The High Court has blocked the government's attempt to halt a judicial review regarding the relocation of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) headquarters from Lilongwe to Blantyre, according to Ground News. High Court Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda dismissed an application by the State to lift a stay on the proceedings. This ruling prevents the government, represented by Attorney General Frank Mbeta, from immediately pushing to have the relocation case thrown out.
Update: The parliamentary inquiry into the Chikangawa plane crash that killed former Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima will resume next week, Nyasa Times reports. According to a media advisory issued on August 21 by committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda, the second phase of witness hearings will run from August 24 to September 11. The committee plans to question airport flight planners, weather experts, pilots, and local eyewitnesses near the crash site to establish the exact events of the fatal flight.
In Lilongwe, police arrested 42-year-old Boston Maxson Chamveka on August 21 in connection with a violent home invasion and sexual assault in Area 46. Lilongwe Police Station Deputy Public Relations Officer Sergeant Khumbo Sanyiwa stated the intelligence-led operation took place at Bwaila Street. Chamveka was named by his accomplice, Chisomo Harold, who recently received a lengthy prison sentence for the May attack where masked men stole cash and assaulted a 28-year-old woman.
Meanwhile, police in Rumphi District are searching for a suspect who allegedly murdered 18-year-old Happy Mbewe on August 20. Police reports indicate the two men fought at a drinking joint at 4 Ways Trading Centre after realizing they were dating the same woman. A postmortem conducted on August 22 confirmed Mbewe died from a severe head injury sustained during the altercation.