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MCP supporters fight again
By
Gedion Munthali - 13-08-2002 |
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...as strike freezes High Court
Violent clashes between armed followers of MCP president Gwanda Chakuamba and his deputy John Tembo yesterday triggered theatrical and ugly scenes outside the High Court in Blantyre.
The clashes were aggravated by a strike of judicial support staff, bringing business at the court to a halt.
Police arrested one Chakuamba loyalist, identified as Kudonto, when he was found with an axe hidden in his shirt during a scuffle which ran for over two hours in the area around the Polytechnic, Shire Bus Lines headquarters, Chichiri Trade Fair Grounds and the Court. Police confiscated the axe before whisking him into their van.
Chakuamba and Tembo did not go to court on advice from their lawyers, Bazuka Mhango and Kalekeni Kaphale respectively.
Over 20 armed police officers, who had formed a cordon around the court, keeping the hostile supporters away, were forced to fire teargas when the followers lost their cool and descended on each other with tree branches, panga knives and stones some of them unleashed from catapults.
Police’s handy reaction this time around contrasted sharply to their sluggish response last week to similar incidents when they just watched unconcerned as the rival supporters fought.
The ensuing commotion from people scampering in all directions after bitter teargas smoke stung them was so dramatic that onlookers were thrown into laughter.
Such was a whirl of events that three minibuses on the Chipembere Highway were caught in the violence and had their glasses smashed while dropping passengers at the Trade Fair Grounds stage.
Forced to flee as far as Chichiri Upper Stadium, the supporters slugged it out again but were separated by a sudden burst of teargas, forcing some of them to jump into a waiting lorry and speed away. That done, the police had another task—to control the striking workers.
After meetings on Friday and yesterday morning with High Court Registrar failed, the workers vowed to close shop and prevent any case from taking place at the court until the Treasury approves their new conditions of service already revised by the Judiciary.
Potani said in an interview that an Act of Parliament was passed in December 2000 empowering the Judiciary to revise conditions of service for its support staff with the approval of the minister of finance.
“We (in the Judiciary) revised the conditions of service and submitted the proposals to the Ministry of Finance last year, but until now there is no response. This is why they have taken this action,” said Potani.
After the abortive morning meeting the irate workers just gathered on the court’s grounds watching the unfolding MCP drama. They, however, went on rampage when they heard their colleague, a Mr. Selemani, a court interpreter and reporter, was preparing one of the courts for the contempt of court case against Tembo.
Chakuamba is asking the court to commit Tembo, MCP secretary general Kate Kainja, Central Region chair Betson Majoni and deputy administrative secretary Potiphar Chidaya to prison for disobeying a court order preventing them from holding a party convention on June 22 and 23 in Lilongwe.
Suddenly there was a commotion as the workers rushed in the court corridors, banging doors and chanting obscene slogans and poured in the court in a furore before breaking into indecent songs.
Lawyers Bazuka Mhango and Kalekeni Kaphale, who were waiting for presiding judge Chimasula Phiri left the court.
The case also failed to take place in another court secretly organised. The angry workers kept thumping on the doors of the court as they swore at Selemani, accusing him of betraying them. Journalist Kenneth Ndanga of the Sun newspaper picked a bitter quarrel with the workers when he tried to reason with them.
Justice Chimasula Phiri was forced to adjourn the case to Thursday next week as the striking workers were planning to go behind his chambers and chant outside the window to disturb the proceedings.
On the striking workers, Potani said they had been asked to report for duties today where upon they would be required to register their names. He did not indicate what would happen to those who do not register their names.
He said that the strike will not affect court business much because the whole judiciary is on an annual recess until end September during which time the courts only handle a few cases.
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