By Honourable Francis Belekanyama
Across Malawi, a disturbing phenomenon is gaining momentum. Suspected criminals are increasingly being beaten, tortured, or killed by angry mobs before police or courts can intervene. What was once an occasional horror has become a recurring tragedy in both urban centres and rural communities.
From the bustling markets of Lilongwe and Blantyre to the villages of Chikwawa and Nsanje, citizens are taking the law into their own hands with alarming frequency. These brutal scenes, captured on mobile phones and shared across social media, are not just isolated acts of vigilantism. They represent a dangerous breakdown in public trust in the country’s justice system.
While mob justice must be condemned in the strongest possible terms as unlawful, inhumane, and incompatible with democratic governance, Malawi cannot afford to stop at condemnation. The nation must ask a harder question: why are ordinary Malawians losing faith in the very institutions designed to protect them?
While Adult Learning and Education is gaining a new approach in Malawi, it is imperattive to use ALE classes to civic educate the masses about the danger of taking the law into their hands.
The ministry of Gender in colloboration with various Non-Governmental Organisations are running Integrated Adult Learning and Education which, apart from offering functional literacy (literacy and numeracy), it also provides citizenship education. The citizenship education facet should be used to condemn mob justice and other unbecoming practices . The rise of mob justice in Malawi should top the list of key topic that people should discuss. ALE facilitators should be fully equiped regarding the dangers of mob justice.
Mob justice thrives where fear meets frustration. For many citizens, particularly in economically vulnerable communities, crime is no longer an abstract concern, it is a daily threat to survival. Small businesses are looted, livestock stolen, homes broken into, and mobile phones snatched at knifepoint. Too often, victims see little meaningful follow-up or accountability.
When suspects are arrested only to be released days later, sometimes without explanation, public patience wears thin. Perception becomes reality. Whether fully accurate or not, the widespread belief that the justice system is slow, corrupt, or ineffective is pushing communities toward “instant justice.”
Recent events in Chikwawa and Nsanje offer a chilling illustration. Several people were brutally attacked and killed following rumours of male private parts disappearing for ritual purposes, allegations police later described as baseless. The violence left multiple dead and exposed how rapidly fear and misinformation can trigger deadly vigilantism.
Earlier incidents in the same districts involving suspected livestock theft saw alleged thieves beaten and burned alive by mobs instead of being handed over to authorities. These cases reveal how deeply normalised mob justice is becoming in certain communities.
A society ruled by the crowd replaces evidence with emotion, due process with anger, and justice with impulse. Innocent people, victims of false accusations, personal grudges, or mistaken identity, pay a terrible price. History across Africa shows that once mob violence is tolerated, it rarely stays confined to suspected criminals. It poisons social fabric and undermines national stability.
At the heart of this crisis lies institutional credibility. Citizens need to believe that police will respond promptly and professionally, that investigations will be thorough, that courts will deliver fair and timely verdicts, and that offenders will face real consequences.
Economic hardship worsens the situation. Soaring unemployment, deepening poverty, substance abuse, and widening inequality fuel both crime and public anger. In such conditions, emotions run high and tolerance runs low.
Social media has become an accelerant. False rumours and graphic images spread within minutes, mobilising crowds before facts can be verified or police can respond.
Now, it is nort only the urbanites that afford smart phones, the rural masses including the illiterate have smart phones hence they are present on social media. Therefore, there is need to civic educate everyone to stop spreading baseless rumours which just fuel people’s anger. Let ALE classes become a centre of positive conversations which can shape Malawi into a place of responsible citizens who do not tolerate mob justice.
Addressing mob justice does not mean being soft on crime. Citizens have every right to demand security and protection. However, true strength lies not in the speed of mob punishment but in the fairness, professionalism, and consistency of formal justice.
Malawi must act on multiple fronts: strengthen community policing, accelerate judicial processes, improve police responsiveness, and expand youth employment programmes. Religious leaders, traditional authorities, politicians, and civil society must speak with one voice against violence and in support of the rule of law.
The rise of mob justice is more than a law-and-order issue. It is a warning about the weakening relationship between citizens and the state. When communities believe justice can only be found outside formal institutions, democracy itself is in danger.
Malawi stands at a crossroads. The country must move beyond outrage and address the governance, economic, and institutional failures driving this trend. Restoring public trust will not be easy, but it is essential.
Because ultimately, the fight against mob justice is not just about crime. It is about whether Malawians still believe the state can deliver justice at all.
The author is a Member of Parliament in Malawi.