Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) says they are still waiting for a response from government on their request for the removal of Dr. Hetherwick Ntaba as chairperson of National Taskforce on Persons with Albinism.

APAM has been demanding the removal of Dr. Ntaba on grounds that during his tenure of office people with albinism have not benefited.

Speaking to YFM online, APAM president, Ian Simbota, said they had already met the minister responsible for Gender, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati on the issue, and hoping that the minister will consider their request soon.

Simbota said: “We have been requesting this since the regime of the then government of DPP that we don’t want the leadership of Dr. Ntaba but nothing happened and this did not surprise us because then people were appointed because of political reasons rather than capabilities.

“When the regime changed we made the request again through the current Minister  responsible for Gender, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati, and we are yet to receive a response but we hope for a positive development because there are also some requests we made and this government has already started addressing some of them.”

Simbota cited some of their pleas that the current government has given green light including their request to have the country’s first lady, Monica Chakwera, as APAM patron.

“Apart from asking for the removal of Dr. Ntaba we also asked the first lady to become our patron and I am happy to report that she accepted the position after meeting her last week at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe so this gives us hope that our appeal for the removal of Dr. Ntaba will also be addressed,” said Simbota.

In 2019, APAM also demanded President Peter Mutharika to fire Dr. Ntaba after he (Ntaba) was allegedly mentioned in court by suspects to have been involved in the killings of person with albinism in the country.