PP supporters fight over JB’s money
People’s Party supporters at Kamphantenga Police Road Block in Salima on Tuesday fought over cash handouts by President Joyce Banda leading to one of them sustaining injuries following disagreements over how to share the money .
President Banda was on her way from Mzuzu to Zomba on Tuesday when she made a stop over near the road block and decided to dish out the money.
According to the eyewitnesses she gave almost K50,000 each to a group of PP youth morale and some party women but ugly scenes followed when the President left, Salima Police spokesperson Gift Chitowe confirmed the fight.
Chitowe told Nyasa Times that the PP supporters exchanged blows in a scuffle that arose after some of them refused to share the cash.
He said police have since launched a man-hunt to arrest one of the main cuplit in the fight who is also suspected to be the one who injured his colleague and bolted with part of the cash.
“Two women and one man indeed came here. The man is the one who has been injured and we have given them a report to take to the hospital while our officers have been sent to arrest the suspect,” said Chitowe.
Chitowe said the suspect has been identified as Dyson Kadzakumanja.
Some of those who took the money slid the notes in their underpants and started running away.
One of the youth morale members Ishu Saizi, who said she is the one who got the money directly from the President explained said after counting the money which came to almost K48,500 they started sharing before the fight started.
“We were about 23 of us and we were giving out K1,000 to each one of us. This was when Kadzakumanja started insulting both us and the president and then he started beating two of our colleagues before he grabbed the money and fled,” said Saizi.
The injured man who was identified as 32-year-old Ralphael Alfoso from Sinjani village, Traditional Authority Kalonga had a swollen eye and a bruised shoulder while the other victim was identified as Agness Chamwalira but she did not sustain serious injuries.
Alfoso is the chairperson of youth morale members in the district while Chamwalira is his deputy.
There was drama at the road block soon after the incident as the victims with other sympathisers pleaded with passing police officers to assist them persue their assailants only to be told off and report the matter to Salima Police as the officers said there was nothing they could do since they do not work in the area.
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