Malawi police rescue abducted girl with albinism, 3 people arrested

Malawi police in Blantyre have rescued a girl with albinism Linda Mazanjo, 21 who was abducted  on Thursday last week in the district.

The girl was reported missing on July 26 and police found her in  house at Bvumbwe Trading Centre in Thyolo, fit and well, Chilenga police officer-in-charge Chrissy Mwale said.

Mwale said Mazanjo from Chilaweni, Traditional Authority (T/A) Machinjiri in Blantyre, was being kept by the man who abducted her  with another girl, 13, without albinism.

Police have since arrested three people in connection with Mazanjo’s abduction.

Association of People with Albinism (Apam) president Overstone Kondowe  commended police for rescuing the girl and arresting the suspects.

Kondowe bemoaned the slow pace by the court in concluding murder cases to do with the killings of people with albinism.

He added: “A lot of murder cases some dating back to 2014 have not been concluded up to now. This is why we have been asking for an ad-hoc court to deal with these issues. Even the committee that the president (President Peter Mutharika) instituted to look into the matter hasn’t met since January this year.

“The country’s image has been damaged; everywhere we go people talk of Malawi as a country that kills people with albinism. It seems the whole nation has no clue on how to deal with this issue hence the continued attacks and killings.”