High Court of Malawi Judge Ruth Chinangwa has set July 7 to July 10 2026 for hearing of the murder case of medical doctor Victoria Bobe shot at her home in Blantyre on November 17 2025.
During a virtual scheduling conference yesterday, the court indicated that there will be hearing of a preliminary application on June 16 and deliver its ruling on the same on June 30.
Chinangwa directed the State to serve the defence with the case docket by April 21 2026, according to judicial spokesperson Ruth Mputeni.
“The judge has ordered that any preliminary applications be filed by April 27 2026,” she said.
Last month, Directorate of Public Prosecutions director of criminal litigation Josephine Gwaza told The Nation that police had resubmitted the case file to the chambers.
She said the initial file submitted in January this year had gaps and was, therefore, returned for further investigations.
In December last year, police arrested six suspects, who are on remand at Blantyre Prison.
However, a court document seen by The Nation—Homicide Case Number 1 of 2026—shows that the case involves seven suspects. They are Charles Chikapa, Maxwell Elia, Rafic Abdul Hassan, Santos Chamaba, Peter Chimenya, Issa Allie and Peter Mphepo.
Bobe, 33, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Blantyre, was shot at her residence in Chigumula Township in the presence of her husband.
One of the suspects is reported to have said they gained entry by breaching the backyard fence through a neighbouring property, creating a hole before breaking into the house.
According to police, items stolen during the incident included a MacBook laptop, an iPad and an NBS Bank point of sale device.
