Immigration staff chicken out of shutdown

Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services concerned staff yesterday cancelled their planned shutdown to push for director general Brigadier General Charles Kalumo’s (Rtd) ouster after authorities warned their plot was a security and economic threat.

Spokesperson for the concerned staff Charles Chisi said in an interview yesterday the communication from Ministry of Homeland Security and Kalumo’s office amounted to intimidation, as such, the staff chickened out.

He said at Chileka Airport in Blantyre authorities even deployed Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers purportedly to foil the planned sit-in.

Said Chisi: “They used intimidation to frustrate our move to hold the strike. We didn’t call off the industrial action, but officers were threatened. If you saw officers working, they were working out of fear.

“We gave government enough time to listen to our concerns and also resolve the matter amicably. We expected government to find the best way possible to address the matter.”

In separate communications on Wednesday, Kalumo and Ministry of Homeland Security Principal Secretary Steve Kayuni warned the officers that their planned industrial action was illegal and that anyone found doing so would be arrested.

The two notices followed communication from the concerned staff announcing their intention to shut down the services at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services to force Kalumo’s removal.

The shutdown was slated for yesterday, and would have seen airports, land borders and other services withheld for an unspecified time.

However, it was business as usual at all Immigration posts, including offices and border posts.

A visit to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe established that travellers were able to access the terminals with Immigration officers providing their services.

Similarly, spot checks in the country’s borders such as Mchinji and Songwe in Karonga also showed that operations were normal.

At Immigration headquarters in Blantyre and Chileka Airport, Immigration officers were also seen executing their usual duties.

During the spot check at Chileka Airport, a Malawian Airlines plane was seen taking off at around 9am and immigration officers along with police officers conducted their normal duties.

In a separate interview, Department of Civil Aviation director Vetrus Dziwe confirmed that no flights were affected by the threat to shutdown, adding that all flights at Kamuzu and Chileka international airports were as scheduled.

He said the department was continuously monitoring the situation.

In his statement, Kayuni, a former director of public prosecutions, warned the staff that proceeding with the alleged industrial action would amount to “mutiny, criminal trespass and conspiracy to commit a felony”.

He said: “Further, picketing at any apparatus of the Immigration and Citizenship Services Department is an affront to the national security of the Republic of Malawi.

 By press time yesterday, Kalumo had been removed through a court ruling (Read the front page main story in this edition). n

—Additional reporting by JONATHAN PASUNGWI, Staff Reporter