BLANTYRE--True to what police warned about more arrests coming in the Robert Chasowa murder case, two more suspects were on Thursday picked and locked up in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre in connections with the Malawi Polytechnic student’s murder.

Nicholas Gondwa, Southern Region Police Headquarterspublic relations officer, who said on Wednesday there were more arrests expected, confirmed the arrest of Frank Julius and Isaac Osman.

Chasowa was found dead on campus in September last year in bizarre circumstances, in what police were quick to describe as suicide.

Ten people have so far been arrested in connection with the murder after findings of the Chasowa Commission of Inquiry appointed by President Joyce Banda confirmed fears that there was something fishy about Chasowa’s death, which looked more like a political assassination than ordinary murder.

Just on Wednesday, police nabbed DPP Southern Region governor Noel Masangwi and five others—DPP Southern Region youth director Lewis Ngalande, police officer Stanford Horea, businessperson and boxing promoter Mike Chitenje and DPP operatives Stone Mwamande and Sam Chulu.

Kalekeni Kaphale, Masangwi’s attorney who is also representing three others, has applied for bail and the High Court will hear the bail application on Monday.

Meanwhile, hordes of chanting DPP supporters on Thursday gathered at Chilomoni Police Station, where Masangwi and others are being held, in a desperate bid to force the authorities to release Masangwi unconditionally to no avail.

Ngozi Harawa, who doubles up the party’s deputy regional governor and treasurer, described Masangwi’s arrest as political.

He said his boss is on record to have said Malawi was not ready for a female president and this now is “pay-back time” for President Joyce Banda and her ruling People’s Party to persecute political opponents.
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