Activists condemn stoning of presidential convoy
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) have condemned the pelting of President Lazarus Chakwera’s convoy with stones at Nkhate and Livunzu in Chikwawa District on Thursday.
Our sister newspaper The Nation reported yesterday that some irate people pelted the President’s convoy with stones, forcing police to fire teargas. One police officer was reportedly injured and some vehicles had their windscreens smashed.
The report said the fracas started after suspected Malawi Congress Party (MCP) zealots removed opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) flags.
But in a statement released yesterday, CHRR executive director Michael Kaiyatsa condemned the act, saying such incidents will not take the country anywhere.
“This act of violence is not only unacceptable, but also deeply troubling. CHRR also condemns the alleged uprooting of opposition party flags by some individuals clad in MCP regalia,” said Kaiyatsa.
He warned that such incidents not only threaten public safety, but also jeopardise the integrity of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for September 16 2025.
CHRR has since called on the Malawi Police Service to promptly investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.
On his part, Cdedi executive director Slyvester Namiwa described the incident as retrogressive to the growth of the country’s hard-earned democracy.
“Pelting stones and insulting people because you don’t agree with them politically is not only archaic but also a threat to democracy,” said Namiwa.
He said with just a year to the polls, Cdedi is urging the masses to exercise patience and restraint “so that those that feel short-changed will vent their anger through the ballot, not through stoning those with contrary political views”.
Reports from Nkhate and Livunzu yesterday indicated that calm had returned after the incident on Thursday.
Chikwawa Police Station officer-in-charge Caroline Jere refused to grant an interview, referring Weekend Nation to the district’s police spokesperson Dickson Matemba, who also declined to comment on the matter as he is on holiday.
A source from the area, who opted for anonymity, maintained that irate villagers threw stones at some vehicles that accompanied the President when he visited Osiyana Health Centre. He said damaged vehicles included two from Nsanje District Hospital.
He said: “During the fracas, I can confirm that one police officer who was kidnapped by the irate villagers was later set free with support from some community policing members.”
MCP Southern Region spokesperson Ephraim Banda has blamed both his party and the opposition parties youth for causing the ugly scenes.
