CSO condemns Salima murder

National Advocacy Platform (NAP) has condemned the brutal killing of 84-year-old Loveness Chihana of Saidi Village in Traditional Authority Traditional Authority Ndindi in Salima.
Chihana was discovered dead in her house on Wednesday morning last week.
A statement signed by the platform’s chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba said the murder of Chihana is not only disturbing, but also a direct security threat to citizens in remote areas.

“The news that the criminals also robbed the victim of K113 000 she realised from her banking and saving activities [Banki M’khonde] poses a big threat to the right to economic activities and has the potential to discourage similar initiatives in areas with security lapse,” he said.
The platform has asked  the Malawi Police Service to swiftly investigate and arrest the criminals to face the law.
Said Mkwezalamba: “This is based on our belief that every citizen has a right to security and justice regardless of their status in society as stipulated in the Republican Constitution.
“We also call upon the police to step up security efforts across the country so that those planning criminal attacks on hard-working and innocent citizens are stopped in their tracks. With the mushrooming of village savings and banks, there is need to devise security measures for such community initiatives and that police is hereby called to intervene accordingly.”
Village head Saidi said the murder, which happened four months after another brutal murder of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officer Rhoda Ng’oma in the same area, has created fear among locals. n