JB not making up story on death threats—Kamanga

President Joyce Banda has rubbished suggestions that she is making up the story of receiving death threats, arguing that it is an expression of ignorance about risks a person in her position faces.

On Friday, the President repeated her claims of an assassination plot because she is fighting high levels of corruption, but observers have argued she wants to divert attention from the melting down of the economy, governance issues and the cashgate.

Banda’s special adviser on communication and politics Elias Wakuda Kamanga trashed the assertions that the President wants to buy sympathy to woo voters for the May 20 polls.

“She is just telling the story the way it is. For what is known, she is not the first Head of State to receive death threats. Some leaders have survived assassination attempts. Others have survived gun attacks or bomb blasts,” said Kamanga at a news briefing in Blantyre yesterday.

Kamanga also defended the President for elevating Senior Chief Kapeni of Blantyre on Saturday, saying Banda would not be held responsible for violating a court order.

“To her knowledge, there was no court order restraining her from effecting the promotion. If there was any, the promotion would not have taken place. The President has always demonstrated commitment to the rule of law. In any case, it would sound absurd that the very people who allowed the installation would then turn against the promotion of their chief,” he argued.

But The Nation on December 23 2013 carried a story in which some estranged members of the Kapeni family sought a court order to stop Banda from elevating Kapeni.

High Court Judge Duncan Mwaungulu directed that the elevation be stopped until the court sits on January 14 to hear from both parties.

The order warned the Attorney General and Director of Chiefs that they risk being found guilty of contempt of court and might also be sent to prison or have their assets seized if they disobey the court order by the High Court.