A well known Private practice Lawyer Noel Chalamanda, Independent Councilor for Blantyre City Centre Ward has been elected as new Mayor for Blantyre City in a controversial polls which saw DPP supporters being involved in running battles with Police officers.

DPP supporters were demanding that their Councillor Louis Ngalande’s name be included on the list of the candidates vying for the position of mayor.

The development forced officials who were conducting the election to suspend the voting until peace was restored.

Chalamanda outclassed Member of Parliament Alinanane George Chipwete with 23 votes to 7.

Speaking in an interview after the election, Chalamanda said he has a vision to bring back the Blantyre where sanitation shall be treated as a right of all the city dwellers, where the stinking rivers shall be turned into amusement parks, where new technologies such as recycling and incineration shall be used to take care of waste, where clinics shall be within easy reach for all.