Margaret Twalibu, who survived an attack by notorious assailant Jack Bandawe, popularly known as Nachipanti, says she cannot forgive him, 17 years after he killed two members of her family and left her with life-changing injuries.
Twalibu says the attack, which happened in October 2009 in Ndirande Township, Blantyre, continues to affect her health and daily life, with persistent headaches and impaired eyesight among the challenges she faces.
She was 16 when Bandawe attacked her family, killing 18-year-old Shira Twalibu and her four-year-old nephew, Lakazi Mpasa.
Margaret also sustained serious head injuries but survived. However, the injuries affected her eyesight and disrupted her education, despite her efforts to return to school.
“After the attack, my eyes were affected and I could no longer see properly. I tried to go back to school, but I failed all my subjects because of my eyesight,” she said.
She recently recounted her experience during a programme on a Malawian television station, where she reflected on the ordeal and its lasting effects.
Her brother, Yusuf Twalibu, said the family has never fully recovered from the tragedy, adding that they still question how the case was handled.
Yusuf alleged that Bandawe was acting on instructions from other individuals who were never held accountable, arguing that the family has not received justice.
“Up to now, I still do not understand how the case ended. Some of those mentioned in connection with the case started answering charges, but suddenly they were released. Bandawe was made a scapegoat, while the main perpetrators were never arrested,” he said.
Following the attack on the Twalibu family, Bandawe was reportedly apprehended by Ndirande resident Innocent Matewere, who encountered him outside the house where the killings and injuries had occurred.
Matewere struck Bandawe on the knee with a stone, helping to subdue him before he was handed over to the police.
Bandawe was subsequently convicted of murdering Shira and Lakazi during attacks in Ndirande on October 6 and 7, 2009. He was also convicted of attempting to murder Margaret.
On November 18, 2010, the High Court sentenced him to death. He had earlier received a 14-year prison sentence for grievously assaulting Nelia Stima in 2008.
Bandawe became notorious for breaking into homes at night and attacking victims using sharp objects, including knives and pangas. He reportedly targeted households where men were absent, often leaving women and children dead or seriously injured.
He reportedly confessed to authorities that he sucked the blood of people he attacked, claiming he had been hired by unnamed individuals and paid K80,000 to collect human blood.
His reported confession led to the arrest of several people suspected of being connected to a wider blood-sucking network. Those arrested included Towera Chisa Msambara, her son Kelvin Chisa, Alinuswe Munde and Noel Numero.
However, on August 24, 2012, the Blantyre Magistrates Court acquitted Towera, Kelvin and Numero on six charges, ruling that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence linking them to the crimes.
