Sowing seeds of chaos

By Wesley Macheso

September 2025 is not promising. If what we have seen in the four years that the Tonse Alliance has been in charge is anything to go by, Malawians ought to be worried about what may transpire as we draw closer to elections. For whatever reason, this regime has decided to play with fire by wearing soft gloves in the face of violence. There have been so many acts of political violence that have gone unpunished, and since the 2020 demonstrations, a good number of citizens think that chaos is the only way out of resolving crises.

But who would blame someone who thinks that way? The Lazarus Chakwera administration was ushered in after a series of violent protests that almost had the country at a standstill. It was people protesting the impunity that we saw in the-then governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Malawians had been complaining about rampant corruption and nepotism among the ruling elite, but the DPP paid them no mind. This is a party whose rule saw thugs with machetes silencing any dissenting voice in the streets. When they thought they had it all figured out, Malawians stood up and set the country on fire. That is how they went. Having experienced 2020, one would think this government would learn a thing or two about governance, but that seems not to be the case. Over the past few months, Malawians have been complaining about how life is fast becoming unsustainable in this country. Our biggest challenge is the lack of forex that has seen prices of goods and services rising uncontrollably.

The forex problem also led to fuel shortages that had us spend sleepless nights on endless queues. And when Malawians cried out loud about all these, the ruling elite remained silent–driving their fancy cars while their headless supporters spat in people’s faces, telling them that boma ndi lomweli.

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As a consequence, last week, violence found its way back to the streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre. Just like in 2020, we saw scenes which we should never see in this peaceful country. Property was stolen, businesses destroyed and lives almost lost. Again, the government machinery has failed to control the situation to such an extent that chaos reigns again. If you think about it, the chaos that we saw last week is just a manifestation of the general disorder that is beneath the surface. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration has failed to be on top of things and everyone can have his or her way in this country. The fact that the economy is being run by the black market should tell you that those who are supposed to be in control are not doing their job.

The lack of direction in government was telling from streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre. Just like in 2020, we saw scenes which we should never see in this peaceful country. Property was stolen, businesses destroyed and lives almost lost. Again, the government machinery has failed to control the situation to such an extent that chaos reigns again. If you think about it, the chaos that we saw last week is just a manifestation of the general disorder that is beneath the surface. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration has failed to be on top of things and everyone can have his or her way in this country. The fact that the economy is being run by the black market should tell you that those who are supposed to be in control are not doing their job.

The lack of direction in government was telling from the impromptu solutions that former minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe was offering to raging crowds that stormed Parliament Building in Lilongwe in protest of rising prices of secondhand clothes.

It was painful to see that the minister’s response to such a crisis was revoking trading licences from wholesalers. Of course, the man was later fired but the scene speaks volumes of how some decisions

The chaos we witness in this country is a seed carelessly sown by the ruling elite, who are failing to be in control of the most basic things. There is economic mismanagement, which has seen our currency tumbling against the dollar to such an extent that we can’t afford to buy anything. There are thugs on our streets who can unleash violence when they want—to the approval of their political gods. Malawians are unsure about tomorrow as a lot of people are daily losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses that are failing to survive in this economic chaos.

The sad part is that the government is yet to offer us any practical solutions to these problems. We are just here waiting for yet another season of campaign promises.

The chaos we witness in this country is a seed carelessly sown by the ruling elite, who are failing to be in control of the most basic things. There is economic mismanagement, which has seen our currency tumbling against the dollar to such an extent that we can’t afford to buy anything. There are thugs on our streets who can unleash violence when they want—to the approval of their political gods. Malawians are unsure about tomorrow as a lot of people are daily losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses that are failing to survive in this economic chaos.

The sad part is that the government is yet to offer us any practical solutions to these problems. We are just here waiting for yet another season of campaign promises. are made in this government. You cannot run a country on emotions and populism, but that is exactly what happens here. Politicians promise a lot of things in order to please people and yet fail to deliver on such promises. What results then is despair and disillusionment, some of which leads to anger and chaos.

