Malawi Congress Party divisions deepen as veterans face police over office lockdown

Dramatic showdown erupts as ex-party loyalists face grilling over brazen office lockdown targeting secretary general RIchard Chimwendo Banda.

Chaos has erupted within the Malawi Congress Party after a rogue group calling itself MCP Veterans was hauled before police — accused of storming in and slamming shut the office of the party’s own secretary general.

The stunning showdown saw at least 10 members of the group summoned to Lingadzi Police Station in Lilongwe on Saturday, forced to explain themselves after their audacious move to shut down Chimwendo Banda’s office sent shockwaves through the once all-powerful ruling party.

The self-styled veterans, who insist they were simply defending the party’s interests, marched into the police station to face questioning over the dramatic stunt — one that has ripped open ugly divisions at the very heart of MCP.

Group leader Chaponda Chizwa admitted the situation was still unfolding as officers began digging into exactly what had happened.

“They say they want to know why we closed the office,” Chizwa said from inside Lingadzi Police Station in Area 18, with the delegation led by William Phakamisa.

It’s understood the police swoop came after furious MCP members reported the veterans to law enforcement in the wake of the office shutdown — turning what had been a bitter internal spat into a full-blown criminal matter.

A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed officers were called in after complaints from within the party’s own ranks.

The astonishing turn of events marks a dramatic escalation of a power struggle that had, until now, played out largely behind closed doors — with the veterans’ extraordinary decision to physically seal off the office raising urgent questions over who actually holds authority within MCP, and whether the group broke the law in doing so.

Despite the police grilling, the veterans have stood firm, insisting their actions were deliberate and driven by deep concerns over the party’s direction.

As questioning dragged on at the station, the outcome remained hanging in the balance.

But one thing is now painfully clear: what began as an internal MCP row has exploded into a police matter — and with the veterans facing investigators head-on, the real battle over power, accountability and the future of Malawi’s former ruling party may be only just beginning.