By Burnett Munthali
Minister Vitumbiko Mumba has taken to his official Facebook page to address allegations linking him to political violence during the recently disrupted primary election in Mzimba Central Constituency.
In a strongly worded post, Mumba denied sponsoring any thugs and instead accused his political rivals of orchestrating the entire disturbance for propaganda purposes.
“They said I sponsored thugs to disturb the staged Primary Election in Mzimba Central Constituency,” he wrote.
“Yet they are the ones who sponsored the thugs and violence,” he continued, pointing readers to photographic evidence circulating online and featured on The Nation Online page.
He referenced a widely circulated video involving a female councillor who recorded herself during the chaos, seemingly attempting to frame him.
In the clip, the councillor is heard saying in Tumbuka, “Vigabenga vya Mumba vyasuzga kuno” — which translates to “Mumba’s thugs have caused chaos here.”
However, Mumba questions the authenticity of the video, noting that shortly afterward, the same councillor can be heard instructing people not to throw stones yet, saying “time is not yet.”
“Watch that video closely,” Mumba urged. “Anyone running for his/her dear life can’t have time to do all those recordings in that manner.”
He went on to suggest that the councillor’s actions were rewarded with a seat on the Board of Directors at Blantyre Water Board, implying that the appointment was a payoff for her loyalty to her political masters.
“This is how they operate—rewarding deception and manipulation,” he stated.
Mumba drew parallels to another politically charged incident that took place during the Mzuzu Vendors’ demonstrations.
He recalled how a similar strategy was used: panga-wielding thugs were sent to infiltrate and incite chaos under the pretext of opposing him.
“But it backfired,” Mumba declared.
He said the Mzuzu Vendors saw through the plan and refused to be used.
The vendors later held a press conference in which they cleared Mumba’s name and exposed the high-ranking MCP officials behind the violent plot.
In closing, Mumba expressed confidence that truth would continue to prevail, ending his post with the powerful hashtag: #LightAlwaysConquersDarkness.
