Malawi Police concerned with towers vandalism

The Malawi Police Service (MPS) says it is concerned with the growing cases of people vandalizing TNM towers across the country.

Commissioner for Southern Region Police, Wilson Matinga, said during a Tikhale Tcheru TV programme on Malawi Broadcasting Corporation Television (MBC TV).

Matinga said the country could not develop if the increasing cases of vandalism were not checked.

“Vandalism is happening time and again, we need to unite and change this. The problem is serious and it needs to be address before it is too late,” said  Matinga.

He urged the general public to work closely with law enforcers by providing information and names of suspects who vandalise towers.

Criminals have been vandalising TNM towers especially by stealing batteries, a development that results in network failures when users want to communicate with others.

But Matinga assured the general public that the Malawi Police Service (MPS) was ready to work with different communities to end the evil.

In the programme, TNM’s Public Relations and Sponsorship Manager, Limbani Nsapato said his company was heavily affected by vandalism that their expansion initiative is not progressing in the manner it would have been.

“Instead of expanding our network coverage we spend a lot of funds repairing the damaged items resulting in slow business.

“As TNM, we do a lot of corporate social responsibilities and if our transmitters have been vandalized we fail to realize the money that could also help Malawians hence our appeal to the general public to take care of all the properties.

Tikhale Tcheru is a TNM sponsored community policing television programme which is aired on MBC TV.

Meanwhile, some viewers have requested authorities to consider more television stations air the programme so that the messages get across to more Malawians.

“This is a nice programme and it would have been better if more of such were produced by the police. The good thing is that even kids watch and enjoy it and it is important because they know what happens in their parents’ homes,” said a Blantyre based Juliana Chigamba.