By Jimmy Chazama:
Police in Lilongwe Tuesday arrested 15 people for allegedly inciting riots during a strike by Malawians who work in shops owned by foreign nationals.
Lilongwe Police Station spokesperson Hastings Chigalu said the arrested individuals were not workers but took advantage of the situation to allegedly break the law by staging an illegal protest in Area 2, Lilongwe.
“We dispersed a number of people after noticing that some had intentions to steal from others, block roads and commit other unlawful acts.
“We, as police, will not tolerate illegal protests as they are against the law,” Chigalu said.
Tuesday afternoon, some workers were sent back from Parliament Building, where they wanted to submit a petition demanding higher wages from their employers.
Chairperson for the workers, Jafali Abdul, said police officers told them that they could not hand over the letter because they had not followed procedures.
“It is unfortunate that we have been turned back. We are confident that our grievances will be heard and addressed in due course,” Abdul said.
Abdul said some of them were getting K70,000 as monthly salary.
Due to the protest, many shops in the city were closed while some workers were playing bawo games.
This development comes after vendors who sell second-hand clothes at Tsoka Market in Lilongwe recently took to the streets to protest against rising prices.
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