Joyce Banda administration has put in place a propaganda media team that comprises of ten (10) media houses including State run MBC.

In a document made available to us three days ago by a source which was part of the first meeting at Grace Bandawe in Blantyre, the media houses include; MIJ, Matindi FM 101Power, MBC. ZBS, Capital FM, Daily Times, Nation, Nyasatimes, Radio Maria, CFC TV and Radio.

Our source further said the PP propaganda media team is currently headed by Humphrey Mvula and coordinated by MIJ’s Deus Sandram. Members of the team include Madalitso Musa, Emmanuel Muwamba, Aubrey Kusakala, Joseph Mwale Simeon Shumba and MBC’s Ronald Amos and Blessings Kanache.

Madalitso Mussa is the reporter who has been writing sensational stories about the alleged K61 billion Bingu wealth as part of the strategy to hit at DPP.

“Meeting at Grace Bandawe among other issues discussed the one year celebration of JB administration. Major focus was on how the team would come up with articles which would paint the picture that JB and her PP were ‘commemorating’ the one year rule other than celebrating. This was essentially to deter criticism from the general public since this was the same period the Malawi nation was remembering late Bingu wa Mutharika,” the source said.

During this meeting Humphrey Mvula fondly referred to as HM by the propaganda team was in the company of a tall slim male official from Malawi Housing Corporation, believed to be in MHC management. He promised to allocate houses to each one of the members present as a token of appreciation from government.

“Mvula urged the team to write and produce clandestine stories and programmes aimed at deliberately discrediting the UDF and DPP as the country will be going to the polls in May 2014, citing the political landscape as divided and fluid”, the source disclosed.

According to the source, Mvula said people were not decided who to vote for in the coming tripartite elections with Atupele Muluzi and Arthur Mutharika posing as heavy contenders in the elections. Mvula went on to say that many of the economic hardships currently rocking the country emanated from the previous regime but DPP would vigorously shrug them off so that the blame is shifted to the PP.

He further said UDF ‘agenda for change’ was no longer tactful as Joyce Banda had managed to bring the much needed ‘change’ by grace. However, there was need for the team to rope in the former Head of State Bakili Muluzi, by among others reviving in their articles his alleged court case in order to portray the Muluzi family as a bunch of thieves.

Mvula also cited the need for the propaganda team to ensure that opposition parties are given negative publicity and ensure promotion of good PR for PP.

At the meeting which was held at Ralph Kasambara’s Pa Station, members had a postmortem which among other issues reviewed their one year commemoration programs and stories.

Also discussed was the need to revive the MHC scandal which involved former DPP top brass. Atupele Muluzi’s age also took centre stage, Peter Mutharika’s green card and the need to propagate 70 as the age limit for Presidential candidates who wish to contest for the 2014 tripartite elections. This was hatched as a deliberate bait to try to entice members of parliament into deliberating on this issue which if passed would see Hon John Tembo and Peter Mutharika barred from contesting the elections.

The team has so far met at such places as Grace Bandawe, prior to the one year commemoration, Ryalls Hotel, Malawi Sun, Pa Station and another lodge along the MBTS in Blantyre.

Members are given ten thousand (K10, 000.00) kwacha as participating allowance. However, at the meeting at Pa Station members proposed a monthly pay of K70, 000.00 which was later hiked by Mvula to K100, 000.00. After the one year commemoration stories and articles were done Humprey Mvula collected through the State House Press Officer two million (K2,000,000.00) to disburse to the team.

Blessings Kanache of MBC who stays in Chiwembe, has already been promised to be given that house as a gesture to fulfill government’s promise made by the MHC official at the Grace Bandawe meeting. Other tools pledged by Mvula are Laptops and Blackberry phones for each member of the group.

Meanwhile the team agreed to find ways and means to rope in Peter Mutharika in Bineth Trust issues or any other possible clandestine story in order to finish him politically as he is viewed to be a heavy challenger for President Joyce Banda.  – The Malawi Watchdog

The total propaganda budget according to Humphry Mvula is pegged at seventy million (K70, 000,000.00) to be accessed from State House and Ministry of Information budget allocations.