Malawi state house warns over misuse of official logo on private cars

Malawi’s State House has issued a furious warning to motorists caught fraudulently displaying its official insignia on private vehicles — accusing offenders of trying to fake presidential authority to bully police officers and dodge the law.

In a strongly-worded statement released today, presidential press secretary Cathy Maulidi revealed officials had noted with ‘serious concern’ the growing trend of drivers slapping the State House logo onto their cars in a bid to intimidate traffic law enforcement officers or evade lawful checks altogether.

The brazen practice has clearly rattled officials at Kamuzu Palace, who did not hold back in condemning what they branded a blatant abuse of one of the country’s most recognisable state symbols.

‘State House unequivocally condemns this practice,’ the statement read.

‘No private individual or unauthorized vehicle is permitted to display the State House insignia for personal benefit or to secure preferential treatment.’

Offenders have now been given a stark ultimatum — remove the fraudulent branding immediately or face the consequences.

‘All individuals unlawfully displaying State House insignia are ordered to remove it immediately and cease this practice,’ the statement continued.

‘State House will not tolerate the abuse of official symbols to intimidate law enforcement, evade the law, or undermine state authority.’

Police and other law enforcement agencies have now been handed a direct mandate from the presidency to hunt down the culprits, with the statement urging them to ‘take firm, immediate, and appropriate action against offenders’.

The extraordinary intervention raises fresh questions over how widespread the practice has become — and how many motorists may have been using the presidential emblem to bulldoze their way past traffic stops unchallenged.

The statement was signed by Maulidi and issued from Kamuzu Palace, State House’s official residence in Lilongwe.