Malawians barred from entering Zambia after shooting

Several Malawians were refused entry into Zambia through Mwami Border Post in Mchinji on Monday after a Malawian police officer reportedly shot dead a Zambian national.

The deceased, Roy Msesa, was a clearing agent at Mwami border and is alleged to have been shot by the Malawian police officer around 5pm on Saturday. He died a few hours after the incident.

On Monday, scores of Zambians demonstrated at Mwami border following the shooting and confusion ensued when they barred Malawians from entering their country, demanding to close the entrance and border offices.

Several Zambian police officers were deployed to the border to quell the situation, according to a source.

Central Region Police spokesperson Ramsy Mushani confirmed the incident in an interview on Wednesday, but said the situation has returned to normal.

He said: “There was a meeting [in Mchinji] involving a delegation from Malawi and Zambia [led by district commissioner for Chipata, Kalunga Zulu] to discuss the issue. And investigations are still underway to establish the cause of the incident.”

A Chipata-based Zambian freelance journalist Matembo Phiri told The Nation that the deceased met his fate while returning from Mchinji Boma where he had gone to buy some groceries.

“On his way back, he boarded a vehicle which was apparently impounded by police officers from Malawi for overloading. And it appears a misunderstanding ensued between the police and the people in the vehicle resulting in the police to fire at the vehicle but the bullet went astray and hit the deceased at the back,” he said in an interview on Tuesday.