Legal Aid to help boy shot by police

By Nyasa Times Reporter

The Legal Aid department in Mzuzu has offered to help litigate for free a boy ‘accidentally’ shot when members of the Malawi Police Service and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife were trying to kill an elephant that was terrorising people in Mzuzu last year.

A stray bullet shot 15 year old Salifya Simwanza at Mchengautuwa Township where the Police and Parks officials were trying to kill the elephant which was believed to have escaped from Vwaza Game Reserve had killed two people by that time.

Initially, the boy’s father, who is now a Security Guard, had approached the department and was charged MK6000 for it to commence litigation against the Police and Department of National Parks and Wildlife, but he failed to raise the cash.

But in a turn of events and promoted by revelations on Nyasa Times, the department’s regional officials went to the boy’s father in Mchengautuwa last week and picked the father to their offices where they offered to assist them litigate for free.

According to our source, the officials claimed it was a junior officer who charged MK6000 when their services are free.

The boy’s family had been trying to sue the Malawi Police Service and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife but the two state bodies are pushing the blame to each other as they try to dodge the issue of compensation.

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