Lilongwe City workers in hot water

It began with a viral video, a distraught restaurant owner at Gateway Mall pleading for help after Lilongwe City Council workers allegedly stormed her business and seized food worth K200,000.

What looked like routine enforcement has now spiraled into a scandal, with Deputy Minister of Homeland Security Norman Chisale demanding the accused employees march themselves to the police.

The directive follows a video circulating on social media in which the woman is seen explaining her situation and appealing for help after council workers allegedly confiscated her food.

According to the woman, she operates a restaurant at Gateway Mall in Lilongwe and pays taxes while following procedures required by the city council.

She says she was surprised when council workers arrived at her business and took away food she had prepared, claiming she had spent about K200,000 on the food.

Chisale says the council employees confiscated the woman’s property without following proper procedures.

He says the incident has contributed to the decision by the council not to renew the employees’ contracts when they expire next month.

According to Chisale, the employees were recruited by Lilongwe City Council without following proper procedures, and he claims that many of them are young people affiliated with the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).