By Vincent Gunde
Well-known investigative journalist Vitus-Gregory Gondwe has gone into hiding after military sources, the same ones who urged him to shed light on the corrupt happenings within the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) have advised him to do so.
Gondwe in the story “Chakwera still in bed with Zuneth Sattar, Treasury pays in advance US$4,983,400 to International Armored Group, a company linked to Sattar” has sparked mixed reactions among Malawians wishing their country well.
Concerned with the threats on Gondwe’s life, MISA Malawi engaged MDF Commander General Paul Velentino Phiri and the Attorney General Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda on the safety of Gondwe and has received an assurance that there are no such plans to arrest Gondwe.
But, the assurance has casted doubts among journalists and media houses that it is not in good faith observing that some military sources advised Gondwe to go into hiding while senior officers are the ones feeling pain in their hearts and are hunting for him.
MISA Malawi in its statement said if the MDF or any other concerned parties have an issue with the media, they should use proper channels to raise such issues claiming that military interrogations and threats are not among those channels.
“We are reminding government bodies and all citizens that threats on journalists are retrogressive and a threat to democracy,” reads part of MISA’s statement.
12 Civil Society Organizations on governance under the banner National Advocacy Platform {NAP} in its statement vehemently condemned the clandestine actions of the government with Sattar as raising concerns about government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
NAP said the transfer of military assets under dubious circumstances poses a serious threat to the country’s stability calling on the government to swiftly move on to the perpetrators regardless of their positions to face immediate legal consequencies to demonstrate that betraying public trust will not go unpunished.
“Failure to do so, will deepen mistrust among citizens and undermine the very foundations of the country’s democracy,” reads NAP’s statement in part.
Writing on the wall, social media analyst Onjezani Kenani, has urged all the concerned authorities not to hide through “security” with the agenda of stealing from Malawians and Musician Fredokiss says if something happen to Vitus- Gregory Gondwe, they will all be watching because one Indian has corrupted all the biggies in Malawi.
“Should we all fail to speak on this issue, this is nonsense, No one will kill him (Gondwe), think before planning evil against other people’s loved ones,” That’s Fredokiss hand-writing.
