Dowa DC concerned over bloodsucking rumours

Dowa District Commissioner Fannie Msimuko has appealed to all leaders in the district to work around the clock sensitising the communities about bloodsucking rumours to allow public officers work freely in their areas.

Msimuko made the appeal during a full council meeting held at the boma in reaction to a bloodsucking rumour involving Primary Education Advisor (PEA) of Mere zone in the area of Traditional Authority Chiwere.

Learners mistakenly identified the PEA as a blood sucker when he went to a school for supervision purposes on a motorcycle.

Msimuko asked the people of the district not to create false stories of blood suckers which may cause people to panic and lead to destruction of property.

Dowa Acting District Education Manager (DEM) Josephy Chafukira said his office received information that learners at Kalewa and Mtengowopota primary schools in the district were shouting on top of their voices claiming that a blood sucker had arrived at the school’s to suck their blood.

“This disturbed learning disturbed at the schools as all learners had to flee for their lives leaving behind their teachers,” Chafukira said.

He said after the news of blood suckers broke out, people went to the schools with their weapons in their hands to deal with the person only to find that he was a PEA.

The DEM thanked Traditional Authority Chiwere for taking a bigger role of sensitising his subjects in putting across the message that Dowa is free from the bloodsucking rumours and this made the learners go back to school.

Senior Chief Kayembe expressed fear that if the Primary Education Advisors (PEAs) are being targeted as blood suckers next will be the chiefs of the district who are not familiar with the learners as they do visit the school whenever there’s a function.

Dowa South East legislator Harry Njoka Chipeni described the sad news as tarnishing the good image of the Dowa people.

“I am appealing to those who are good at creating false stories which can make people to live in fear to stop forthwith, to make teaching and learning effective and efficiency in the mind of learners of the district,” Njoka said.

Meanwhile, the police are on record to have cautioned members of the general public to refrain from inciting violence in relation to the bloodsucking rumours saying that anyone found perpetrating this will be dealt with accordingly as per the laws of Malawi.