MCP official’s house torched, nyau injured

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) director of youth Richard Chimwendo Banda yesterday became the latest victim of suspected post-election violence after his residential house was torched in Dowa District.

In an interview yesterday, Banda, who is Dowa East member of Parliament (MP), alleged that unknown assailants descended on the house in his village at dawn yesterday and set ablaze the house, destroying the structure and household property.

He said he was not in the house at the time of the incident, but the two who were in the house escaped with minor injuries.

Said Banda: “I see politics 100 percent. I think they thought I was inside the house because normally I am at the constituency during the weekend. This was an attack on me and they wanted to deal with me.”

At the weekend, gulewamkulu dancers also terrorised communities in M’bano Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kalolo in Lilongwe.

Central Region Police spokesperson Kingsley Dandaula confirmed the two incidents in Dowa and Lilongwe, but denied that an angry mob killed one of the gulewamkulu dancers.

He said: “What we know is that the people retaliated and they injured one [gulewamkulu dancer]. The one that was injured was given a medical report at Kabudula Health Centre.”

The gulewamkulu came from Nyanga Village in the area of T/A Khongoni and crossed their boundary to the territory of T/A Kalolo.