Malawi police spray teargas as vendors in Limbe-Blantyre vow to disregard lockdown
Malawi Police have been forced to spray teargas as they clashed with vendors in Limbe – Blantyre, who were staging protests against a three-weeks coronavirus lockdown which comes into effect at the weekend, vowing to disregard it.
The informal traders were burning tyres and blocked the road in protest over the lockdown scheduled to start on Saturday midnight .
President Peter Mutharika announced a 21-day lockdown up to May 9 2020 to contain the spread of the coronavirus which has claimed two lives and 16 patients.
But the informal traders said they would not adhere to the directive.
This comes following government’s failure to announce any measures to cushion the poor during the lockdown.
Apart from vendors, many Malawians have taken to social media platforms expressing fears on the lockdown and how it will negatively affect their livelihood.
Special Cabinet Committe on Coronavirus have been giving conflicting information on some issues, including measures to contain the pandemic.
But ist chairperson, Minister of Health Jappie Mhango said tha Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development will this Friday announce measures to cushion the poor during the lockdown.
Criticis say it it was a genuine offer, it could have been included in President Mutharika’s announcement of lockdown.
The protests in Limbe-Blantyre comes a day after thousands of vendors in the northern town of Mzuzu also marched to the city council’s offices protesting the shutdown.
They brandished banners with slogans such as “Lockdown more poisonous than corona” and “We’d rather die of corona than of hunger”.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries on the continent where more than half of the population live below the poverty threshold.
kiteloko mwapasa ku mtimba mbee kuti kunali ma teargas,zatheka basi.mxiii
Muntharika as a presi has no power according to the Law to implement a Lock down .
(1) Now Muntharika need the same Parliament he undermine shortly to come up with a Law that can give him powers to implement Lock down.
(2) Muntharika need the same Court which DPP undermine to help them cling on power through postponement of Fresh Election .
In Chichewa there is a saying” ukakhala pasana wa Njobvu usamati kunjaku kulibe Mame.
Government through its corvid committee should openly show us the people who are sick. Without that malawians will not believe. Meanwhile there is no hospital keeping a corvid patients. People are tired of being fooled whilst others are plundering money . Come in the open. The British prime minister came in the open . Prince Charles openly said he hard coronavirus. Why not malawians?????
@ Kalulu wadwala.
This is what we many people we have been ask for, this is brilliant comment I have come across here, there is no stigma in this pandemic, telling us who are those sick people, it will help us to know where exactly we are.
These thieves are taking a lot of money for coming campaign baba. All of these positive things sounds like staged. If we are wrong, let them prove us by bringing it open.
A chaotic copy and paste national lockdown cannot be a substitute for increased testing and contact tracing…use the COVID 19 billions to buy more testing kits and promote hygiene and social distancing
Good move by police, ambiriwa ndi wokuba akudziwa kuti kokuba kusowa
koma anthuo akatembenika, eh khaya
Ife ku Lilongwe tili pheeeeee,takumenyalani political war heavy,now its your turn Mzuzu and Blantyre to fight as we watch
Hahahaha you can say that again.
I like this!
The authorities should just lock-down the borders and not streets. All those that have tested positive of the Corona virus came through our airports. This means that we importing this deadly virus. Lock-down isn’t a solution to the fight against the pandemic. Open your eyes and see. We missed it at the very beginning when other neighbouring countries were hit by the virus. As a government. we were supposed to take precautionary measure i.e make a directive that all travelers from abroad be taken to designated isolation centres and have them quarantined for 14 days. They were supposed to reunite… Read more »
angazasowe matulukidwe
I do recall Mama JB mentioned that Malawi is not ready to fight this disease coronavirus.
The Tippex government amanvokhala Pbeeeeer
Lockdown could easily finish off APM fragile government. I smell ICC in Hague for APM. Looting has already started in RSA. The Malawi Judiciary can easily hand over APM to Hague since ICC can charge a seating president for human rights abuses.