By Evance Chisiano

Blantyre, April 27, Mana:  Second Grade Magistrate Court in Blantyre has acquitted two men who were caught stealing iron sheets at old Malawi News Agency (MANA) offices in Blantyre saying the state failed to provide evidence that the two had tools that were used to remove the iron sheets.

The two, Nelson Chiwalo, 32 and Henry Maseko 26 were caught with four iron sheets worth K64,000 on March 26, 2025, at old MANA offices, along Sanjika Road where a lot of iron sheets, windows and door frames have been stolen for some time after MANA offices relocated the early 2000s to Lonrho premises in Limbe and later moved to a new place at regional government offices along Victoria Avenue, Blantyre.

Brief facts are that on the material day, men working at the Blantyre Sports Club’s golf course saw one of the men on top of the building removing iron sheets while the other one was down collecting the iron sheets.

The court heard that men at the golf course informed technicians at the Regional Information office who teamed up and apprehended Chiwalo and Maseko and handed them over to Blantyre Police where they were later taken to court for prosecution.

Standing before Second Grade Magistrate, Nikita Chirwa at Chichiri Court, the two pleaded not guilty prompting the state to parade three witnesses against Chiwalo and Maseko.

Analysing the case and the evidence by the state, the magistrate acquitted the two saying the state failed to provide convincing evidence that the two had tools that were used to remove the iron sheets despite being found at the scene.

“Being found at the scene with iron sheets does not necessarily mean that the two stole the iron sheets. There is no direct evidence that the two stole the iron sheets.

“The accused silence in the case does not prove they are guilty,” Chirwa added while acquitting the two based on the state's failure to provide adequate evidence despite tendering the iron sheets in the court some days earlier.

The court gave the state 21 days to appeal if not satisfied with the acquittal.

Chiwalo comes from Nawawa Village, Traditional Authority Chikweo in Machinga while Maseko comes from Kazeze Village, Traditional Authority Mwenimisuku in Chitipa.

MANA, a news section under the Ministry of Information and Digitalisation with news reporters in 25 districts including regional offices.