Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has taken over the prosecution of actor Tumpe Mtaya famously known as Phwedo, who is facing two counts of having sex with a minor and abducting a minor.
In the last proceeding on 21 August, Lilongwe principal magistrate Benjamin Chulu adjourned the case after two key witnesses, the alleged victim and her mother failed to appear in court. The magistrate then warned that if the witnesses failed to show up again, the case would be dismissed.
However yesterday, lawyers from both sides met in chambers on Wednesday where they agreed on a 30 days adjournment now that the matter has been taken over by DPP.
In an interview, director of criminal litigation in the Ministry of justice Dzikondianthu Malunda said: “Now that the DPP has taken over prosecution of the matter, it means we will need time to look at the file and make necessary changes to the charges where necessary.”
He added that officers assigned to prosecute the matter are currently undergoing a case management systems refresher course in Blantyre.
This, Malunda said made them apply for an adjournment which the court has granted and now the case will commence on October 16 2025.
On his part, Phwedo’s lawyer Nkhwima Mchizi said they had no issues with the adjournment.
“While we would have preferred the case to proceed today, we understand the circumstances and have accepted the 30-day adjournment,” he said.
Phwedo is currently on bail after he was arrested in April.
