Entertainment NewsFront Page

MUM president, South chair bury hatchet

 

Musicians Union of Malawi (MUM) president the Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango and the union’s Southern Region chapter chairperson, Papa Mtume, have buried their differences following a meeting in Blantyre on Tuesday.

Bad blood between the two came to the fore when Mhango wrote MUM trustees and announced publicly that he was not comfortable working with Mtume because of insubordination.

However, after coming face-to-face at a meeting organised by the MUM Southern Region executive to resolve their differences, the two extended an olive branch.

Mhango told the meeting that he felt Mtume was becoming a threat by disobeying his instructions as the union’s president.

Mtume (seated L) and Mhango (seated 2nd L) with other members of the chapter
Mtume (seated L) and Mhango (seated 2nd L) with other members of the chapter

He said: “He was using wrong channels to tackle issues he deemed my administration was failing to deliver. To me, this conduct was strange which is why I wrote trustees to express my reservation regarding working with him.

“But I am happy that today we have resolved the differences and embarked on a fresh journey to drive our union forward together as a family.”

Mtume apologised to the MUM executive for using wrong channels to address some critical issues against his president.

During the meeting, musicians from the Southern Region highlighted a number of issues, including deteriorating welfare and lack of leadership skills among its members.

“We sought an audience with our president to seek guidance on a number of issues we felt were dragging the union, especially here in the southern chapter,” said Isaiah Mlowoka who presented the grievances on behalf of the other musicians.

In response to concerns on welfare, Mhango urged musicians to join medical schemes or buy insurance policies.

Said Mhango: “We are currently working with some medical insurance companies to cover us, but we are struggling to convince some members to join.”

Related Articles

Back to top button