September 2025 is not promising. If what we have seen in the four years that the Tonse Alliance has been in charge is anything to go by, Malawians ought to be worried about what may transpire as we draw closer to elections. For whatever reason, this regime has decided to play with fire by wearing soft gloves in the face of violence. There have been so many acts of political violence that have gone unpunished, and since the 2020 demonstrations, a good number of citizens think that chaos is the only way out of resolving crises.

But who would blame someone who thinks that way? The Lazarus Chakwera administration was ushered in after a series of violent protests that almost had the country at a standstill. It was people protesting the impunity that we saw in the-then governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Malawians had been complaining about rampant corruption and nepotism among the ruling elite, but the DPP paid them no mind. This is a party whose rule saw thugs with machetes silencing any dissenting voice in the streets. When they thought they had it all figured out, Malawians stood up and set the country on fire. That is how they went. Having experienced 2020, one would think this government would learn a thing or two about governance, but that seems not to be the case. Over the past few months, Malawians have been complaining about how life is fast becoming unsustainable in this country. Our biggest challenge is the lack of forex that has seen prices of goods and services rising uncontrollably.

The forex problem also led to fuel shortages that had us spend sleepless nights on endless queues. And when Malawians cried out loud about all these, the ruling elite remained silent–driving their fancy cars while their headless supporters spat in people’s faces, telling them that boma ndi lomweli.

As a consequence, last week, violence found its way back to the streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre. Just like in 2020, we saw scenes which we should never see in this peaceful country. Property was stolen, businesses destroyed and lives almost lost. Again, the government machinery has failed to control the situation to such an extent that chaos reigns again. If you think about it, the chaos that we saw last week is just a manifestation of the general disorder that is beneath the surface. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration has failed to be on top of things and everyone can have his or her way in this country. The fact that the economy is being run by the black market should tell you that those who are supposed to be in control are not doing their job.

The lack of direction in government was telling from streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre. Just like in 2020, we saw scenes which we should never see in this peaceful country. Property was stolen, businesses destroyed and lives almost lost. Again, the government machinery has failed to control the situation to such an extent that chaos reigns again. If you think about it, the chaos that we saw last week is just a manifestation of the general disorder that is beneath the surface. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration has failed to be on top of things and everyone can have his or her way in this country. The fact that the economy is being run by the black market should tell you that those who are supposed to be in control are not doing their job.

The lack of direction in government was telling from the impromptu solutions that former minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe was offering to raging crowds that stormed Parliament Building in Lilongwe in protest of rising prices of secondhand clothes.

It was painful to see that the minister’s response to such a crisis was revoking trading licences from wholesalers. Of course, the man was later fired but the scene speaks volumes of how some decisions

The chaos we witness in this country is a seed carelessly sown by the ruling elite, who are failing to be in control of the most basic things. There is economic mismanagement, which has seen our currency tumbling against the dollar to such an extent that we can’t afford to buy anything. There are thugs on our streets who can unleash violence when they want—to the approval of their political gods. Malawians are unsure about tomorrow as a lot of people are daily losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses that are failing to survive in this economic chaos.

The sad part is that the government is yet to offer us any practical solutions to these problems. We are just here waiting for yet another season of campaign promises.

The chaos we witness in this country is a seed carelessly sown by the ruling elite, who are failing to be in control of the most basic things. There is economic mismanagement, which has seen our currency tumbling against the dollar to such an extent that we can’t afford to buy anything. There are thugs on our streets who can unleash violence when they want—to the approval of their political gods. Malawians are unsure about tomorrow as a lot of people are daily losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses that are failing to survive in this economic chaos.

The sad part is that the government is yet to offer us any practical solutions to these problems. We are just here waiting for yet another season of campaign promises. are made in this government. You cannot run a country on emotions and populism, but that is exactly what happens here. Politicians promise a lot of things in order to please people and yet fail to deliver on such promises. What results then is despair and disillusionment, some of which leads to anger and chaos.

