BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Two police officers, who were arrested weeks ago for allegedly killing three fishermen and injuring another two, have been discharged.
The two officers, namely Steven Pahuwa and Jack Lusewa, were arrested following a February 13 fracas when the patrol team from Kachulu Police Unit was trying to confiscate fishing gear from fishermen who were defying a fishing ban on Lake Chilwa.
In his ruling, Senior Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe noted that evidence from six state witnesses indicated that the act was done in self-defence from rioting fishermen.
He said Section 30 of the Police Act warrants an officer to use a gun in the event that the officers are under attack.
He also highlighted that the police did not bring substantial evidence on the case.
The two, who were being remanded at Zomba Central Prison, have since been released.
Maneno Chimulala
I am a journalist, educator, and activist with passion for telling stories about social justice, sports and political issues. I graduated from Mzuzu University.
I started my career at the Maravi Post online publication in 2012 as an intern while in college.
Upon graduating from Mzuzu University I was offered a job as Sports Reporter because of my background as a goalkeeper and rose to the position of sub editor.
I also had a short stint with Nyasatimes, Malawi Punch and Malawi Digest. Over the past seven years, I have worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Malawi on human rights, girl child education and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in education, I also volunteer as male champion for girls’ education under Girls Empowerment Networks (GENET) in Malawi’s South West Education Division (SWED).
