President Lazarus Chakwera and his running mate are reportedly cracking down on electoral officers following their loss in the recent presidential elections, demanding explanations for why the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) failed to secure victory.
In Lilongwe, a mother of four who presided over voting at a polling station was picked up by police and questioned about how and why Chakwera lost in her area.
“He has gone mad. Let him leave our families alone. If they have any evidence, they should send it to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and challenge the results through the right channels,” said one of her family members.
The MCP’s media team, led by Vitumbiko Mumba, has been circulating allegations of massive rigging by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), after its candidate, Peter Mutharika, secured a commanding lead with 2.8 million votes against Chakwera’s 1.6 million.
Malawians have reacted with shock and concern at the apparent abuse of security forces and the revival of tactics reminiscent of the MCP’s dark historical reputation for silencing dissent through fear, torture, and violence.
“How safe are these people? Why not let them bring lawyers? They are being forced to confess to things they don’t even understand. This harassment of election staff must stop,” charged another concerned family member.
In a separate incident, the family of a young woman in Chikwawa who attempted to take her own life said she was terrified of being arrested by police after a minor error at her polling station led to the rejection of results.
“It was a small mistake, and it was corrected. No one sent her. But the MCP is using fear, the police, and intimidation to reverse the election outcome. They are the ones attempting to rig the process now. Most of the polling staff are young and inexperienced. This must stop,” said the woman’s aunt. The young woman has since been discharged from hospital.
As the MCP’s post-election crackdown, reportedly spearheaded by Mumba, intensifies in areas where Chakwera lost, The Investigator Magazine has also uncovered troubling financial movements involving members of Chakwera’s own family.
According to sources, some of the President’s relatives have been crossing into Zambia through the Namizani border post, allegedly to hide illicitly acquired wealth. The family is linked to a luxury car dealership in Lilongwe, which reportedly accessed foreign currency from Malawian banks at preferential rates to purchase vehicles, later reselling them for profit.
The Investigator Magazine has obtained evidence showing that batches of cash—up to US$50,000 at a time—were being paid to members of the President’s family and exchanged on the black market.
Sources at Namizani border post say the luxury vehicles were escorted out of the country by State House security personnel and lacked proper documentation. The magazine has contacted both the Zambian Police and Revenue Services to verify whether these vehicles were officially registered upon entry into Zambia.
Meanwhile, in a related development, MCP Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda has reportedly closed his business, Ubuntu Lodge, distributing all perishable goods to his employees. Staff say he informed them they would be contacted when operations would resume. Chimwendo has since taken a low profile following the elections.
