Massive looting was part of the mayhem
* The Police have since arrested over 40 people that participated in the demonstrations
* The group will answer three charges unlawful assembly, contempt of court and inciting violence
* Concerned business people were granted court injunction to provide a list of names of individuals who will personally be held responsible
* For payment of all the damages or theft to the property of the claimants as a result of the demonstrations
* Further, they needed to undertake that the demonstrations would be peaceful
By Duncan Mlanjira
The demonstration organised by Human Rights Ambassadors targeting the Judiciary were restrained through a court injunction just hours before hundreds of people were to be ferried to the venue where it was supposed to start from.
But the people that finally converged for the march decided to hijack the demonstration despite being stopped by the court injunction and they went on rampage — not to demonstrate but to loot business premises which they left vandalised.
Reports indicate that the Police have since arrested over 40 people that participated in the demonstrations whom spokesperson for Lilongwe Police, Hastings Chigalu told Zodiak Online that the group will answer three charges unlawful assembly, contempt of court and inciting violence.
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Video clips circulating on social media show the police using teargas to try to disperse protesters around Biwi Triangle, Lilongwe community centre and Wakawaka market area.
Lilongwe City Council gave Human Rights Ambassadors permission for demonstrations but some concerned business people in Lilongwe obtained an injunction until some other measures are met by the organisers.
The concerned business people, among other measures in the court injunction, wanted the organisers to provide a list of names of individuals who will personally be held responsible for payment of all the damages or theft to the property of the claimants as a result of the demonstrations.
Further, they needed to undertake that the demonstrations would be peaceful — including providing an audio or written communication calling for peaceful demonstrations through a well recognized media house and also providing a public retraction of all the state in the audio of Ben Longwe that incited fear, violence and encouraged commission of offences.
The injunction was obtained by Gift Nankhuni and partners on behalf of John Kwenda and others.
But the demos were eventually hijacked and following the massive damage done, people had mixed reactions to the development — with Samuel Simba saying on Facebook: “Politicians will always play with our minds for their benefit. We will not benefit in any way from this called demonstration rather it will benefit the organizers. We are just being used in Malawi.”
Amos Mateche censured Simba, saying: “I wish you could also say the same when Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence conducted their demonstrations for one full year”, referring to the nationwide demonstrations that were organised against the results of the 2019 tripartite elections.
Gausi Chimwemwe was of the opinion that the likes of Mtambo, Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima benefited from those demonstrations that culminated into the fresh presidential elections as ruled by the Constitutional Court.
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Chakwera and Chilima eventually took over government as President and Vice-President, while Mtambo was rewarded with an appointment as Cabinet Minister, leaving Gausi Chimwemwe to now ask: “Did they pay the damages they caused during the July 2019-April 2020 demonstrations?”
He observed that those were the worst demos with most damages, adding that the same government maintains that demos are people’s way of expressing their feelings yet it is the same government stopping it.
Limbani Bello was also of the opinion that the “Tonse Alliance government is a beneficiary of demonstrations” and “now it’s their turn to face pressure from people”.
Cecilia Zingani’s contribution was that the “organisers should be held responsible for business lost even for those that don’t have their properties vandalised while Gracious Kumwenda asked the human rights group why they mobilised “poor people to fight for their war”.
“If you see that something not going well with the government, why don’t you just go straight to the President’s office and talk to him face to face.”
Dafton Salika said: “I don’t see any change even when they demonstrate. Most Malawians do just demonstrate without knowing what they’re demonstrating for. All they want is to rob and vandalise for their personal benefits.
“This injunction is good — those organisers must be held accountable for all the damages which these demonstraters will cause,” he said.
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