Beggar with a cell phone whisked away at gun point
A beggar with a disability, only identified as Chijozi, who has lately been in the news for his ability to own a cell phone, had a rude shock on Tuesday, when two armed police officers stormed Limbe Shoprite premises in the southern African country’s commercial capital, Blantyre and whisked him away at gun point.
At around 4pm when scores of people were busy buying various household provisions, two uniformed policemen stormed the shop’s premises and started pleading with Chijozi to cooperate and leave the place. But he protested and was seen displaying his disability, in an attempt to plead for ‘mercy’.
But the seemingly uncompromising police officers had no time to listen to his pleas for mercy and one of them was seen pointing a gun in his face to scare him. Seeing that the unfolding drama was attracting hordes of onlookers, Chijozi, gifted with the stature of a world class boxer, gave in to the demand of the law enforcers.
He was in no time spotted sandwiched between the police officers, with a fat wallet tied around his waist, bidding farewell to a place he was able to raise a few coins, but enough to save for air time for his mobile phone.
His predicament follows a debate which has been going on in one of the country’s dailies over his ability to own and maintain a cell phone through money realized through begging.
Chijozi has been at the centre of attraction at the shop. On several occasions, he has been seen asking for alms with one hand, while the other one is brandishing his mobile phone.
Ironically, Chijozi is not the only beggar with a cell phone. He is among scores of people with various forms of disabilities and other able-bodied, who due to poverty have been driven to the edge of the country’s towns and cities to beg for a living.
Most of them are able to beg enough from well wishers to own cell phones and other expensive gadgets. Some are even said to be operating business enterprises.
Malawi is rated to be one of the poorest nations in the world. Most of her people survive on less than a dollar per day.
Recently, the country’s head of state, who is current chair of the African Union (AU), Bingu wa Mutharika launched a loan for the youth, with a directive that first consideration ought to be given to the youth belonging to his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
begger or not why not if we people keep giving him enough for the food and leisure after he is human and remember we have been encouraged or told not to descriminate so as any other whatever could have happened to a normal person is bound to happen to him just because he has a phone but what bothers me are these police men how they handled him thats abuse they must be told to conduct their services in a civilised manner
Bwana Kamudzi thank God you drive a 4×4 when these people have to use crutches. Have you considered the problems these people face or faced in their quest to get education. Factors like distance to school, mockery by fellow pupils, lack of role models among themselves and above all people with disabilities are among the poorest of the poor.
I am sure you know able bodied people that visit you in offices and beg “ya basi”. Should we put policemen on our office doors. Owning a celphone is no longer a luxury, unless it it is one of the smart phones like iPhone or blackbery type of phones.
You talk of other disabled people that do not beg but you fail to understand that their social background is totally different. What alternative did the police give the guy so that he does beg again. Those that say these beggars have businesses must come up with evidence. Begging is shameful and those that engage in it must have had no choice otherwise how can one subject him/herself to such humiliation.
I hope this forum does not become one that insults those that are less fortunate among us
I don’t find any problem with a beggar owning a cellophone. Should she/he not communicate to his relatives. After all how much is a mobile phone in MW? It’s just the same like one day i went to Mzuzu and a policeman was on the road command to question us with one hand and the other one he was answering a phone call. Among the two who is the worst? It’s a question of business etiquette. Most of the beggar did not have adequate education.
We shouldn’t be suprised with what these copards have done. It’s the same syndrome that we used to have during the Bandaism. Kodi iyeyu ndalama wazitenga kuti? Amapanga chani? Akudelela, akufuna kufanana ndi ndani? You cops and all of your kind know this WE GIVE ALMS NOT NECESSARILY TO KNOW WHAT HE OR SHE IS GOING TO USE THE MONEY, WE GIVE IT TO GOD THROUGH THESE BEGGARS, just like death is the alternative way to go to heaven. Whether they will buy food or phones none of our business. Awo ndi mavuto ake azichedwa kuyankha foni amzake aketolela makobili.
koma chifukwa cha cell phone! thats un fair even the beggar needs to communicate because he is a beggar then he can’t communicate! komaso a polisi mpaka pointing gun at a poor beggar ooh no!
cell phones here in malawi are like clothes anybody can have it! that part of development.
walakwa chani munthuyu? A Police kalondereni ma New Flag abisidwa aja.
A Police,mwasowa chochita eti? Kalondereni ma New Flag abisidwa aja.
I will concur with Kumudzi on the aspect that because people think that because they have a disability then they have to beg. No. Not really.
