Mzuzu CEO says guard had ‘no blessing’ to receive GBV petition, apologizes

Mzuzu City Council (MCC) chief executive officer (CEO), McCloud Kadam’manja, has apologized to marchers who protested gender-based violence (GBV) by assigning a security guard to receive their petition.

Hundreds of Malawians held protests in the cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Blantyre to protest the stripping off of a woman in Blantyre, who, they reportedly said dressed “wrongly.”

On Saturday, Kadam’manja assigned Golden Nyasulu, a security guard and a direct employee of the council, to receive the petition from the GBV protesters.

The development angered the protesters, including human rights activist, Charles Kajoloweka, who described it as “utterly reprehensible” and demanded an apology.

And in a press briefing on Monday, Kadam’manja said the council did not give the organizers a go ahead hence the development.

According to him, the security guard received the petition without their blessing.

“I or any other officials did not assign the security guard. He was there to do his work and after seeing the group coming to present the petition he decided to receive it as he was the only person during the material day,” said Kadam’manja.

Kadam’manja who is said to be a  Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) sympathiser did not say whether the security guard’s action was acceptable to the council.

“Had it been that the notification letter reached us at an appropriate time, I or any official would have assigned someone senior enough to receive the petition. I therefore apologize to the organizers. This will not happen again,” he added.

But the security guard, Nyasulu, told the protesters that he had a blessing from his bosses.

According to Nyasulu, his bosses were “with other equally important assignments.”

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