One of Malawi’s gifted and controversial actors Thlupego Chisiza has tackled the massive looting of the public funds at Capital Hill, which is popularly known the cash-gate scandal, in his new play called Joyce.
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| In action - Thlupengo |
There is no doubt that the immense plundering of the tax payers’ money at Capital Hill has affected many sectors of development including arts and culture.
Chisiza said the plundering of the public funds at the Capital Hill has hit the country hard, saying the negative consequences of this will bite poor people soon.
“Even the arts and culture sectors have been dealt a big blow with this massive looting of public funds. Imagine, a senior official in the ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture being linked to massive looting of hundreds of millions of Kwachas at the backdrop of the failed maintenance of Blantyre Cultural Centre” queried Thlupego.
He attacked the perpetrators of the cash-gate scandal, describing them as selfish and unpatriotic.
“How can they prioritise their personal issues such as building multi-million kwacha mansions while developments for all citizens are trampled upon? Are we being serious that we really serve poor people or ourselves or families?” he said.
The looting of the public funds at the Capital Hill especially by the top official has irked artists who have been crying for help from their ministry.
Some artists cited the financially struggling Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) and the missing allocation of K200 million at the Treasury Office meant for rehabilitation work of the Blantyre Cultural Centre as pressing issues that the ministry could have attended to rather than channelling the public funds into personal projects.
However, spokesperson for Tourism and Culture Chrissy Chiume recently told the nation that the budgeted funds for the maintenance work was “wrongly coded” in the system of Treasury Office.
“Cosoma is failing to perform its operations because it has no funds yet some in the ministry of Tourism, Wild Life and Culture have stolen public funds meant for their own benefits. With this wayward mentality, how do expect to develop our nation?” wondered Chisiza.
He said he has been forced by circumstances to extend his new play called Joyce with a controversial scene which revolves around the impact on the cash-gate scandal.
The play will be staged Saturday night at Nanzikambe Arts Cafe and it will be repeated Sunday afternoon at the same venue.
“Politics in its own right is good because it is the system of formulating laws. But thieves who masquerade as politicians are spoiling the otherwise good game. So, fans should come and sample Joyce come Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. I don’t want to pre-empt what the scene of the cash-gate scandal entails but fans should know that it is massive,” said Chisiza.
Joyce has cast of Flora Suya, Peter Makalande, Robert magasa, Aaron Ngalonde and Chisiza himself.
Story by Howard Mlozi, Blantyre Newspapers Limited.
