Malawi protestors break into First Capital Bank, loot shops

Protesters clashed with riot police in Lilongwe on Tuesday, breaking into the First Capital Bank (formerly First Merchant Bank) and  smashing its windows in what clearly was a violent post- election demonstration.

The ugly side of the violent anti-Jane Ansah protests
The ugly side of the violent anti-Jane Ansah protests
The ugly side of the violent anti-Jane Ansah protests
Counting the cost of looting damage
The ugly side of the violent anti-Jane Ansah protests
The ugly side of the violent anti-Jane Ansah protests
First Capital Bank damaged by protestors
First Capital Bank damaged by protestors

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) organised the fresh round of protests   in the streets of the main cities to force Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah to resign for what they accuse  her of helping rig an election in favour of President Peter Mutharika.

The disputed May vote has sparked four previous demonstrations and is being challenged in court by the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the UTM Party.

Previous protests have turned violent and the government has said the police lack the capacity to manage them.

On Tuesday after court refused to grant an injunction to Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale to stop the feminist rations, protests turned ugly as people in the streets  looted shops and break in the First Capital Bank where some cash has been cleaned.

Several police cars and houses were torched.

Business persons said the demonstrations will have a huge economic effect since most of the property and good have been damaged.

Several business, including Kenyan Airways and pay-TV company MultiChoice, closed on Tuesday and will remain closed on Thursday, when the case against the election result will be heard.

The crisis has sparked volatility in the kwacha, the local currency, and led to the stagnation of an already fragile economy.

Malawi has a nominal income per capita of $380, making it one of the world’s poorest countries.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Follow us in Twitter

54 replies on “Malawi protestors break into First Capital Bank, loot shops”

  1. this was the work of DPP to make demos look bad, genuine demonstrators would not go as far as demolishing Kamuzu’s mausoleum.

  2. I have seen the Demon himself in our courts, is this what you wanted Mr Judge????????? now you are happy??????? GOD IS WATCHING YOU

    1. That question should go to jane ansah and not the Judge…you must be very stupid….keep quite!!

      1. Ndipo wamuyankha bwino. Kodi oyatsa moto, ndi moto, cholakwa ndichani? Would you blame fire for destroying a thing leaving the one who started it? Put all your queries and blames to Jane Ansah. Why is she not resigning?

    2. the devil is in peter and Jane,ngati anawina zoona bwanji osangonena kuti tiyeni tivoteso monga muja anapangira Joyce Banda?and chifukwa chani Jane Ansah akukakamira pa mpando?

    1. Mbuzi iwe. Ndizamalamulotu izi. Do you know crime against humanity. Solve the cause and not the symptoms

  3. This is totally unacceptable and must be discouraged at all costs. Yet we should not take all this at face value. We should try to apply our minds and decide whether what we read in the papers (print / online) or see on television is as straight-forward as it seems. Their are usually a lot of shenanigans going around.

    It has been known since time immemorial that governments under siege world over will always have some people planted in such type of situations. These people are simply meant to destabilize the peaceful protesters so the political machinations can turn around and say the opposition or the parties involved in the demonstrations are causing the havoc.

    My take: if this is done by the genuine demonstrators, it is a sad development and it just defeats the whole idea of peace(ful) demonstrations. It must be condemned in the strongest terms. If it is the DPP government planting their cadets to destabilize the demos to paint a horrid picture, then, as people have always said, it does not have the welfare of the ordinary Malawians at heart.

    Lastly, I do not see why Jane Ansah does not want to resign – on her own volition. If she did not help rig the elections, it would help to step aside and clear her name. I am sure people would want her to stay on if she presents her side of the story and convinces people otherwise. It can only be the honourable thing to do. Whether she hangs on to the seat or not, it is not a lifetime position, and she will still one day have to step down or be replaced. It would be wise to defend her reputation and that can be properly done if she is not in the same office that people feel is tainted – it’s like shitting yourself and sitting in your own faeces instead of cleaning yourself up and putting on fresh clothes.

