• BANDA (second from right) with her church mates.

By JOWIT SALUSEKI –
WHEN the name Charity Banda is mentioned, especially in Lusaka, what resonates in many people’s minds is an image of a feisty woman whose involvement in politics cannot go unnoticed.
To an ordinary observer, Ms Banda and politics are inseparable.
But little do a number of people know that this energetic mother of two is also a committed woman of God who spends most of her time meditating and carrying out church duties and other functions at her congregation where she is an elder.
Ms Banda says among the many roles she plays at her congregation in Lusaka’s Woodlands area is mentoring the youth who are in courtship.
This has helped some of the youth who have passed through her mentorship to be successful in marriage based on upholding biblical principles.
Ms Banda is also a passionate supporter of youth groups, such as the Boys Brigade (BB) and the women’s league whose tasks include praying for the sick and helping widows with some material things to enable them live better lives.
The less privileged in the community who are members of her church and the vulnerable have also benefitted from Ms Banda as she has been able to offer them food and clothing in order to uplift their well-being.
“For me, even my children know that everything that I do in my life I first have to pray to God to give me direction because without him (God) leading the way, I cannot achieve anything.
“I remember in 2013, I spent much of my time meditating and praying to God to give me a direction and not to do things according to my own understanding as a human being, and I can confess that the almighty father has really shown me the way,” she said in an interview recently.
In the political arena, Ms Banda was mentored by the late founding president of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Michael Sata, who later became the Republican President.
As a founding PF member, having joined the party in 2001 after a lengthy chat with Mr Sata at Farmers House in Lusaka, Ms Banda has become a familiar face in the media.
With a career in politics spanning over 14 years, Ms Banda has gone through a lot of political turbulences ranging from being beaten by cadres from other political parties to that of being portrayed as that ‘Iron lady’ who is always ready to defend her party.
Born in 1968 in the Copperbelt town of Kitwe, Ms Banda grew up in Mongu and went to Sefula and Senanga secondary schools.
A daughter to late politician and traditionalist Pardon Katongo and his wife Beauty Mwelwa, Ms Banda moved to Kitwe to work as a clerk from 1990-1995.
Later on, she relocated to Lusaka to join her husband and together they started running a supermarket in Chilenje Township.
She says although she was also mentored in politics by her late father, her career in the political arena was amplified when she requested to meet Mr Sata who by then had just formed the PF.
“I still remember that day when I requested to have an audience with Mr Sata at his office which was situated at Farmers House on Cairo Road.
“Prior to that, I had phoned him a day earlier to let him know that I wanted to see him after I got his mobile phone number from one of his close relatives,” Ms Banda said.
She said when she went to see Mr Sata, she asked him if she could be allowed to stand as a Member of Parliament in Woodlands Constituency, not knowing that there never existed such a constituency in Lusaka.
“Mr Sata just laughed and told me that mwana wandi (my child), if you want to stand as a member of Parliament, maybe you can try standing in Lusaka Central but you need to start mobilising party structures in Woodlands area where you stay,” Ms Banda explained.
She said although most people know her for her political tenacity, she sometimes spends most of her time carrying out church chores; she occasionally goes on sabbatical leave to concentrate on her faith.
“Not too long ago, we were having a church retreat and by coincidence some journalist came to the area where we had converged and I thought I could share something on my faith away from the usual politics.
“But unfortunately, this reporter was not comfortable with that and turned his back on me,” Ms Banda said.
She said her ambition to stand as a parliamentarian in Lusaka Central on the PF ticket in next year’s elections is gaining momentum every day.
“I intend to apply to the central committee of our party to be considered as a parliamentary candidate for the Lusaka Central Constituency and if it so happens that the party decides to pick someone else, I will be ready to support that candidate,” Ms Banda said.
The years she has been in politics have enabled her to learn the ropes of leadership at a higher level, having first served as PF Lusaka District women’s chairperson.
Ms Banda is of the view that women fear to join politics because of certain stereotypes and violence perpetrated by rival cadres.
But she urged her fellow women to aim for political offices in order to help the country attain a 50-50 equal representation in decisions-making positions.
She said her daughter has always been against her political ambitions but her son has always supported her, though slowly even the daughter is beginning to appreciate her political stance.
Ms Banda thinks Christians can be better leaders as they can lead by biblical teachings.