Malawi MPs receive death threats over illegal wood as police brutalises Jooma’s home

March 7, 2015 Nyasa Times Reporter 58 Comments

Malawi Police officers stormed the home village of spokesman for finance in the opposition People’s Party (PP), Ralph Jooma  in Monkey bay and conducted door-to-door searches without warrant and harassed villagers in a mysterious operation that has Officer in Charge of Mangochi and Inspector General of Police are not sure who sanctioned the cops.

Matola (L) and Jooma : Political vandetta
Matola (L) and Jooma : Political vandetta

The police this week searched the houses of Jooma relations as the Mangochi Monkey bay parliamentarian was in Lilongwe.

“It was intimidation and harassment. The searches yielded nothing,” said one of the villagers.

PP secretary general Ibrahim Matola confirmed the incident, saying the party was tipped that the operation was organised by a cabinet minister without the knowledge of the police chief, saying it political harassment following Jooma’s recent critique of government in parliament.

“We are saddened with what happened. It was clear a political vendetta and not law enforcement,” he said.

Wood-gate threats

Meanwhile, disgruntled members from a network of people recently exposed as being at the centre stage in illegal wood exports are sending death threats to the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources.

After conducting an investigation into a suspected thriving illegal timber trade business the Committee named individuals and companies involved in smuggling the indigenous hardwood which is a protected item under the country’s law.

The committee’s leadership has since reported the matter to Parliament seeking protection as they fear for their lives, its Welani Chilenga, confirmed to a local press that they are “living in fear” following the threats.

“We are worried that some committee members, especially I and my deputy, are leaving in fear as these illegal wood exporters say they have organized hit squads to take away our lives,” said the Chair.

The committee’s vice chair Alex Majoni collaborated the threat issue, saying they are worried of the many anonymous calls issuing all sorts of threats over the matter, but has said that they are not moved at all.

Majoni has however said they will not stop at nothing “to preserve the country’s natural resources because at the rate the country is losing her forests the economic and climate challenges will remain the same if no corrective measures are done”.

Clerk of Parliament Roosevelt Gondwe confirmed receiving a written report from the committee and that National Assembly is “ sending it to the Inspector General of Police for further inquiry since Parliament is not an investigative body.”

In a report, 35 culprits were named in the depletion of hardwood in some parts of the country forest reserves and that K 643, 042,226.80 worth of licenses dues to government were also evaded.

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation has since condemned those issuing the threats and called upon the Police to probe the matter and take appropriate action for it is for the national good.

The report also says that a combination of hardwood from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia is being illegally exported to China through Mozambique ports, despite the 2008 ban on exports of all forms of wood to address the status of indigenous hardwood in the country which showed that there was no forest that could sustain supply of hardwood timber for domestic and export.

One of the suspected timber racketeers is ruling DPP mafia, Noel Masangwi.

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58 replies on “Malawi MPs receive death threats over illegal wood as police brutalises Jooma’s home”

  2. Owe mbale wake WA masangwi,or fellow family member whatsoever usatinyase kapena kitipsetsa mitima pa nkhani ya kuphedwa kwa chasowa,utsi sufuka popanda Moto,masangwi played a part in chasowa’s murder only that there is justice in this planet especially when it comes to ones in leadership,so zip it or else mmxx.# masangwi brother

  3. Apolisi athuwa koma kuwatuma nkhani ngati zimenezi ndiye amathamanga kapena kuwawuza kuti akagwire vakabu. Anthu okuti akumwela zawo sanabe zamunthu apolisa athu amathamangila amenewo koma kuwawuza kuti wakuba kuno uva galimoto tilibe.

  4. Kkkkk Salule waliliratu imfa ya mafia m’bale wake chokweza asadafe nkomwe e.

  6. anthu akuba awa a dpp; anaononga chikangawa ku North imene inali nkhalango yokongola imene kamuzu anakoza tsopano akufuna kumaliza timitengo tonse tachilengedwe tomwe tinatsala

  7. Nyasatimes Editor

    I would like to express my disappointment with your online paper for deliberately and willfully publishing comments that are not only defamatory and slanderous to my brother but are also clearly putting his life in danger. I hope you know what your are doing. The fact that you are publishing this online paper from overseas should not give you lincence to deliberately destroy people’s lives and believe you will always get away with it. You have deliberately and systematically painted my brother as a monster in the minds of your readership. You were even the first to tell lies to Malawians that my brother was involved in the Chasowa murder way before the Commission of inquiry was instituted. One would not be far from the truth to conclude that the carefully chosen witnesses to frame my brother got motivation from your publication. As a family we respect the courts and we have not wanted to comment on the Chasowa case until the courts come to conclusions. However your continued vilification of my brother has forced me to come out to express our concern as a family. It is too much now.

  8. kodi ku Malawi kuli police? ine ndinagula pistol gun, uta plus nkhwangwa ndizimene ndimazitetezela ndipo ndimayenda nazo mu galimoto mwanga ….. useless police

  9. HAA ACHINA MASANGWI AYAMBAPO KUGWILISA DIRTY HANDS AKUFUNA APHESO NGATI MUMENE ANAPHERA CHASOWA ETI!!!!!

  10. ntchito za Dpp ndizimenezo,awa anapha chasowa pa 2 july anatiphera achibale zinthu sizizayenda kwa awa.

  11. Nanunso aNyasa Katakwe akulembeni ma mistake – mpaka brutularising a home? Koma English iyi

  12. If you know the people issuing threats, please mobilise hit squads to eliminate these people as well.

  13. You can see that a minister can order the police to search someone’s house. Do you call that a professional police? How can the police receive orders from a minister? They do not even the politician that they do not get orders from the politicians? Can you be proud of the government.