    Just my 1 Tambala worth of thoughts (the coin is mine by the way).

      1. Wow! I thought you knew how to read. Definitely not. The comment was not supporting nor castigating anybody sir. By the way, I am far far away from Malawi earning big bucks as a top notch software engineer (while you are wallowing in misery). The only thing you know is swear? Sorry man. And yes – ndine mTumbuka wa ku mpoto ku Mzimba ku Enukweni for that matter (in case you are wondering) – because I know that will be your next line of attack. Read between the lines dude.

      2. A MarkomX mumatha kuwerenga? Or pa chiTumbuka: mukumanya kuwazga? You missed the whole point of the comment (totally). Basi kutukwana (kutuka) is the only thing that comes to mind instead of engaging in meaningful conversation? Re-read the first sentence in the comment (may be twice or thrice), then continue through the whole comment. Wow!

  4. chakwela and chilima upulezidenti sapeza choncho ayi….ndipo chilima uziwe kuti to be a president simasewela ayi… osauka mmalo moti alandile chitukuko mwachangu mukuwalephelesa chifukwa cha uchisilu wanu..mmene ankabela mavoti inu munali kuti?

    1. Chifukwa choti upulezident sapeza mophweka nde mmati mubele? Nde mnzimenezitu, zakutsamwani. Truth and honest is easy to prove but lies are hard games to play. Why is Jane Ansah not resigning? She knows the mess her replacement is going to see at MEC. Why is Peter not simply just calling for a re-run, knowing that the pplpe who voted for him will do the same and the results will be the same as him a winner, it happened in Kenya and the same president won again.

  5. Malawians are too foolish to develop this country. They are destroying their own country with their bare hands and there’s surely no one who is going to come from outside Malawi to rebuild the country and move it forward. This is a country without hope. The foolish masses actually believe that there will be more food in their houses if HRDC/UTM/MCP manage to get Jane Ansah to resign or have an election re-run. And some fools especially in the Southern region actually think that the DPP-led regime will take the country in a much better direction than in the previous 5 years. There’s nothing that will change in our lives through these greedy Politicians who only unite because of their bitterness with their loss in the elections nor will it come through this equally greedy and corrupt DPP regime which quite obviously won in a fraudulent and rigged election. Politicians are simply pursuing a “political career”. They only care about getting in power and remaining in power, and they only care about their pockets and bellies and they’ll always do WHATEVER IT TAKES to further their political ambitions.

    Malawi will only move forward when people stop looking up to these politicians. Malawi will only move forward when everyone starts individually looking at themselves as the solution that Malawi needs and each one starts to give their best for his/her self and for his/her own immediate community. No one else cares about us or our communities and no one will ever care. If we are the ones to tear down our very own communities and achievements, then we are surely doomed because NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE US.

    1. The destructions which are being done by the protesters are nothing compared to money destructions done by the DPP. In one way or the other, we always live in destructions. Only that the destructions by demos has hope for a new day. That most beautiful and handsome man you see, her or his mother cried when she or he was coming into this World. Sometimes good things come with pain. Lets just hope that all these losses and pain don’t go in VAIN.

    2. You are so stupid to call Malawians fools. Do you know why we are demonstrating?, watch your mouth!

  6. Chilima and Chakwera and their parties are a bunch of disgruntled, frustrated and confused people. What type of demo you go to loot, and destroy property. Their hearts are filled with demonic acts, no wonder they are leading the country to destruction . Mtambo , Trapence and your colonies, remember those who kill by a sword dies by a sword. You may think you are above and can inflict pain on local Malawians, because Judge Dr Mrs Ansah will not give up to your intentions. All what you are doing will affect yourselves including your families in a near future. May the LORD REBUKE YOU.

