Malawi social media activist Sibande talks tough on freedom of speech as Mtambo accepts his resignation

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Versatile social media activist, Lyson Sibande, has pleaded with the youths of Malawi to continue expressing their views on social media without fear that someone might take their opportunities way.

Sibande, who has resigned from his position as Personal Assistant (PA) to cabinet minister Timothy Mtambo after people exhumed his past facebook posts against the current president, says he is happy that the minister has accepted his resignation but people should not be scared of exercising their freedom of speech.

“I am glad that the Honorable Minister has accepted my resignation and allowed me to continue working with him in our CFT. However I would like to make it clear that I don’t want the youths of Malawi to begin to get scared of expressing their views on social media for fear that someone someday might take their opportunities away for exercising their freedom of speech.

 “I don’t want to be an example that would scare youths from enjoying their constitutional rights. If you begin to get scared then you will begin to live in a dictatorship created by your own fear. Feel free to express yourself. Osafinyika kuti ndizayamba kuona zomwe anaona Lyson. I am a different person and my experience must not be the case study,” wrote Sibande on his official facebook page.

The appointment of Sibande as personal assistant to Timothy Mtambo ignited a fierce debate with many Tonse Alliance youths demanding an immediate dismissal.

Certain quarters, including in Mtambo’s political movement, Citizens For Transformation (CFT), demanded that Sibande should be fired because of his previous comments on facebook about President Lazarus Chakwera and his Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima.

However, some quarters are of the view that Sibande is a victim of jealous, a trait which is intrinsic in many a Malawians, considering that he ‘dumped’ the former ruling DPP prior to the June 23 elections and joined Mtambo’s CFT, of which  its sole purpose was to remove the DPP from power and ushering in the Tonse Alliance.

Meanwhile, Mtambo has accepted Sibande’s resignation but has made it clear that he will continue working with the young man in different areas.

Maneno Chimulala

I am a journalist, educator, and activist with passion for telling stories about social justice, sports and political issues. I graduated from Mzuzu University. I started my career at the Maravi Post online publication in 2012 as an intern while in college. Upon graduating from Mzuzu University I was offered a job as Sports Reporter because of my background as a goalkeeper and rose to the position of sub editor. I also had a short stint with Nyasatimes, Malawi Punch and Malawi Digest. Over the past seven years, I have worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Malawi on human rights, girl child education and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in education, I also volunteer as male champion for girls’ education under Girls Empowerment Networks (GENET) in Malawi’s South West Education Division (SWED).