Malawi should pursue justice to avoid turmoil, says South Africa Chief Justice

South Africa’s Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng  has said suffocating justice and good governance  could be a recipe for political turmoil.

Mogoeng was the guest speaker at the Dynamic Leaders and Gatekeepeers Forum held at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital, Lilongwe.

“Malawians should stay calm as they wait for the court verdict on the outcome of the elections. Let the courts decide on the outcome of the election results,” said Mogoeng.

He said Malawi and other African countries should pursue justice and good governance to avoid socio-political turmoil on the continent.

His comments come at a time when there is an election case in the court where the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera and UTM president Saulos Chilima are seeking a rerun over the May 21 elections for what they call the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and pollster Malawi Electoral Commission manipulation of votes in favour of Peter Mutharika.

Mongoeng said Malawians should have trust in their judges that they would deliver an independent judgment without the influence of money or other factors.

According to the official MEC results, Mutharika won the elections by 1 940 709 votes against Chakwera’s 1 781 740, but the opposition says the elections were marred by several irregularities, among them, stuffing ballot papers with pre-marked ballots, tampering with election result sheets through correction fluid known as Tippex and officials keeping result sheets at home.

UTM president Saulos Chilima has specifically alleged that MEC chairperson Jane Ansah spearheaded a rigging plot as she was biased against both Chakwera and himself, claiming in a leaked letter to her that UTM has evidence of the allegations.

But DPP wants the case dismissed for purportedly being irregular, defective and lacking sworn affidavits.