I must confess, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has managed to put a smile on my face on this one. And, believe me, making a journalist smile at government is no small achievement. We, in the Fourth Estate, are professionally wired to raise eyebrows, ask uncomfortable questions and occasionally spoil the government’s breakfast. It is our constitutional and democratic duty to keep those in power on their toes.
There is a video that went viral last week showing a rather interesting confrontation between officers from the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) and a 60-year-old Malawian motorist, Ephraim Mbewe Malitino.
The gentleman was driving what appeared to be a modern vehicle but, unfortunately, the language coming out of his mouth was not as modern as the vehicle. His verbal performance suggested that somewhere between buying the car and acquiring a driving licence, he forgot to purchase a little thing called manners.
He reportedly threatened, bullied and intimidated traffic officers, apparently suggesting that he had powerful connections in high places.
In Malawi, that kind of statement is not always an empty threat. Sometimes it is a reminder that the person shouting at you may have somebody in government who can make your working life miserable.
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After the video attracted considerable public condemnation, Mbewe was arrested.
Now, this is where my excitement begins.
When I learnt that the gentleman came from Thyolo, a district widely regarded as a DPP stronghold, I became even more interested in the story. Not because one’s district should determine how the law treats them, but because the political implications were rather interesting.
Here was somebody apparently confident enough to invoke connections in high places while bullying government officers. Naturally, people wondered whether those connections were political.
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Then came the biggest surprise: the police actually arrested him!
Honestly, some of us initially thought it was a joke. We are accustomed to a political culture where people connected to the ruling establishment sometimes behave as though they have purchased lifetime immunity from prosecution.
In Malawi, being politically connected can sometimes be more powerful than having a lawyer. Some people have mastered the art of making telephone calls that can transfer an entire police station before lunchtime!
But this time, the script changed.
Yesterday, the Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate Court convicted Mbewe of five counts under the Road Traffic Act and fined him a total of K1 million. He admitted those five offences but denied the separate intimidation charge, which is yet to be heard.
The sentence sends an important message: traffic officers are public servants performing their duties, not personal punching bags for motorists with expensive vehicles and impressive telephone contact lists.
I couldn’t be happier.
I must commend the DPP government for demonstrating that political affiliation should not be a licence to break the law. That is leadership worth applauding.
Let me be clear: I will clap for this government whenever it does something right and fulfils the mandate Malawians entrusted to it on September 16, 2025.
Equally, I will be the first to bark loudly whenever the DPP government disappoints the electorate.
This is not excessive gratitude. It is called recognising good governance when it happens.
I suspect that without political leadership endorsing the rule of law, somebody somewhere could have made a telephone call to stop this arrest. The officers involved might even have found themselves packing their bags for some remote posting. We have seen enough of such political theatrics to know that it is not impossible.
But this time, the narrative changed.
And that is precisely the Malawi we want: a country where the law does not check your surname, political connections, bank balance or village before deciding whether you have committed an offence.
Now, my only request to the government is simple: please copy and paste this approach into other areas of national accountability.
If the same determination were applied to the Amaryllis saga and the infamous National Oil Company of Malawi payments controversy, perhaps Malawians would begin believing that fighting corruption is more than a political campaign slogan.
DPP has many sins to answer for, but on this particular matter, you deserve a standing ovation.
Rebuilding Malawi is possible, brick by brick, law by law, one day at a time.
So, for now, let me put the corruption happening in government aside, raise an imaginary glass and say: Ku bomako mumwa chani? On my bill!
