Jappie Mhango withdraws from party expulsion court case

MALAWI: Former Treasurer General for the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party-DPP Jappie Mhango has withdrawn from a court case in which he and three others were disputing their expulsion from the party.

Mhango, together with Secretary-General Griezelder Jeffrey, DPP Vice President for the South Kondwani Nankhumwa, and member Yusuf Nthenda were expelled from the party for calling for an early convention after the DPP lost the 2020 fresh presidential election.

However, before the matter was concluded in court, the DPP reinstated the four, saying the party needed to rebuild and move forward.

In a statement issued Sunday, Mhango said he has decided to withdraw from the case, having observed the developments that have taken place in the party in recent times, aimed at rebuilding.

He adds that the expulsion was done without hearing their side of the story.

In an interview a short while ago, Mhango said that he viewed their reinstatement as part of the reconciliation process and therefore they needed to withdraw the court case.

'We had not moved to withdraw the court case and this I think has not been in the interest of reconciliation and peacebuilding,' said Mhango.

'This has been perceived as some sort of defiance which I do agree with because what the party did was to reach out to us and we had to reciprocate,' he added.

Mhango, a lawmaker for Rumphi North Constituency, also said he has already notified his three colleagues in the case, together with their legal representatives.

The DPP has been sailing in troubled waters since it was booted out of government in 2020, with some sections calling for a convention while others have been positioning themselves for the party's presidency.

But party President Peter Mutharika has maintained that the DPP will go to a convention in 2023.