of Mr Banda having roots in his chiefdom.
He said it was wrong for people to suggest that President Banda’s parents were Malawians just because of the name as the Banda name was common to Zambia and Malawi.
“We have heard that there are some people who say that President Banda comes from here in Malawi. Many of us here in my chiefdom are not aware about that, we have tried to make our research to establish if he has any relations but there is no truth in those allegations.
“There is no truth in that. If it is because he is a Banda, and because Bandas, Phiris come from Malawi go to Lundazi, go to Chipata but there are Bandas who are born there, their parents are from there, the same with President Banda he doesn’t come from here,” he said.
He said there were a number of elderly people in FukaMapili area who would have remembered Mr Bwezani Banda if the allegations by the former Zambian envoy to Botswana were really true.
Chief FukaMapili, who has been on the throne since February 25, 1984, said Chewa speaking people in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia shared the same heritage as they all come from the same roots, in Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We have relatives in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia and we all fall under Kalonga Gawa Undi and that is why we meet every year in Mkaika, Katete for the Kulamba traditional ceremony,” he said.
The chief, however, said as far as he and his people were concerned in his area, President Banda was Zambian, just like his parents.
“I don’t know much about President Rupiah Banda but I know about Kaunda (former president Kenneth Kaunda) because he is even my relative. We do not have any records that Mr Bwezani Banda was born here,” he said.
Asked specifically about Tukombo Village as claimed by Mr Phiri, the traditional leader, who was flanked by his chief adviser Sume Chirwa said the village was within his chiefdom but that there was also no record on President Banda’s family.
He advised politicians to desist from making unfounded allegations but to find lasting solutions through dialogue by talking to each other.
He said it was important for traditional leaders as well as elected leaders to dialogue over issues that affect their countries.
“My word to our friends in Zambia is that first, we wish them all the best. We wish them well; if there is anything they want us to do together they are welcome any time.
“If they will need us chiefs from here to go we are ready to go there and be together with our friends Zambians and Malawians as our culture is one and the same. So what we want is please let’s live as one people, if anything is wrong let’s sit down and think together,” he said.
Mr. Phiri recently said President Banda’s father, Bwezani Banda was born in Tukombo Village in Chief FukaMapili’s area in Nkhata Bay in the then Nyasaland.
President Banda has dismissed Mr Phiri’s allegations and on Monday, the president’s brother, James also refuted the allegations that their father was born in Malawi.
[ Times of Zambia ]
Eish, history has a nasty tendency to reapeat itself. Chiluba dispatched reporters to Chibambo. Rupiah just dispatched reporters to FukaMapili. All the same, sums are not adding up. If RupiaRupiah is related to Betty he is supposed to be Chikunda. Sometimes he claims to be Ngoni which he speaks most of the time and at other times he claims to bebe Chewa. Which is which kanshi? Mwatisovya bambo.
#1 You should also get your facts right – Mrs Kaunda is a Kunda and not Chikunda who live on the borders between Lusaka and Eastern provinces around Luangwa district previously known as Feira. People in Zambia have very complex family ties – personally I have Lozi and Tonga relatives though am neither Lozi or Tonga myself. So it is possible for RB to be related to people who have a different ethnic make up to himself. This whole exercise is a waste of time, energy and resources.
Who cares he will stand anyway. And that 71 year old is probably dull and claims has this wisdom or may ave been coerced to say that anyway, considering the news is coming from a state owned tabloid. Who are they kidding? Not me , Not when I have 2 Masters, 1 Degree and both CIMA and ACCA. I am not so naive and I refuse to accept this by any means necessary. Thanks
President Banda is wasting our money and time by sending these journalist to lie to Zambians about his parental origin.
What President Banda should know is that, Zambians are not interested in his parents origin but wants a President who will bring development, fight corruption and make transparent constitution that will stand a test of time in Zambia.
I live outside Zambia right now and my children may stand as politicians in future, i definitely don’t believe that the Australian government will send someone to come to Zambia to dig my child’s origin.
Mr President please stop this cheap politics, wasting our money and your misplaced projects like Mobile hospitals, GEYSERS, and free bulbs that is what us Zambians wants.
We are not interested in your parents ORIGIN!!!
You are right! And he is using the Times for personal political battles. Misusing our taxes
Primitive politics at play big time. Why would i trust this (obviously MMD bought) cadre called chief over these empty statements is being forced to make? Insteady of wasting the so much needed resources on such non-sense, why cant he just provide his parents birth certificates? pa Zambia pena twalitipwafye tata, kula tambakofye
Who is the author of this story? Times of Zambia is a real Banana Republic paper.
The chief was given some Malawian Kwacha to denounce Milton’s story. Why and Why should RB be so jittery as to send people all over the world if he truly knows that his parents were both Zambian. I think its a nightmare for him to think that someone can trace his parentage to Nkhatabay. Tax payer’s money gone again!
We the Zambians needs to know the truth not cooked up stories. The constitution says all parents should be born in Zambia for someone to be eligible to stand for presidency. Rubbish Bin has violated the same article and we the Zambians are waiting for action by the supreme court. It is now true that he is ruling us illegally and deserves a jail sentence. This may not be a good law but it is law until such a time it would be repealed. Milandu kupaka amambala, unyokoka naiwe manje. False declaration, corruption, Western province genocide etc. Wapya baisa ba PF!
Banda is indeed full of mysteries, one day he is Kunda, the next he is Ngoni and the third day he is Tumbuka. The man has no drop of Ngoni blood flowing anywhere in his lazy veins but he would like to make us believe he is Ngoni and even goes to an extent of naming his son Dingani Banda. We all know he speaks Ndebele, which is Zulu by being Mzilikazi’s Khumalos, by being born and brought up in Gwanda but he is not Nguni by blood at all. This place he claims his father comes from is nothing but a settlement, its like claiming that I’m a Zambian and my home village is Kanakantapa or Kaunda Square. Thi is not on, Banda is an illegal alien illegally rulling this country.
#9 I guess you wont want to be ruled by Satanzania then?
Uli chipuba sana iwe Kolwe. YOU MUST BE MAD.
Who cares where his parents comes from wheather it is malawi, Congo, planet mars or the moon, we are interested in what he can do for Zambians.
sheer waste of time and energy, just face the elections ala, sh;;it. i am in total agreement with @11. in any case if zambia can only produce material like mr sata for the position of president of zambia, then we must import suitable leaders from anywhere moon, mars, jupiter or even afghanistan until we produce something better than sata.
RB is zambian unless u tell that all easterners are malawians
Milton ninjala u want to sell ur brother?
Times of Zambia!! Stop wasting our hard earned taxes fighting one person’s political battles! tell us why there are potholes all over the country Tell us why villaages have no running water Tell us why Lusaka has become a collection of shanties Tell us why the counntry hass a ratio of one doctor per 100000 people Tell us why there is so much sh**t in the country. Stop vuvuzelling for the MMD!
who cares whthere he’s malawian or whatever..?he will stand..
RB is Malawian and Sata is Tanzanian just ask him about the Twange family, was with one of his nephews at Matero boys. then Sata was a minister and the guy just joined us with broken Swahili English. the guy bragged about the many investments Sata has in Tanzania. when declaring assets sata never Mentions these assets. these cheap politics will not take this country forward and PF knows that they have error ed on this one
Milton, yamunyokola njala…..