September 2025 is not promising. If what we have seen in the four years that the Tonse Alliance has been in charge is anything to go by, Malawians ought to be worried about what may transpire as we draw closer to elections. For whatever reason, this regime has decided to play with fire by wearing soft gloves in the face of violence. There have been so many acts of political violence that have gone unpunished, and since the 2020 demonstrations, a good number of citizens think that chaos is the only way out of resolving crises.

But who would blame someone who thinks that way? The Lazarus Chakwera administration was ushered in after a series of violent protests that almost had the country at a standstill. It was people protesting the impunity that we saw in the-then governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Malawians had been complaining about rampant corruption and nepotism among the ruling elite, but the DPP paid them no mind. This is a party whose rule saw thugs with machetes silencing any dissenting voice in the streets. When they thought they had it all figured out, Malawians stood up and set the country on fire. That is how they went. Having experienced 2020, one would think this government would learn a thing or two about governance, but that seems not to be the case. Over the past few months, Malawians have been complaining about how life is fast becoming unsustainable in this country. Our biggest challenge is the lack of forex that has seen prices of goods and services rising uncontrollably.

The forex problem also led to fuel shortages that had us spend sleepless nights on endless queues. And when Malawians cried out loud about all these, the ruling elite remained silent–driving their fancy cars while their headless supporters spat in people’s faces, telling them that boma ndi lomweli.

As a consequence, last week, violence found its way back to the streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre. Just like in 2020, we saw scenes which we should never see in this peaceful country. Property was stolen, businesses destroyed and lives almost lost. Again, the government machinery has failed to control the situation to such an extent that chaos reigns again. If you think about it, the chaos that we saw last week is just a manifestation of the general disorder that is beneath the surface. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration has failed to be on top of things and everyone can have his or her way in this country. The fact that the economy is being run by the black market should tell you that those who are supposed to be in control are not doing their job.

The lack of direction in government was telling from streets of Lilongwe and Blantyre. Just like in 2020, we saw scenes which we should never see in this peaceful country. Property was stolen, businesses destroyed and lives almost lost. Again, the government machinery has failed to control the situation to such an extent that chaos reigns again. If you think about it, the chaos that we saw last week is just a manifestation of the general disorder that is beneath the surface. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration has failed to be on top of things and everyone can have his or her way in this country. The fact that the economy is being run by the black market should tell you that those who are supposed to be in control are not doing their job.

The lack of direction in government was telling from the impromptu solutions that former minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe was offering to raging crowds that stormed Parliament Building in Lilongwe in protest of rising prices of secondhand clothes.

It was painful to see that the minister’s response to such a crisis was revoking trading licences from wholesalers. Of course, the man was later fired but the scene speaks volumes of how some decisions

The chaos we witness in this country is a seed carelessly sown by the ruling elite, who are failing to be in control of the most basic things. There is economic mismanagement, which has seen our currency tumbling against the dollar to such an extent that we can’t afford to buy anything. There are thugs on our streets who can unleash violence when they want—to the approval of their political gods. Malawians are unsure about tomorrow as a lot of people are daily losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses that are failing to survive in this economic chaos.

The sad part is that the government is yet to offer us any practical solutions to these problems. We are just here waiting for yet another season of campaign promises.

The chaos we witness in this country is a seed carelessly sown by the ruling elite, who are failing to be in control of the most basic things. There is economic mismanagement, which has seen our currency tumbling against the dollar to such an extent that we can’t afford to buy anything. There are thugs on our streets who can unleash violence when they want—to the approval of their political gods. Malawians are unsure about tomorrow as a lot of people are daily losing their jobs due to the closure of businesses that are failing to survive in this economic chaos.

The sad part is that the government is yet to offer us any practical solutions to these problems. We are just here waiting for yet another season of campaign promises. are made in this government. You cannot run a country on emotions and populism, but that is exactly what happens here. Politicians promise a lot of things in order to please people and yet fail to deliver on such promises. What results then is despair and disillusionment, some of which leads to anger and chaos.