By Aaron Banda, MANA
Voter Verification exercise at Mzenga Centre in Mchinji North Constituency has been suspended following an attack from angry villagers who protested against forestry officers for allegedly destroying their crops.
It is reported that Mchinji forestry officials on Monday destroyed crops at Mzenga Village, accusing the communities of cultivating in forest reserve area, which angered the villagers and resorted to vent their frustrations by disturbing the voter verification exercise.
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According to Mchinji Police Station Officer in Charge, Owen Maganga, the villagers also beat up a police officer and a MEC officer.
Maganga said the two MEC officers were referred to Mchinji District Hospital the same day where they were treated as out-patients.
He, however, said no arrest has been made so far as investigations are still underway.
Mchinji District Forestry Officer, Fortune Kanyada confirmed the forestry officers were conducting the patrols in the forest reserve and that in the process, they found people harvesting crops.
Coronavirus alert
Kanyada said upon seeing the Forestry Department vehicle, the people started pelting missiles in effort to chase away the forestry officers, who were armed.
“The people were also throwing burning wood at the officers and in the process set their crops on fire.
“They are now accusing the forestry officers of setting the fire that burnt their crops,” she said, adding that “forest reserves in the district are facing numerous challenges including encroachment”.
Mchinji District Elections Clerk, Blackson Banda confirmed that the voter verification exercise at the centre has been suspended due to security reasons.
The vandalized equipment in
Ndirande
Last month, MEC also suspended voter registration exercise in Blantyre City following attacks by armed and angry mobs at various voter registration centres in Blantyre, especially in Ndirande where registration equipment was vandalized and destroyed.
MEC suspended the exercise to protect the lives of registrants, voter registration staff and MEC property following sporadic attacks by unknown mobs, who blamed the Commission for continuing with voter registration amidst the threat of COVID-19 pandemic.
One man was reported to have been arrested by police at one of the centres.
MEC chairperson Ansah inspecting registration
exercise in Karonga before being suspended
MEC went further to suspend the whole phase one of voter registration exercise was also taking place in Chitipa, Karonga, Salima, Dedza, Blantyre, Chikwawa and Nsanje after government had intended to impose a 21-day lockdown that was later challenged in court by Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).
When MEC announced the resumption of the voter registration after the court had ruled against the national lockdown, it announced it will revisit registration centres in the seven districts for voter registration exercise to compensate for the day it missed.
Coronavirus alert
After the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that only those who registered for the 2019 tripartite elections are those only to vote for the fresh presidential election, MEC cancelled all new voter registration process and instead they became voter verification exercises.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira