As Malawians went to polls on Tuesday morning, the country’s police service stormed one of the private broadcasting houses, Joy Radio; Best of Malawi has the details.
According to officials at the radio station, the police arrived at the station at around 4:30am "investigating allegations that the radio was broadcasting campaign programme" after the official campaign period was closed by the Electoral Commission (EC).
In an interview with Best of Malawi, Lloyd Zawanda, Head of News at Joy Radio said, "The police came in this morning around 4:30 saying we were airing campaign programmes."
However, Zawanda admitted there was a software and hardware problem in the continuity studio computer which resulted in the airing of a programme known as ‘Chilungamo Chilikuti’, which the radio stopped airing last year.
"They [police] technicians together with our technical team are in the studios trying to establish what really happened with our machines."
Chilungamo Chilikuti, a programme produced by Aubrey Sumbuleta, Director of Information and Civic Education, was covering socio-economic issues and good governance among others but it was stopped after the EC, the civil society and other parties said it was de-campaigning and castigating President Bingu wa Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led government.
Zawanda further said, "Right now we are not having normal programmes because the police have ordered us to stop live programming. We are just playing music waiting for the outcome. They say after looking at the computers they will liaise with the EC and Macra on the way forward."
Meanwhile three on-duty Joy Radio employees were taken by the police for questioning. They include, Aubrey Nazombe, Mary Chande-Mhone and Abdurazak Mterera, presenters and a technician, respectively.
But Mterera was released as he was with the police looking at the machines as Best of Malawi visited Joy Radio premises, according to Zawanda.
When Best of Malawi wanted to talk to the police, they refused saying, "This is none of your business."
Joy Radio, a broadcasting house owned by former president Bakili Muluzi, who is also National Chairman for the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) which is in alliance with Mutharika’s main contender John Tembo of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP,) has faced closure for more than two times