    If I were Peter Mutharika, I would request the name of that minister and fire him!

  15. The police has no capacity to investigate such threats. Even if they know people threatening others, they will not do anything. The police in Malawi is very unprofessional. They fear the ruling party. Suppose it is Masangwi issuing threats, do you think they can arrest him.

    What I would advise Malawians is that they should provide their own security.

    This country NEED REAL Leaders not not fake APM.

  16. AT 26, read the meaning of mafia in the dictionary. I do not know what dictionary you are using. MALAWI HAS MAFIAS.

    Unfortunately, we do not have an effective government.

  17. @26, you do not know what mafia means. Read about Italy and try to google how mafia people behave.

    Malawi has mafias! and Masangwi is one of them.

  18. Wow! “…ruling DPP mafia Noel Masangwi”: That statement is ill-founded, inflammatory, and derogatory. Regardless of what the website thinks of Mr. Masangwi, to call him “mafia” is clearly inviting a law suit. How deep are NyasaTimes pockets?
    How much lower can journalistic standards stoop, in Malawi?

  19. Export? What RBM corropt managemant they dnt follow amount of export monet and bring back money in the country and how they export becouse more road blocks in the country if u go the zambia zimbabwe mozambique ther is no more road blocks malawi every 5 km block how?

  20. Hahahaha mumva kuwawa bomalusaka koma zilibwino. Inroads kunjoya ndiye sikunayambe panya panu agalu imu

  21. Lets share the country’s administration via Federalism chifukwa enanu you are thieves ndiye you should go and steal in your territories only and fate it if you cross the border and cause havoc in another. Are these thieves above the law? Who is our law enforcers? Do we have any? Do they get bribes from culprits?

  23. It’s not only masangwi. It involves a lot of crooks in lilongwe.its like a drug cartel. They were getting rich in few days hence lived in a luxious life. Anthu amagulira mowa aliyense amene atampeze pa bwandilo. Masangwi waipeza kumapeto after ataona kuti a custom ku muloza Ayamba kudelera ndalama.

  24. Ndi matola wako yemweyo mumamusowetsa mtendere chambo agalu inu, kummangitsa nkazi wake, kumpanga attack nthawi ya campaign sitinaiwaletu!

  27. A jooma mukudandaula chani mwaiwala mumamangitsa anzanu muli m’boma tikukumbutseni? Eee enanso akudodeni muzabwezere mukazalowanso 2110.

  32. A country at war indeed. See how these criminals react when their criminal activities are being stopped. Being criminals they want to do anything to protect their evil businesses at the expense of the whole country. Should we sit down and look. No we cannot even a a second. These criminals must be flushed out in their holes and justice and normal lives must be instituted. Well done Parliamentary committee and police and the courts finish the business.

  33. Please don’t make small babies feel big!
    Masangwi is a small baby in Malawi politics, when did he become a Mafia??

    Thieves are not Mafias!
    Malawi has not produced a Mafia yet.
    Mafiaaaaa, you kidding me!!

  36. Masangwi and his fellow henchmen in cabinet at work. Alhomwe at work. Condition f a failed state

  37. If 35 names were mentioned why isn’t there any further action?
    Don’t waste our time. Finish the forests you sons and daughters of satan then you have peace of mind.

  38. The so called Jooma is one stupid person who expected to be bribed for the monkey bay hotel to take place .Those of who followed parliament saw nothing sensible that he said in parliament .They know now their time to steal with the queen jezebel is gone. She is in

  40. We don’t want the Zimbabwe type of government here where by everyone with dissenting views is persecuted by the law enforcement agencies, more over these law enforcement agents must know that its not the taxes from ruling party members that make up their salaries it is also from the opposition members so harassing them like that is uncalled for.

  41. This is a 100% back (indigenous) Malawian affair

    But trust u to some how blame the Asians again for it

    Plz don’t find a way to bring Asians in the equation!

    Thanx

    Yours faithfuly

    Indigenous Asian

  46. Masangwi is such a terrible person he got his own killers special team for killing in any case well trained.Please those got threats massages should find solutions now before we regret.See my name.

  47. A search warrant given without the knowledge of officer in charge let alone the IG? Do we have leadership in Malawi’s public institutions? Shameful!

  48. Osaiwala kuti tikulilabe imfa ya R. Chasowa, anthu ake ndi omwewa. Chenjelani nawo, kwa iwo kupha munthu sinkhani. Masangwi- the killer

  49. This is what we voted for. We hired Mafiosi in the name to of Masangwi and the like to run govt business. Ndiye tisalire pano. We have to wait until 2019.

  54. Masangwi should not feel as if he is a very important personality. People can also form ” hit squads ” and eliminate him as well..
    Kunali achina ‘ Marshall the dukes ‘ , Ali kuti ? What masangwi and his group should know is that , they don’t own anybody in this country. Ndiye Ku mangochiku musamaleko chifukwa your days are numbered

  56. Masangwi!! hey wina basi apita Beware!! Dipi Dipi ilibe mzake ikafuna kupha wanthu..

  57. For the first time, Nyasatimes has used the right description,’ the ruling DPP Mafia’. Yes this is not a ruling political party.

    A counter part of Mafia is Mafioso, thus in Europe. But we have DPP and UDF. Zipani za anthu otchaka ndi kuba. A polisi amwatcha,’ Notorious Criminals’,

    All those threats are from Masangwi and Ben Phiri.
    I

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