Mayor Jomo hits back over fuel queue brawl video

Blantyre City Mayor Isaac Jomo Osman has refused to back down over his controversial role at fuel stations, insisting he is the only thing standing between desperate motorists and chaos.

The latest storm erupted after a video showed the mayor charging at a man at the Mount Pleasant TotalEnergies Service Station in Blantyre.

It has revived fury over his conduct, which came under fire earlier this year when he was filmed slapping a woman.

Osman has since said sorry for that incident.

Speaking in a live Facebook broadcast, Osman denied beating the man, though he admitted pushing him.

“I do not go to fuel service stations to beat up people. I go there to control queues and prevent chaos,” he said.

The mayor claims motorists are cheating the system, jumping queues and blocking vehicles that have been waiting for hours.

He says his interventions protect “weak and vulnerable” people, including women, who would otherwise be shoved aside at the pumps.

Speaking at a Malawi Local Government Association event in Blantyre, he vowed he would not let people who had queued for fuel be left out in the cold.

But critics want him off the forecourts.

Consumer rights activist Wazamazama Katatu said keeping order at fuel stations should be left to law enforcement.

“This is a crisis and consumers are spending nights at service stations, so there is a need for a well-coordinated system involving the police to ensure order,” he said.

Human rights activist Michael Kaiyatsa said the latest incident raised serious questions about whether Osman has changed his ways since his earlier apology.

Not everyone is against him, however. One motorist who was at the station before Osman arrived said there were at least seven queues, only two of them legitimate, and that she would not have got any fuel without the mayor’s intervention.

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