As Malawi prepares for the September 16 general elections, the recent developments surrounding demonstrations organized by Alfred Gangata, Vice President for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the Central Region, are raising serious alarms.
In a move that contradicts the very essence of democratic protest, Gangata and his DPP allies have written to the District Commissioner in Lilongwe notifying their intention to hold demonstrations on July 4.
While Gangata claims these demonstrations will be peaceful, the messages, planning, and context suggest a sinister motive: provoking unrest, undermining public order, and forcing the hand of government security agencies in a calculated strategy to regain political relevance.
The content being shared on social media platforms, including WhatsApp and Facebook, by Gangata himself and DPP sympathizers tells a far different story. There is talk of retaliation, vengeance, and deliberate confrontation with the Malawi Police Service (MPS) and Malawi Defence Force (MDF).
These messages, laced with violent rhetoric and inflammatory undertones, make it abundantly clear that the so-called peaceful demonstrations are a smokescreen for a deeper agenda: creating anarchy.
This is not civil expression; it is political warfare disguised as public protest. This strategy not only aims to provoke the security agencies but also to bait Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters into street battles.
The warning signs are evident. This is not how democracies operate. Demonstrations, when genuine, are aimed at highlighting injustice, demanding accountability, and expressing grievances. What the DPP is engineering is a trap to turn the streets into battlegrounds. In doing so, they hope to depict a failing state and justify international condemnation of the current government.
But who stands to lose when violence breaks out? Ordinary Malawians. Vendors, schoolchildren, small business owners, and the elderly. It is not Gangata or the DPP elite who will suffer. It is the average citizen who will bear the brunt of stone-throwing mobs, burnt market stalls, and a security crackdown.
Perhaps the most disheartening element of this political gamble is its timing.
The demonstrations are scheduled during the ongoing Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations, particularly affecting Form 2 students. These students, many from already disadvantaged backgrounds, are now being threatened with the possibility of disruption at a crucial point in their academic journey.
Parents and community leaders across Lilongwe, from Area 36 to Mchesi and Kawale, are warning that they will not stand by and watch DPP operatives sabotage their children’s future.
It is shameful and morally bankrupt to politicize education, to risk the futures of children for votes, and to instigate violence knowing full well the psychological impact it has on learners.
To understand the DPP’s recent antics, one must look back. In 2019, the party presided over one of Malawi’s most discredited elections, mired in allegations of rigging and the infamous “Tip-ex” scandal. The Constitutional Court later nullified the election, a historic judgment that restored faith in Malawi’s democracy.
Fast forward to 2025. The DPP, led by the ailing Arthur Peter Mutharika, finds itself in disarray. With fractured internal alliances, an unfit presidential candidate, and little to show for their previous tenure in power, the party is desperate.
The strategy? Create chaos. Paint the country as ungovernable. Discredit the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC). And when the people are tired of the instability, pose as the only solution.
It is a textbook play from the authoritarian guidebook. Manufacture a crisis, blame the government, and return to power through fear and fatigue. The tragedy is that some citizens, unaware of this game plan, are caught in the middle.
Gangata, once respected for his contributions to sports, is now the face of instability in Lilongwe. The same man who claims to stand for constitutional rights is orchestrating events that threaten national unity. This duality must be questioned.
Why is Gangata not mobilizing peaceful forums for electoral reform if that is truly the agenda? Why has he not taken MEC to court? Why are there no policy papers, no petitions, no formal grievances filed with Parliament? Instead, we see a man who chooses chaos over clarity, destruction over dialogue.
The Malawi Police Service and the MDF have a constitutional obligation to protect life and property. However, their role must also be proactive. Allowing a known provocateur like Gangata to lead emotionally-charged masses during secondary school examination period is not only irresponsible but dangerous.
The government must act swiftly to avert what could be a repeat of July 20, 2011, when 20 Malawians lost their lives during violent anti-government protests.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has already called for restraint and instructed security agencies to ensure calm. But more must be done. Preemptive arrests, tighter regulations around protest authorizations, and community engagement can help avoid an escalation.
Malawians have seen this movie before. In 2011, protests turned into a bloodbath. In 2020, protests led to regime change. But this time, the stakes are different. The people are more aware. The voters are more discerning. The youth are connected, informed, and tired of political manipulation.
This is not about Gangata. This is not even about the DPP. This is about Malawi. A nation trying to heal, trying to grow, and trying to rise above its bloody political past. We cannot allow one man, one party, or one selfish agenda to derail the dreams of millions.
In a democracy, demonstrations are a right, but rights come with responsibilities. What Alfred Gangata and the DPP are planning is not responsible. It is reckless, dangerous, and unpatriotic. It is a betrayal of the very constitution they claim to defend.
Let us call it what it is: a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And let us all—citizens, parents, teachers, community leaders, and government officials—stand united in defense of peace, order, and progress.
Gangata must be stopped. The DPP must be held accountable. And the future of our children, symbolized by those quietly sitting for their exams while grown men play political games, must be protected at all costs.
If democracy must survive, it must be guarded from those who seek to use it to burn down the very house they wish to live in.
DPP Facebook page subtly admitting that the demonstrations are being sponsored by the party
