Minister of Trade and Industry Vitumbiko Mumba has hit back at allegations that he sponsored violence during the troubled primary elections in Mzimba Central Constituency, accusing unnamed fellow Malawi Congress Party (MCP) officials of orchestrating the chaos themselves.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Mumba said he was being falsely accused of sponsoring thugs to disrupt the primaries. At the same time, video and photographic evidence circulating online allegedly shows that some of the perpetrators were aligned with his political rivals.
“They said I sponsored thugs to disturb the staged Primary Election in Mzimba Central Constituency, yet they are the ones who sponsored the thugs and violence,” wrote Mumba. “One misguided lady Councillor recording herself (vigabenga vya Mumba vyasuzga kuno later she instructs her people, don’t throw stones yet, time is not yet. Watch that video closely, anyone running for his/her dear life can’t have time to do all those recordings in that manner.”
Mumba went further to link the councillor’s alleged conduct to recent political rewards, hinting that her appointment to the board of Blantyre Water Board was a token for her loyalty to unnamed senior figures in the party.
He also drew parallels with previous incidents in Mzuzu, where vendors distanced themselves from political violence blamed on him. “They did the same when Mzuzu Vendors had demonstrations, but it backfired, Mzuzu Vendors realised that the panga-wielding thugs were hired by the very same MCP gurus,” he claimed.
The post has ignited intense debate online, with supporters and critics of Mumba trading accusations as tensions continue to rise ahead of the September 16 elections.
Mumba is challenging the results of the MCP primary elections in Mzimba Central Constituency, where he was declared to have received only five votes against Adamson Mkandawire’s 262.