In any case, almost every day, I see very strong able-bodied people begging on the streets. And I remember one time while filling up at a service station, a (very strong) guy in his mid-to-late twenties came up to me asking for money. What I told him was that I didn’t have money to give away BUT I could ask a friend of mine who had actually gone into the shop to offer him a job so that he won’t have to beg again. When the guy asked me what kind of job, I told him my friend was in building construction and painting and was at the time recruiting.
What the guy said next puzzled me. He told me that he could not do heavy work because he had a bad back and walked away to the next car infront of me. Now long story short:
Amongst, many underlying reasons, people beg because they have got no self-worth in them. They feel there is nothing else they can do on their own to uplift their lives. Or simply because they are lazy to do anything as in the example of my friend just mentioned above.
I do agree that we must help where and when we can, BUT to me giving someone money is not solving the problem. Here are my reasons:
1. Firstly, the people feel even more self(-worthless) and they continue wallowing in their self pity. They continue going on day after day thinking they are not worth of anything therefore cannot do anything to help themselves. They rely on the mercy of others – in a way thinking their lives are being controlled by something outward of them.
2. You give someone some change (believe me, most of the money people donate is change) and the person goes uses that money and again has nothing..Then what? They come back again.
3. Some(not all of them) of these people who beg end up using that money for things that further deteriorate their lives: beer, drugs, or this side of town: glue also called tik. Bravo t the ones that have been mentioned in the article that they run small scale enterprises. I am sure those ones must be lauded as they seem to think of uplifting their lives – maybe they may eventually stop begging.
This just creates a vicious cycle as a result.
My input:
Lets try to get these people off the streets by empowering (NOTE: not overpowering as in the case of our techno-savvy beggar friend in the article) them.
For starters, if I remember pretty well, late Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda (RIP), while opening the Bangwe Weaving factory? (for MACOHA is it? My memory is quite blurred) or School of the Handicapped? or something similar, he said, he was doing it because he wanted handicapped (used broadly here) people to go to the school and learn skills so they can be self-reliant – not to wallow in self pity.
Don’t you guys think this is one of the routes we should be heading? I know alot people are going to say: well if they get those skills, where are they going to get jobs because of the high un-employment rate in our country? True, but then they should also be taught business skills. I am sure there are quite alot of organisations that would help kick start or even fund such types of projects, even maybe offer ’soft loans’ to the graduates to launch their businesses.
I remeber having read a business paper sometime last year that mentioned a scheme supported by Eskom here is SA where handicapped people are actually making a difference in their lives. They make things that are actually being exported to other countries and they get something like 80% of the proceeds while the remaining 20% or so is ploughed back into the foundation / scheme for it’s sustainance.
We must try to first solve the root cause of the problem if we want to get rid of beggars and that is mainly: self-worthless-ness, not the scarcity of opportunities. Opportunities abound for every one, we only have to open up our eyes and spot them. This is regardless of age, gender, social standing, education (or lack of it), environment etc. It all boils down to what goes through our heads / thoughts all the time and what we think about ourselves in relation to what we want in life.
Commenting on the police..maybe they went a bit over board. And removing the person from there has not solved the problem either. He is bound to appear there (or somewhere else) again sooner or later!
Just my thoughts.
It’s not a crime for beggars to own a mobile phone,after all cellphones are no longer a luxury.But, people,let’s be realistic;the understanding is that those asking for alms at shop doors or around town are doing so in order for them to buy some food,or may be some clothes.
Now, this man can afford to buy and maintain a cellphone but can not fend for his own food?Or if the cellphone was also a donation why not sell it and buy some food and disappear from the shoprite for a few days-reappear when that food is gone?More over why not conceal the cellphone in his pocket so people willing to help should not see it and ask themselves questions?
I am not against this man (and others) begging but it has become a habit for many.It is true others are running businesses but still can’t stop begging;may be we are going by ‘once a beggar always a beggar’ just as once a thief always a thief.
Let’s discourage this habit,begging should be for genuine reasons.
Kumudzi, be reasonable, thank God for the luxuries you have instead of boasting that you will run over the beggars in your jallop. If you don’t wanna give them something, that is okey, no one forces you to. Some of us will give them a little something so that they at least fill their tummies with something. Get real man, God controls everything.
Whatever argument you might put up to justify begging is just flimsy. These people shouldnt be begging at all for whatever reason.
I support what Kaliati said kuti kid beggars should be cleaned off the streets, it should also include any kind of beggar whether young or old, disabled or unabled.
Inu amene mukuti azipempha ndi abale anu amene simufuna kuwathandiza.