Minister Bande snatches orphans’ centre in abuse of political powers

Member of Parliament for Blantyre City East who is also Minister of Mining, John Bande, has been accused of snatching a building meant for orphan care and turn into a clinic “to portray to the government that he is promoting safe motherhood.

Leaders of Lonjezo Orphan Care Centre, who stormed The Daily Times newsroom on Wednesday, said Bande had taken a building they were operating from in caring for orphans in the area, a move they described as unfair.

Director of the CBO Morson Tengatenga said the action was an abuse of political powers by the minister.

According to him, the development has rendered over 150 orphans and other vulnerable groups including people living with HIV and Aids who were using the facility in the community without a place from where to receive care and support.

Tengatenga said Bande through his brother a Kachimanga who acts as his errand boy stormed their offices in the company of a group of people who were in party colours on Saturday, January 4, and ordered them to move out of the building by Sunday January 5.

He said efforts to reason with them to explain what alternative arrangement has been made for them yielded no results.

“We were told they want to turn the building into a clinic in support of the President’s safe motherhood initiative. But in my understanding our President is not saying we should promote safe motherhood by trampling upon already existing initiatives as the minister is trying to do,” said Tengatenga.

“We feel victimised and the rights of the children and the people we were caring for trampled upon. He knows he has the power because he is minister but our appeal is if they want this building, let us be given another place and another building to continue with our work,” he added.

Bande, however, dismissed the accusations, saying the decision had been made collectively by all the leaders in the community.

He also dismissed claims that the CBOowns the building. He said the structure sits on government land and belongs to the community who he said has now decided to use the facility in a different way.

Bande said the work of the CBOhas become irrelevant in the area because what the community want now is a clinic so they can stay health and prevent deaths which were bringing the orphans.

“The orphans are coming because of death so we have decided we don’t want any more deaths. If they want to politicise this matter let them do that but I am not going to back off. What I am doing is for thousands of people and not a few who are surviving on the back of orphans,” said Bande.

On the fate of the orphans that were being cared for by the CBO, Bande said they will be taken over by four other orphan care centers being run by Marys Meals.