Concerned citizen calls government to appeal against panga wielding thugs

ByMalawi Freedom Network

Nov 16, 2025

By Vincent Gunde

A concerned citizen of Malawi residing at Area 51 in Lilongwe Mrs. Elizabeth Kaliza Banda, has pleaded with the new government to appeal against High Court decision of restraining police not to re arrest panga wielding suspected thugs who were in the custody of police and have walked to freedom.

Kaliza said the release of armed panga wielding thugs has sent a strong message to the outside world that the Judicial system in Malawi is rotten and compromise raising many questions than answers that even how safe are the Magistrates who have been refusing to grant bail to these suspected criminals.

She said a lot has been said suspecting the Judge who issued an injunction to stop the Police from re arresting the suspects as belonging to Malawi Congress Party (MCP) saying this alone, is putting the work of judges at risk of supporting political parties instead of staying neutral.

The citizen said the injunction granted to MCP panga wielding thugs has made many Malawians to doubt the credibility of the suspects to earn favor in the eyes of the Judge that they cannot do any harm to the communities they are living.

She said during their arrests, one of the suspects was reported in the media to have been found with an unlicensed pistol at Kaphiri in Lilongwe but interestingly, he has walked out to freedom questioning the authorities where is justice in the case the suspects are answering to in courts?

Kaliza said people have witnessed for themselves what the suspects were doing at the court, reducing police officers to nothing and singing the popular song” whatever they are going through, they are behind supporting President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera describing this as open defiance.

“In the communities the suspects are living, there are people who took advantage over their arrests by police that they won’t come back home and have taken the businesses the suspects were conducting, is there any safety to these people? she questioned.

She said she injunction which was granted by High Court Judge Howard Pemba to release the panga wielding thugs has brought silence amongst Malawians, many people do not understand why a learned Judge has released criminals with evidence of the cases committed, readily available.

Kaliza said the nation is waiting anxiously to see the new government obtaining an injunction to re arrest the suspects to enter prosecutions and those who will be found with no case to answer, they should be released to freely join their families.