…Police have MCP branch
…Youth threaten to topple leaders
President Lazarus Chakwera, Homeland Security Minister Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, and Inspector General of Police Merlyin Yolamu are all figureheads that they can’t act against Police officers and MCP Youth who recently were caught on CCTV camera stealing from a shop in Salima.
With the MCP convention slated for next year and President Chakwera’s lack of grip over the party, the Youth League members have threatened to topple everyone including the President, Secretary General, and his entire team should they be arrested. They are now effectively in charge of the party.
On Friday afternoon, Government Ministers including Ken Zikhale Ng’oma met the Police officers and MCP Youth at Area 30 in Lilongwe, but the meeting only ended up as a challenge to the authorities who are in fear of the group.
Arrest us if you can!
“They offered and dared them to arrest them so they can speak in court. They repeated their allegations about a t-shirt printing machine donated to a cabinet minister and how the party benefits from refugees and asked why they are being targeted when everyone is doing the same,” said our representative at the meeting.
Senior Police officers are pointing fingers at one of the Commissioners of Police and the leadership at CID as having created, with senior party officials, an MCP branch within the Police that is being favoured and used to collect money from businesses.
“It was an embarrassing moment, the Youth said arrest us. Everyone said they need to discuss it first. Why are they scared of arresting them? They are standing by their story implicating ministers and members of parliament. To Malawians forget this happened, nothing will come out of it,” said another.
The Investigator Magazine has been informed that only K21 million was declared by the team that went to Salima, despite two shops with total sales of around 300 million a week being raided and cash being taken away in MCP vehicles.
“One shop not caught on the camera had a lot of cash. The other seen on CCTV had very little amounts. The problem is these people can’t speak; they think it is normal to be harassed by Police. The cash did not even travel in a Police car, it was taken by MCP cars,” explained another Police officer.
Anger in Police service over the MCP branch at Area 30
Junior Police officers who have called The Investigator Magazine charge that there is anger within the service as two Policewomen were arrested for attempting to receive cash from some Burundis, but the ones caught on camera were being protected.
“Everyone knows these thieves in uniform are protected. They were transferred from different stations including Area 3 to set up a party branch at the headquarters. They are more powerful than the Inspector General. She can’t touch them, she can’t transfer them, she can’t do anything, she is a figurehead they will continue to embarrass willy nilly,” said an angry policewoman.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission cannot investigate without complaint and its previous work s yet to yield any outcomes as different episodes of Police excesses have gone unchecked.
Another officer from the Eastern region charged that the whole refugee relocation project was a joke, and it was sad that Malawians were asked to pay for an exercise that did not take place at all.
“We only rounded a few for display, most places when we arrived, they had our bosses on the phone. Amatiuza ameneyo ndi wanga ntayeni. Out of 20 shops we only closed maybe one or two per day. It’s said to hear over K100 million was spent on this cash collecting exercise for our bosses,” he said.
Convention scares Chakwera and company
At stake is the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leadership convention which is slated next year. All party positions ended on 18th May this year and now everyone is in a caretaker role including President Lazarus Chakwera.
“We now have interim President, interim Secretary General, interim Treasurer General, and even interim Director of Youth. All of them their legal mandate expired in May, they are now caretakers, and they realise how most of them are unpopular. Very few in the current NEC can win again,” challenged a NEC member we asked to analyse the party’s inside conflict.
The leaders have now each gang within the MCP Youth League teams which is likely to degenerate into violent episodes as nobody is in control.
The Investigator Magazine has been informed that a Youth Leaguer Dickson Chitanga, allegedly belonging to one of the Minister’s camps was beaten by another Minister’s camp at Civo Stadium on Sunday where President Chakwera was attending a Nkhoma Synod of CCAP thanksgiving service.
“Some MCP Youth League members are saying it openly they want Simbi Phiri (the businessman) as its candidate for 2025. This has been suggested by some parliamentarians. The way the party is today, its leader is not in control of anything. MCP is not a family party like others. If leaders fail to manage both the party and the country, they can be surprised come 2025,” charged a former Chakwera advisor who is part of the team seeking to replace most senior officials at the convention.
