LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Eric Phakamisa, a renowned known Malawi Congress Party (MCP) cadre allegedly linked to violent incidents involving panga-wielding groups, has reportedly fled his home in Area 36.
This development follows President Lazarus Chakwera’s acceptance of defeat in the September 16 presidential election.
Witnesses in the area said Phakamisa left in haste with his family soon after news broke that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, had been declared winner.
According to neighbors, the family was seen loading belongings into a vehicle late in the evening before driving away without informing anyone of their destination.
Residents speculate that the move may have been motivated by fears of retaliation or arrest, given his alleged role in orchestrating intimidation against opposition supporters during the campaign period.
Phakamisa’s departure has sparked mixed reactions in Area 36, with some community members expressing relief, while others called for justice to ensure accountability for past acts of political violence.
Local leaders have appealed for calm, urging residents to allow authorities to handle such matters through lawful channels rather than through acts of vengeance.
The incident highlights the tense atmosphere in some neighborhoods as Malawi transitions from a bitterly contested election to a new political administration.
For many, Phakamisa’s flight symbolizes the collapse of a culture of impunity that had allowed political thuggery to thrive in the shadows of mainstream politics.
MCP’s history of youth violence has long been a source of controversy, with critics pointing to the re-emergence of “cadets” who were often accused of intimidation, harassment, and sometimes physical assaults during political campaigns.
Reports from past election cycles, including the 2019 and 2020 contests, detailed incidents where groups of young party loyalists wielded pangas and other weapons to disrupt opposition rallies or silence dissenting voices.
Civil society organizations repeatedly condemned such acts, warning that they undermined democratic values and instilled fear in ordinary citizens during election periods.
Although MCP leadership often distanced itself from the violence, allegations persisted that certain party figures tolerated or indirectly encouraged the actions as a means of consolidating power.
Observers note that the 2025 campaign once again saw flashes of such intimidation, with opposition supporters reporting threats, assaults, and restrictions on their freedom of assembly in some strongholds.
The abrupt disappearance of figures like Phakamisa has therefore become symbolic of the accountability questions now facing the party in the aftermath of its electoral defeat.
Analysts argue that dismantling the culture of political violence in Malawi will require deliberate reforms, strong law enforcement, and a public rejection of impunity for party militias across the political spectrum.
To fully understand the persistence of MCP-linked youth violence, many historians trace its roots back to the party’s one-party era under Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
During Banda’s rule, the Malawi Youth League and later the Malawi Young Pioneers operated as powerful instruments of political control.
The Youth League, notorious for its militant tactics, was used to enforce loyalty to Banda, intimidate dissenters, and monitor communities for signs of opposition.
The Young Pioneers, a paramilitary-style wing, went further by receiving military training and operating as both a security force and an enforcer of party ideology.
Both groups were deeply feared, as they were often associated with arbitrary arrests, beatings, and harassment of those who resisted Banda’s iron grip.
Several past victims recount their experiences: Jane Chirwa, now a retired teacher, recalls being publicly beaten at age 19 for speaking out against party policies in her village.
“I still remember the fear,” Chirwa said. “The Young Pioneers came at night, dragged us from our homes, and punished anyone who questioned the party. You never knew who would come for you next.”
Another victim, musician and activist Thoko Banda, described being jailed for weeks as a teenager after criticizing the Youth League during a school debate.
“They wanted to silence us,” Banda said. “Even speaking your mind was dangerous. The threat of violence was always there.”
Although the multiparty era that began in 1994 dismantled the formal structures of these groups, critics argue that the culture of coercion and political intimidation never fully disappeared.
Instead, it has periodically resurfaced under different guises, with modern MCP youth wings accused of echoing the same tactics once employed by the Youth League and Young Pioneers.
The parallels between the one-party era and present-day acts of political violence illustrate how deep-rooted traditions of authoritarian control continue to shape Malawi’s political landscape.
As the DPP prepares to take over government, many Malawians are watching closely to see whether the new administration will decisively break with this legacy and commit to ending the cycle of youth-driven political thuggery once and for all.