    1. Lord rebuke you as well, be reminded that it’s HRDC that are facilitating these demos, and people are willingly, not being paid to express their concern how one conducted the elections….. if you truly love Malawi you’ll hate the corruption that is happening now and if someone will not stand up it’s your children that will pay

      1. are u a judge?? what proof do u have that the elections were rigged? The issue here is that these violent demos are senseless as they are used to destroy the little this country have

  7. Kodi jane ansah munthu ophunzira ngati iwe chimene ukuopa ndichani osangotula pansi udindo bwanji?Kulephera kupeleka pepala munaulutsira lija kuti mr Tipp-ex wapambana ndi umboninso wina woti munasokoneza zisakho.Tulani pansi udindo mayi muli ndi zambiri zochita musatayise nthawi komanso kuonongesa zinthu mudziko mwamva?

  8. Mudzatifuna ku southern region
    Don’t you wonder why no popular support for demos in the south ?
    The answer :they voted DPP
    Kodi ngwirizano wa a chilima ndi a chakwera
    After elections.
    It’s like replay after finals
    No 2 and No 3 to make a select team
    Zimatheka?

    1. Ukunama iwe. Do not generalise south, I cannot make such silly mistake empowering mbava because I come and am in the south

    2. sitingakufuneni muli ndi chiyani?poti mukudalira kuba zimene zikuopangidwa ku mpoto ndi pakati

  9. All in the name of Jane Ansah. Koma anagwirizana zazikulu Jane Ansah ndi Peter Muthalika

  10. Is this Malawi we want? the answer is no but what chilima, chakwela and ntambo doing is like kills innocent Malawians his owrn mothers, sisters, brothers uncles etc, please God punish them with your fire in Jesus name.

  11. What will it take Jane Ansah to resign? Doesn’t she have any sense? What is so special in being MEC chair? What does she want to prove?

    1. She said they complained to court .
      Only after the determination of the court then she will go .
      Rules of natural justice .
      Blame Mtambo and his friends for organising things which aren’t working .

  12. We will rebuild this country if given a chance to run it without Madando leadership and tippex.

    This country is not poor but our leaders due to corruption are making our beautiful country to look poor.
    Let’s clean all corrupt leaders, using any means for the benefits of our future generation, Bcoz as it stands now it seems we are doomed as a country .
    Malawi is a beautiful country with many resources that when given a chance and with good leaders in place, we can surpass many countries within the region.

    1. verily verily I say unto you, none of your actions will manipulate our decision as southern regioners

      1. Mumagona pa masaka inu, ku Blantyre msapato ndi Jacket mumachita kubweleka, anthu mkumati munalemela. Anthu mkumati! !!!

    2. I definitely support you, the shops that have been damaged are of asian decent, of which most asians are very racist to Malawians and treat them poorly, they have left the war in their country to treat Malawians bad and have no respect for them. They hire and fire Malawians as they want to, therefore this Jane Ansah must resign.

      I would rather have this reparable damage than the damage that DPP thugs can do to Malawi in the next five years. Malawi will be in a very sorry state!!! Please let us continue to go to the streets to ensure that Jane Ansah must fall and this must ring a bell to the very privileged that Malawi is for all MALAWIANS!! NOT JUST TOP BRASS MALAWIANS AND ASIANS ALIKE. It is for all!!!

  13. Those accepting, supporting these demos are satanic. Am not sure janeh ansah is worth the damage being by these opportunists posing as demonstrators. It is clear now that the major aim and outcome of the demos is total carnage and chaos.

  14. JUDITH CHIMULIRENJI — JANE ANSAH AND GERTRUDE MUTHALIKA INCLUDING THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR FELLOW JEZEBELS ARE IN UK ENJOYING PIZZA WHILE MALAWIANS ARE CRYING DAY AND NIGHT —-‘ ON TAX PAYERS MONEY –‘- WHAT KIND OF STUPIDITY IS THIS ??? GO GO GO ! MALAWI GO !!

  15. And most of the protesters (the real ones with stones and bottles) are a hungry bunch. They need food. They need their kadansana. They need a small 21in TV screen. Take care of them. They will leave you alone.

  16. A simple question is: why would Jane Ansa not resign. I think its now more suspicious and their in action has not helped.

Comments are closed.