The Africa Global Village

BLANTYRE, Malawi -- The lawyer for an outspoken opponent of Malawi's president says his client has been moved from jail to a hospital, where he is being treated under police guard for a heart ailment.

JOINT STATEMENT BY THE OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA (OSISA) AND THE SOUTHERN AFRICA LITIGATION CENTRE (SALC)

Johannesburg: The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) condemn this week’s persecution of Malawi’s former Attorney-General, Ralph Kasambara, and express alarm at the country’s continuing slide away from established principles of democracy and rule of law.

According to the Maravipost Online newspaper, “The rearrest of Ralph Kasambara indicates the Malawian authorities are willing blatantly to flout the law when it comes to dissenting voices,” said Noel Kututwa, Amnesty International’s Deputy Program Director for Africa. “Such disregard for the judicial process is an alarming sign for the human rights of perceived critics of the government in Malawi, suggesting that the authorities are willing to stop at nothing to silence their critics.”

Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Malawi have made an apology through the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter for chasing away state-run broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) journalists from covering their press conference on Tuesday.

Prominent lawyer and activist Ralph Kasambara came out of Chichiri Prison walls on Wednesday February 15, 2012, after spending two nights in the hands of law enforcement and correctional authorities. He was nabbed by armed police on Monday after he reported some thugs who wanted to torch his house and office to police. There is no clear charge, but police said they were searching for weapons and other items from his house and office.

As reported in the Irishtimes, The Family of Rudo Mawere, a Dublin-based Malawian student who was murdered late last month, laid their daughter to rest yesterday.Scores of people including relatives and friends turned out at Chileka International Airport in the south of the country for the arrival of Ms Mawere’s body on Saturday.

According to rankings by The eastern African Magazine President Zuma had a "B" Grade. based on the analysis below.
Personal history:

A shrewd political operator, and sterling intelligence officer for the Africa NationalCongress during the struggle, Zuma has had no formal schooling. He became involved in politics at an early age and has served a 10-year-jail sentence for “conspiring to overthrow the apartheid government.” In 2005, he was relieved of his duties as deputy president by Thabo Mbeki, in the wake of corruption allegations. Was elected president of the African National Congress in 2007 after the ouster of Mbeki, and went on to win the 2009 presidential elections.

Media practitioners based in the capital city, Lilongwe, were humbled at the Area 30 Malawi Police headquarters when they accepted a challenge to a mutual showdown. The scribes succumbed to a humiliating soccer loss of 4 to 1, tethered by sightings of newly acquired armored vehicles and fears of the 'blue and whites' driving around.