The High Court in Blantyre has ordered the leadership and members of Muhlako wa Alhomwe to stop holding a vigil at Mulanje West legislator Patricia Kaliati’s residence at Nkando in Mulanje.
The court order, obtained by Women’s Legal Resource Centre (Worlec) through lawyer Chipiliro Mwale, followed the cultural grouping’s raid on Kaliati’s residence on Monday as a means of forcing her to apologise for allegedly disrespecting Lhomwe Paramount Chief Ngolongoliwa for skipping the title ‘paramount chief’ in her reference to the traditional leader.
Granting the order against Mulhako wa Alhomwe chairperson Leston Mulli as first defendant and chief executive officer Muchanakhwaye Mpuluka as second defendant, High Court judge Mike Tembo said the grouping is not allowed to trespass, occupy or hold a vilgil at Kaliati’s Nkando residence until the determination of the matter or until any further order of the court.
He said: “If you disobey this order you may be found guilty of contempt of court and may be sent to prison or fined or your assets may be seized.”
Tembo also asked Wolrec to file an inter partes summons and serve on the Mulhako wa Alhomwe by midday today.
The judge has set August 27 as the date for hearing the inter partes hearing.
Wolrec’s move comes barely two days after Civil Liberties Committee (Cilic) on Monday condemned the conduct of Muhlako wa Alhomwe leadership for leading its followers to raid Kaliati’s residence.
The group accuses Kaliati, a Lhomwe herself, of disrespecting Ngolongoliwa during the United Transformation Movement (UTM) rally at Masintha ground in Lilongwe on July 21.
But Kaliati, who ditched the governing Democratic Progressive Party for UTM where she is interim secretary general, has maintained that she owes no one an apology.
