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UDF executive member Dumbo Lemani has been mentioned in court as the one who ordered the party’s Young Democrats (YDs) to beat up two fellow YDs accused of supporting President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Records sourced from Limbe Second Grade Magistrate Court indicated that the two victims testified on Monday that it was Lemani who ordered some YDs to beat them up because they were seen carrying Mutharika’s portrait during the opening of Livingstone Towers in Blantyre the previous day.
The two were beaten at the gates of Bakili Muluzi’s BCA Hill residence two weeks ago when they went to see the former president off to Mangochi where he had a rally a day after Bingu’s function..
“Mr Dumbo Lemani came and asked if there were any children for Mr Muwata, I admitted that we were present. He asked me why we carried a poster for the president, Dr Bingu [wa Mutharika]. [Lemani] further said Muluzi was looking bright but his complexion is being darkened because Bingu is arresting people,” Elias Muwata, one of the victims, told the court.
He said then Lemani ordered them to leave the place before he told some YDs to beat him up.
In the fracas that followed Lemani’s order, Muwata told the court that he lost his shoes, sunglasses and a jacket which contained some cash.
In his testimony, another victim Foster Mphera told the court that when Muluzi went out of the gate he did not leave any money as is normally the case and his assailants told him that the UDF chair did not give them any money because some of the YDs present at BCA also went to attend Mutharika’s meeting.
“We were assaulted right at the gate of BCA Hill residence,” said Mphera.
Two of the YDs, Samson Kaliboliboli and Chipiliro Kanyoza, are appearing before the Limbe Magistrate Court for beating and assaulting the two and are yet to give in their defence.
On Wednesday, Second Grade Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira again adjourned the case to this morning after the accused failed to bring their witnesses as promised during the Monday sitting.
The two are still in custody waiting for bail as Mkwapatira said granting bail to them will depend on what he will get from their testimony and that of their witnesses.
Kaliboliboli and Kanyoza were arrested last Friday and police on Monday arrested two others — Mustafa Salanje and Joseph Sitolo — who again assaulted Muwata on Sunday for the same accusations.
After the incident, Lemani denied his involvement in the incident and said he did not know Muwata.
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