Malawi leader’s food handouts cause chaos in Bangwe
Some angry people in Bangwe township – one of the densely populated townships in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre – Saturday evening burned down chairs used by the ruling People’s Party (PP) officials and Cabinet Ministers during the political rally which President Joyce Banda held earlier in the afternoon in the township.
The residents were particularly protesting against failure by the PP’s officials to distribute the maize which President Banda donated to those facing food shortages in the township. They wondered why the officials were delaying giving out the donation.
They are alleged to have beaten up any one seen wearing orange which is the colors for PP’s party clothes.
The fracas which started around 6 pm soon after the electricity black out was controlled by the police who stormed the scene and dispersed the angry mob.
Bangwe police are confirming the development but say none has been injured during the fracas. They are however saying they will make further investigations before they make any arrests.
The number of chairs that were burned is yet to be established.
President Banda has been personally involved in donating maize to the households facing food shortage in the country. But critics have strongly been against the move saying it doesn’t befit the head of state but rather she would have been assigning other party officials to represent her.
Despite her physical presence during the donation exercise, many poor have been returning home a disappointed lot after denied receiving the maize.
However President Banda has been shrugging off the critics challenging that no one can stop her from assisting the needy.
