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BP Malawi and People’s Trading Centre (PTC), subsidiaries of Press Corporation Limited, on Sunday fell victim to political violence when angry residents in Blantyre and Nsanje districts looted their shops.
In Blantyre, Zingwangwa and Soche BP shops and Chitawira PTC Kwiksave were looted on Sunday while Nsanje PTC superette fell victim on Monday morning.
The looting happened soon after the Malawi Electoral Commission announced that the UDF/Aford/NCD presidential candidate Bingu Mutharika was the winner of the 2004 presidential election defeating four other opposition hopefuls.
While Mutharika was being declared winner, Gwanda Chakuamba who declared himself victor on Saturday, was expected to hold a rally at Njamba in Blantyre but police barred people from attending.
In response to the situation, some people demonstrated violently blocking roads and later went on to damage infrastructure in the city.
Naperi PTC shop was another target and it got damaged and goods were looted simultaneously.
Fred Gibson, BP Malawi’s national sales manager, said in an interview on Monday angry people from Chitawira, Zingwangwa and Nkolokosa townships looted the shops and later went on to damage fuel pumps.
He did not say how much has been lost both from the damaged pumps and the shops.
“They broke glasses, destroyed pumps and went on to loot everything in the shops,” explained Gibson.
In view of these incidents, Gibson said all BP shops in Blantyre will remain closed for a few days to assess the situation but shops at Kudya (Zingwangwa) and Soche will remain closed for some time until repair works are done, he said.
Gerry Buyskes, PTC Group General Manager, said the PTC Chitawira shop was closed when people stormed it.
“The shop was closed by 4 PM but they forced their way through and looted goods whose value has not been assessed yet,” he said.
Buyskes also said that the PTC Bangula shop front window glasses were stoned on Monday morning but police arrived in time to put the situation under control.
PTC Group has 170 supermarkets, 71 wholesalers and employs 2,000 people.
Scenes of violence also continued on Monday in Blantyre forcing most businesses to remain closed.
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