Wandale out on bail: Court gags ‘supreme leader’ with mental disorder ‘
The Zomba Magistrate Court has ordered the release of self-proclaimed ‘supreme leader’ of the so-called Peoples Land Organisation, Vincent Wandale, who is undergoing treatment at the Zomba Mental Hospital, pending his trial in a case in which he is charged with publication of false statements likely to cause fear and alarm to the public.
Wandale was taken to the hospital following a court order that he be treated for mental illness before he could be deemed fit to stand trial.
He has been claiming that he is the leader of the so-called independent country, United States of Mulanje and Thyolo (Must), and has mobilised some people in his quest to create the two districts as separate from Malawi.
In releasing him on bail, the court imposed conditions that Wandale should be reporting to the National Police Headquarters once every fortnight.
His lawyer Oscar Taulo said Wandale, who worked as chief land officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, has been ordered not to be making comments regarding his case.
“The court has also ordered that he should avail himself for trial when the dates are set,” said Taulo.
Wandale, who remains on the Malawi Government payroll as a civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development stationed at Lilongwe Agriculture Development Division (ADD, was arrested in October last year after President Peter Mutharika declared that he would come down on him like ‘a tonne of bricks’ after it was reported that he had launched and named the cabinet of his ‘government.’
He first came to the limelight after spearheading a movement for people’s land rights in Mulanje and Thyolo, predominantly tea-growing districts with huge tea plantations.
Wandale was previously arrested and tried for trespassing after threatening to grab land from estate owners to freely distribute to landless people in his capacity as leader of People’s Land Organisation (PLO).
So all that noise from the opposition supporting Wandale means the opposition itself needs to be hospitalized. Akuluakulu a zipani kupusitsidwa ndi munthu wamisala.
Paliso nkhani apa?
Masauwa Vincent Wandale looked jovial at the time. With the short stint at Zomba Mental Hospital, his outlook has changed compounded by the medication as well as the trial. Now that he is out on bail, it would be proper that physiologist and a psychologist should attend to him on regular basis so that he regains his health status. I once saw him physically in March 2014. He did look like one in the employ in the civil service but very concerned with the landless in his home district. In Zimbabwe, President Munangagwa is currently reviewing the manner in which… Read more »
Stupid Lomwe government. Akadakhala kuti Wandale ndiwa mtundu wina sakanamutulutsa pa bail. Koma popeza ndi mlomwe, amutulutsa. Honestly his case borders on treason and not Ma charges amene anatchulidwa aja ayi. This guy, whether mentally sick or not, deserves to be charged for treason…..kuwukira Boma. Period! Kukondera basi. Tionana May 2019.