Frail Goodall visits DPP’s Mzomera at Mzuzu police station

Former ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice president for the north Goodall Gondwe was helped this afternoon to climb up steps to see party regional governor Christopher Mzomera Ngwira who handed himself over to police in the morning, ending weeks of police manhunt.

With a blue face mask covering his face,  octogenarian Gondwe struggled to climb steps at Mzuzu police station to see Ngwira who is suspected to be the masterminder of violence in 2016 at a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) rally which left several people injured.

Gondwe refused to talk to press.

Hours after his arrest, DPP Treasurer General Jappie Mhango also visited Ngwira who later appeared out of the station in handcuffs and raised his hands up in victory style to people.

Northern region police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said police have recorded Ngwira’s caution statement.

DPP claims the arrest of Mzomera and others are political persecution carried by the Tonse Alliance-led government.

But the government maintains that the wave of arrests that have so far largely targeted those who either served in or were perceived to be aligned to Mutharika’s DPP are in fact a crackdown on corruption, abuse of office and impunity.

Others from the Mutharika era who were arrested include Bangwe Mthandizi Ward councillor in Blantyre Jomo Osman; Malawi Revenue Authority deputy director-general Roza Mbilizi who was later released and Gerald Viola, deputy chief executive officer at the National Food Reserve Agency.