The Malawi Police Service( MPS) has condemned acts of politically motivated violence that took place at Mponela Trading Centre in Dowa last weekend. One of the vehicles used by main opposition political party, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was torched by unknown people at Mponela.
Prior to the incident, the DPP’s Vice President for the Central Region, Alfred Gangata, who also organised the political rally on the day, told his Facebook followers that he had been informed that some gangs aligned with the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) had planned to attack their convoy at Mponela.
Few minutes later, Gangata shared a Facebook livestream of a burning vehicle.
Caption: The torched vehicle on DPP convoy
“MPS has launched investigations into the incident to bring to book those responsible. The service further calls on all political parties to refrain from open provocations and promote peaceful co-existence, especially now that Malawi is politically polarised with the upcoming September General Elections” reads in part the statement signed by MPS Public Relations Officer Peter Kalaya.
This is not the first incident of politically motivated violence in recent times. Unidentified men with panga knifes have been attacking protesters in Lilongwe, the stronghold of the ruling MCP.
In March this year, tens of people armed with panga knives, wooden clubs, hoe handles, and other offensive weapons attacked concerned civil servants who had planned to hold demonstrations in Lilongwe to protest a 20 percent salary increment.
In February 2024, the unidentified armed men disrupted a DPP roadshow in Lilongwe. Nine months later, they attacked anti-government protesters in the city.
While these incidents are sporadic, they point to potential violence during the September elections.
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