Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadets yesterday stormed the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC-TV) at Kwacha in Blantyre and forced director general (DG) George Kasakula out of his office in broad daylight.
The DPP loyalists invaded the premises at Kwacha around 10 am, and ignoring the security check at the premises, headed straight to Kasakula’s office.
They reportedly demanded that he immediately leave his office, accusing him of disrespecting and insulting President Peter Mutharika during the campaign period.
Staff members were left terrified as the intruders took control of the place.
Kasakula was later forced into the studio, where the cadets demanded that he make a live on-air apology to Mutharika and the entire DPP for his alleged remarks.
“They forced my secretary to give them the code to open my office. Then, they entered my office without notice and forced me out accusing me of insulting the President,” explained Kasakula.
He added: “They introduced themselves as DPP regional youth leaders. But I identified Yona Malunga and Stone Mwamadi. The other one introduced himself as Christopher Jana.”
Kasakula said in a telephone interview yesterday they told him to pack his personal possessions before being forced out of the office.
“I took my phones, my computer and note pad. Those were the items I could immediately grab but they literally forced me out of the office without notice or whatever,” he narrated.
He further said after getting out of the office, he was directed to the TV studios to apologise to Mutharika for the alleged insults he made during campaign period against his candidature.
Kasakula said he was initially taken to one of the programme studios, but was later redirected to the news studio where he was compelled to deliver a live on-air apology
However, the DG said the cadets were unarmed and did not beat him up.
“They just forced me to do certain things but showing signs that if I didn’t comply, they could easily go physical. They were not armed, I didn’t see any arms, unless they were hiding them,” he said, adding he was traumatised and feeling insecure.
“I can’t feel safe when strangers can just come to your office while you are working and force you out to say things live on TV under duress,” he said.
In his televised apology, Kasakula said he had gone on the State TV to apologise to Mutharika “for all the unkind things I said about him and about his candidature”.
“Malawians have voted for him, millions upon millions, have voted for him, so he needs our respect and loyalty so that’s why I have come on TV,” Kasakula told Malawians in a live broadcast.
But still he wore a thick skin saying he was ready to go back to his office because “I am the Director General of MBC. There isn’t another Director General. My contract expires on June 7, 2027. That’s two years from now.”
Soon after the episode, which took about 15 minutes, Kasakula said he received a call from the Inspector General of Police Richard Luhanga who advised him to report the incident to the commissioner of police for South West Division.
National police spokesperson Peter Kalaya confirmed recording a statement from Kasakula after he reported the incident at the division headquarters.
However, he said police were following up the matter.
“On the allegation that this happened in full view of the police, let me find out. My understanding is that this happened in the studio or office while police officers are stationed at the gate,” said Kalaya.
Meanwhile, the incident has sparked public wrath with individuals and civil society organisations (CSOs) condemning the undesirable action while raising questions about political intimidation and the safety of journalists.
“Violence of any kind must be condemned in strongest terms. Such lawlessness has no space in our democracy. We are calling upon the police to investigate the alleged incident and arrest the perpetrators,” said Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Gift Trapence.
Another human rights advocate Undule Mwakasungula said what the cadets did could have been avoided as Malawians voted for a reformed and repentant DPP.
“This is not what Malawians expected. They did not vote for lawlessness. This is a national cause of concern,” he said.
In a statement released yesterday, Misa Malawi condemned the manhandling of Kasakula and demanded action on the people behind the incident.
“We specifically call upon the newly-appointed Inspector General of Police Mr. Richard Luhanga to step up and act on this incident as an indication of impartiality by the police in addressing citizen safety and not being partisan,” reads the statement.
Misa also said what happened to Kasakula was an assault not only on him but media freedom and has a “chilling effect on the entire MBC staff”.
Both DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba and secretary general Peter Mukhito were not available when contacted yesterday.
However, in its statement, Misa said it had engaged Mukhito, who condemned the incident and asked the police to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to book.
Misa also said it got an assurance from the Minister of State, Alfred Gangata, who indicated government would look into the matter and safeguard the rights of all MBC employees.
On its part, the National Advocacy Platform (NAP) also expressed deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the incident.
“This act is unacceptable in a democratic society and constitutes a direct attack on media freedom, the rule of law, and public trust in national institutions.
In Malawi, unauthorised interference with a national broadcaster, such as interrupting scheduled programming to air unauthorised content, is prosecutable under several sections of the Penal Code (Chapter 7:01), depending on the nature and intent of the act.
The relevant Sections of the Malawi Penal Code include Sections 60, 87, 88, 98, 124 and 367.
Section 98, which is about false assumption of authority, penalises individuals who impersonate public officials or unlawfully assume powers they do not possess. Hijacking a broadcast signal could be interpreted as falsely assuming the authority of the broadcaster.
Section 367 is about criminal trespass and applies if the interruption involves physical access to broadcasting premises without permission.
