By Mercy Matonga, Yohane Symon, Feston Malekezo & Isaac Salima:
Unknown people who carried pangas and sticks, while clad in facemasks, once again foiled demonstrations which were scheduled to take place in Lilongwe Thursday.
The demonstrations were organised by Centre for Credible Elections (CfCE) to force Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Judge Annabel Mtalimanja and Chief of Elections Andrew Mpesi to resign.
However, just like the previous planned demonstrations, unknown people who brandished pangas, metal bars and sticks descended on those who were planning to protest at Lilongwe Community Ground.
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This happened in full view of police officers.
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The protesters, including CfCE leader Sylvester Namiwa—who was beaten and tried to run into a minibus that was being driven by Maxwell Mwachande—had to run for their lives.
However, Namiwa and Mwachande were not so lucky as the former was roughed up while the latter’s minibus, which was parked at the ground, was torched down by the unknown assailants.
Some men, who were in an unregistered Toyota Fortuner, got hold of Namiwa and beat him up in the presence of police officers and Malawi Defence Force soldiers.
According to Mwachande, the attackers torched the bus and also attacked him.
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“I had no idea about what was happening. I was here for business but these people started beating me up. As you can see, my face [is bruised]. They took my phone and other stuff which were in the minibus. Police officers were here but did not do anything,” Mwachande said.
The demonstrators also torched a three-tonne truck that was carrying speakers which the demonstrators planned to use.
National Advocacy Platform (NAP) and the Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum (CSEIF), through a statement, condemned the “violent assault” on demonstrators.
“We demand that the Malawi Police Service immediately investigate and prosecute all perpetrators of today’s violence, including security officers who abdicated their duty, and decisively restore public trust by acting without fear, favour or political interference,” the statement reads.
The statement also called on all political parties to “unreservedly denounce” and stop the orchestration or endorsement of violence against demonstrators, saying such actions amounted to an assault on democracy and the rule of law.
“We urge all citizens, especially the youth, to reject being used as instruments of political violence and, instead, rise as protectors of peace, unity and constitutional order in defence of Malawi’s democracy,” the statement reads.
The time we were filing the story, Namiwa could not be reached as his phone went unanswered.
The Malawi Police Service had also not responded to questions we sent.
In Mangochi District, there were running battles for the good part of yesterday afternoon between police officers and some of the people who were part of the anti-Mec demonstration.
The demonstration, which was dominated by young people aged between 12 and 19, saw participants presenting a petition to District Commissioner (DC) Davie Chigwenembe at 11am.
After presenting their petition, leader of the Mangochi demonstration, Cliff Chinyama, said they were expecting positive changes within the next seven days.
“Failing which, we will continue holding demonstrations until our demand for some changes to be made at Mec are met,” he said.
Earlier in the day, police, council officials and demonstrators agreed on a route they [demonstrators] would take from the starting point to the point they would deliver the petition.
However, Chinyama cried foul.
“We planned to start our demonstration at Mpondasi Market but some stakeholders in the district ordered us to start the demonstration from Mangochi Police Station to the DC’s office, which is a distance of about 500 metres,” he said.
However, immediately after presenting the petition, some demonstrators failed to disperse.
Instead, they targeted some shops, prompting police officers to spring into action and fire teargas canisters at them.
By 3pm, police officers were still engaged in running battles with some demonstrators, culminating in the arrest of some youths.
In Mzuzu City, low turnout marked the demonstration.
The protests, which were scheduled for 9:30 am, commenced from Katoto Secondary School an hour later.
Protesters then made their way to the Mzimba North DC’s office, covering just about one kilometre in a sluggish three-and-a-half-hour march.
Along the way, curious onlookers lined the roadside as protesters chanted anti-government songs.
While the demonstrations primarily called for the resignation of Mtalimanja and Mpesi, other grievances emerged.
These included issues pertaining to fuel and sugar shortages, the rising cost of living and high cost of fertiliser.
The protests were led by representatives of Citizens for Credible Elections, namely Gomezgani Nkhoma and Lyton Mangochi.
Speaking after submitting the petition, Nkhoma said the issue of turnout was secondary as the bigger picture was that their grievances were delivered.
“We have delivered the petition and are giving the Malawi Electoral Commission seven days to respond to our demands,” he said.
Mec hired Smartmatic International Holding, which supplied election management devices (EMDs) which, according to the pressure group, have a tainted reputation globally.
Despite the pressure, Mtalimanja has in recent statements rejected calls for her resignation.
She said she was, in tandem with the law, among three judges nominated by the Judicial Service Commission, out of whom President Lazarus Chakwera, as per dictates of the law, appointed her.
Mpesi has also been indicating that he works in tandem with electoral laws, such that he gives his work his all.
Mec Director of Media and Public Relations, Sangwani Mwafulirwa also said recently that Mec remained open to public scrutiny and engagement on electoral matters.
During the demonstrations some public service offices, notably the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, were closed.
A businesswoman from Chigwere area in Nkhata Bay District expressed worry over the closure, saying the office was important.
“This is a critical office for some of us. We routinely come here for passport renewal due to the nature of our business. Finding it closed today means I have to spend some more money on transport and time as well,” she said.
In Blantyre, just like in Mzuzu, low turnout marked the activity.
In the commercial city, protesters marched from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Round-about to the Central Business District, where protesters presented their petition to Blantyre DC Alex Mdooko.
No incident of violence was recorded.
Lead organiser of the demonstration, Asabuni Phiri, said people were confused about the starting point as it was earlier indicated that they would start from Kamuzu Upper Stadium.
Meanwhile, UTM president Dalitso Kabambe has expressed concern over acts of violence that marred the demonstrations in some parts of the country.
Speaking during a press briefing held in Blantyre, Kabambe described the development as “sad”.
“This is a sad day for the country because Malawians have been taken back to what used to happen during the one party era. It was unfortunate that people who were peacefully demonstrating were mercilessly beaten,” he said.
In a related development, the Independent Complaints Commission (ICC) has announced that it has commenced investigations to establish whether there was fault on the part of the police, as officers that were deployed, or on the crowd control system that was employed.
According to ICC Chief Legal Officer Nicely Msowoya, depending on the results of investigations, ICC would make necessary recommendations to the authorities for appropriate action.
“As you might be aware, the Malawi Police Service recently launched their Public Order Management Policy and Operational Guidelines. It is expected that their crowd control practices would be done in accordance with their policy and manual prescriptions,” a statement released by the body reads.
