Malewezi’s career, political profile
Born on December 23 1943, Malewezi was educated at Robert Blake Secondary School in Dowa where he received his Cambridge School Certificate.
He started his public service life as a secondary school science teacher after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Columbia University in the United States in 1967.
Various literature indicate that Malewezi advanced from teacher to headteacher and, in 1976, he became chief education officer. Thereafter, he served as Secretary to the Treasury as well as Permanent Secretary in various ministries, including Education and Health.
In 1989, he was appointed Secretary to the President and Cabinet in the Kamuzu Banda administration.
Out of government, around 1992, he joined an underground group comprising mainly former Banda protesters, including Bakili Muluzi, Aleke Banda, Edward Bwanali, Finly Dumbo Lemani and Brown Mpinganjira.
The pressure group later became the United Democratic Front (UDF) under the leadership of Bakili Muluzi. In 1994 General Elections, UDF dislodged Kamuzu Banda’s Malawi Congress Party from its 30-year hold on power.
Malewezi served as vice-president under Muluzi between 1994 and 2004, the first 10 years after re-introduction of multiparty rule in the country.
But Malewezi ditched the UDF on January 1 2004 as Muluzi pushed for a third- term bid, unsuccessfully.
After resigning from the UDF, he joined People’s Progressive Movement (PPM), whose president Mark Katsonga Phiri yesterday described him as someone who was dedicated to Malawi’s development.
He said: “After he left UDF in 2004, he contested at our convention for the presidency but lost to the late Aleke Banda.
“Later on, he competed as an independent presidential candidate in the 2004 election which he lost. But he was a person who knew where we are coming from, what we needed to do, and how to achieve results. A very humble, diligent and hard-working person.”
PPM later joined Mgwirizano Coalition but Malewezi declared himself an independent candidate.
That year, he contested for the presidency alongside Bingu wa Mutharika, Gwanda Chakuamba of Mgwirizano Coalition, Mpinganjira of National Democratic Alliance and MCP’s John Tembo. He amassed 2.5 percent of the national vote.
