People believed to be Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members assaulted Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Kafanikhale Mandevana on Monday night in Nsanje.
According to Mandevana who was speaking while at Nsanje police station after receiving treatment at Nsanje district hospital, he was attacked together with other MCP members between Mtolongo and Kachere area where they wanted to help their monitors who had a car breakdown on their way to Nsanje Central Constituency.
Mandevana said the people who attacked them came to greet them before the attack.
“Our monitors vehicle a coaster to be specific broke down at the said area. We went there with six vehicles to ferry them to boma since we knew that early in the morning they will be required to be in different polling centres, so some people were taken by other vehicles and when I and other people were arranging for a mechanic to come and check on their vehicle, four people came to greet us. The four are both DPP members from Tengani area.
“They came where we were and greeted us. They then left but later came back with a group of people carrying panga knives, stones and steel bars. They surrounded us and commanded us not to leave that place, before we knew it the group attacked us. I was beaten with a steel bar and a big stone, we managed to run to my vehicle which they smashed, we left that place by the grace of God and reported the matter to police,” said Mandevana.
Nsanje police station officer in-charge Seleman Mtambo refused to comment saying investigations are under way.
There is stiff competition between DPP candidate Francis Kasaila and Mandevana.
Nsanje central and north constituencies are having by-elections after court ruling that there were some irregularities in the 2019 elections.
