4 Arrested, 15 sustains injuries as riots flare in Blantyre as township residents suspect Asians of satanism

On Wednesday July 15th 2009, in the high-density Bangwe Township in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre, angry populace ran riot over suspicions that some Malawians of Asian origin were practising satanism that results in frequent deadly road accidents in the area.

One of the residents in the area, told reporters that a woman saw a coloured man who works for Siku Transport, one of the southern African country’s major trucking company owned by Malawians of asian origin – parking his car near a stream and start off-loading dead chickens.

”This is not the first time this guy has been coming to the stream to offload dead chicken,” he said. “Every time he does that a fatal accident follows a few days later at the very spot.”

He further said recently a truck carrying bags of cement had brake failure and the driver lost control of the vehicle which crashed into three women, killing them all on the spot. “This was just a day after this man was seen offloading dead chicken in the stream,” he said.

Another eye-witness, Grace Msonthi – also a resident of the area, corroborated her friend’s story, saying she personally knew one of the dead woman, a Mrs. Bodza.

”We suspect satanism is involved that’s why we planned to deal with him whenever we spot him again,” he said. “We believe his Asian employers send him to do this satanic ritual.”

The unsuspecting man was about to start offloading his fowl load when the angry residents quickly mobilised themselves following the tip from the woman who saw him and pounced on him.

”He was kicked everywhere; he was lucky that police came quickly to rescue him,” said another eye-witness.

Limbe Police Post spokesperson Chifundo Chibwezo confirmed the arrest of the coloured man whom she identified as James Mdogo, a driver for Siku Transport.

”We are investigating the incident; we are yet to charge him with anything but we are keeping him here first for his own safety and secondly for him to help us investigating this incident,” she told AP.

Chibwezo said several police officers were wounded, three of them seriously and had to be rushed to the city’s main referal hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Central.

Unconfirmed reports say one woman was shot in the buttocks but Chibwezo could neither confirm or deny this.

“I don’t have such a report,” he said.
He, however, confirmed that teargas canisters were lobbed into the rioting crowd to bring order.

Several people have been arrested following the rioting which lasted till evening hours. Police were seen patrolling the area to check further occurances of violence.

The angry residents used anything from boulders, tree logs to broken-down vehicles to block the roads in the township. Several cars, including the once the police were using, were smashed.

“Some of our cars lost windscreens,” said Chibwezo who confirmed the saloon Mdogo was also smashed and set alight by the mob.

But Abdul Munaf Rashid, a spokesman of the Rashid family that owns Siku Transport, confirmed one of their drivers was involved in an “incident” but denied the satanic allegations against his family.

He, however, refused to say more, saying the family was still mourning the death of his brother,
Sajid – the company finance Director, who died suddenly last week.–AP

Some reports say that this seem to be Asians’ cultural beliefs that if their relative dies, they perform this a sacrifice. But it is too difficult for Malawians to believe this as this is their first time to them as their country does not perform this.

Police are still investigating the issue.