After days of playing political gangster in a school zone, Alfred Gangata, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Central Region vice-president, has finally been yanked back to his senses—like a stubborn goat dragged from a maize field. The man, known more for his criminal rap sheet than any statesmanship, has been forced to eat humble pie, suspending his much-hyped Friday protest in Lilongwe.
This dramatic U-turn follows tense talks with civil society leaders Benedicto Kondowe and Robert Mkwezalamba, who delivered a clear message: you don’t set the streets on fire when children are sitting exams. A communique signed by all parties, including a clearly cornered Gangata, confirmed that the protests have been postponed to allow Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) candidates to write in peace.
Parents, whose children were facing the anxiety of exams under the threat of street chaos, had already vowed to meet Gangata head-on, like a mother hen defending her chicks. Their message was blunt: touch our children’s future, and you’ll taste people power. Some even accused him of being nothing more than a political drum beaten by Peter Mutharika from the sidelines—a desperate attempt by the DPP to remain visible in the central region.
Gangata, who often prefers megaphones to microphones and mayhem to method, found himself cornered—like a cockroach in a bottle. This time, he was outnumbered by logic, decency, and the raw anger of parents. Whether he stepped back out of wisdom or self-preservation is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: he who fights exams with demos forgets that education is the key to the very power he seeks.
As the dust settles, MSCE candidates can finally focus, while Gangata, for once, will sit this one out—silent as a drum in a funeral procession. Whether this is a turning point or just another pause before his next act of street theatre, only time will tell.
But for now, the children will write. And Gangata? He will stew.
