By Vincent Gunde
Karonga based rights activist Comrade Lytone Mangochi has been arrested by the Police in Karonga and is now at Mzuzu Police Station.
According to activist Pastor Moses Shumba, 12 officers in civilians rounded up his house in the midnight of 19th January, 2025 where they broke the door and found Mangochi in his pajamas, he requested to know their identities but they did not produce and even a Warrant of Arrest.
Shumba said the officers were using a Police Land Cruiser vehicle which took him to Kaporo Police Station on the charges best explained by the police urging patriotic Malawians to pray for the safety of Mangochi while in the hands of the Police.
He has expressed fears that the arrest of Mangochi is following alleged plans by the MCP to get rid of all activists and opposition party leaders by April, 2025 as these people are seeming to be standing blocks de-campaigning President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and MCP from bouncing back into government on 16th September, 2025.
The activist has assured the MCP that even killing all activists, some activists will be born and take them head on for not listening to Malawians and they will do whatever means to liberate their country from the shackles of MCP dictatorship.
“We are not afraid, we will continue standing for nothing but the truth, silencing us is the same silencing all Malawians through police arrests,” said Pastor Shumba.
Speaking through a video clip before his arrest by police on 18th January, 2025 Mangochi accused Mec Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja of not listening to the demands by Malawians to Mec saying she is a recipe for war in Malawi.
Mangochi described Judge Mtalimanja as another Mozambican Judge Cecilia Rubeiro who pronounced Daniel Chapo of FRELIMO the winner against the will of the Mozambicans who are siding with opposition leader Venancio Mondlane as the clear winner of that country’s elections.
He said Judge Mtalimanja, Mphatso and Davie Mpesi are not afraid of the consequences ahead of the elections observing that they have courage to stand together with the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to declare Chakwera the winner and are ready for bloodshed in the country.
Mangochi advised opposition party leaders of DPP, UDF, AFORD, PP and UTM to hold a joint Press Conference to let their supporters know of their position on the Smartmatic machine so that if the Mec wants to use it, they should use it in Kasiya-Lilongwe.
He said he will lead the demonstrations in Lilongwe on the 29th January, 2025 to close Mec offices for not listening to opposition party demands advising MCP panga wielders to get prepared and take with them their pangas to block the peaceful demonstration.
“We are coming with the peaceful demonstration in Lilongwe, Mec has proved that it cannot listen to our demands but only those of the MCP,” said Mangochi.
