Minister apologises to Times for assault of journalist
Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu, on behalf of the government, Friday formally apologised to The Times Group management for the assault of one of the company’s photojournalist on Wednesday.
Francis Mzindiko was assaulted by alleged MCP supporters during the official opening of the 33rd Malawi International Trade Fair and the inauguration of the Malawi Bureau of Standards Laboratory and Office Complex in Blantyre.
In company of Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) National Governing Council, Kunkuyu visited the company’s offices in Blantyre where he said government will make sure it puts in place measures to curb this malpractice in the future.
“When I heard what had happened it was not far from the truth and I communicated to the State President. We promise to investigate the matter and deal with culprits.
“We will ensure that this should never happen again. I want to assure government’s commitment to providing media freedom and I promise that this incident will never happen again,” he said.
The Times Group Managing Director Leonnard Chikadya accepted the apology.
“This is the first time that a government official has apologised for the atrocities that Times Group has suffered. It takes a lot of humility to apologise when one is wrong,” he said.
Misa Chairperson Golden Matonga reiterated the call for respect of media freedom in the country.
“Misa Malawi calls upon the government to take serious steps in prosecuting those who commit crimes against journalists and do away with all sorts of impunity,” he said.
Mzindiko was assaulted for filming a fight that broke out between MCP and UTM supporters.
