Malawi police arrest guard in Chasowa case
As 10 remandees in the murder of Robert Chasowa, a University of Malawi’s Polytechnic student, were walking free on bail last week, Malawi police arrested one more suspect, a security guard.
He is said to have been around the area where the student’s body was found at the Polytechnic on September 24 2011.
He is Harry Makina, a Security Force Guard Services (SFGS) employee.
His arrest on Thursday night in Blantyre brings the number of suspects in the case to 11.
The commission of inquiry into the death of Chasowa learnt that Makina’s personal file and photograph were missing from his employer’s office.
The commission, in its report presented to President Joyce Banda last month, said it looked for Makina and other security guards, but was unable to find them.
Another guard the commission was told was missing is Elias Phiri of Kamu Guard Services, who was allegedly positioned at the front entrance to the Hybrid Hostel at the campus where Chasowa was last seen alive.
The third is Chikondi Mwamvera of SFGS who, according to the deployment sheet, was supposed to guard the dispensary area which is directly above the place where Chasowa’s body was found.
According to the report, Phiri stopped reporting for duties soon after the student’s death.
The commission blamed the police for failing to immediately trace the three guards who were reportedly deployed in the critical places.
Southern Region Police Headquarters spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa said the arrest of Makina will help provide further leads in the investigation.
The 10 suspects who were released on Friday are Dolph Geoffrey Botomani, Petros Tembo, Sam Chulu, Stoni John, boxing promoter Mike Chitenje, Isaac Osman, Frank Julius, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regional governor (South) Noel Masangwi, DPP youth director (South) Lewis Ngalande and police officer constable Stanford Horea.
