A missing case file has left murder suspect Misheck Chigona behind bars at Zomba Maximum Prison despite a Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal order directing his retrial, according to Malawi Nation. Chigona was initially arrested in 2008 and convicted in 2014. The Supreme Court quashed his conviction and sentence in June 2025, but administrative failures and lost records have completely stalled the High Court retrial process. The situation leaves Chigona incarcerated indefinitely and points to persistent record-keeping challenges within the judicial system.
Update: In regional justice and immigration developments, the South African Department of Justice is re-establishing a court at the Lindela Repatriation Centre and setting up a separate priority court at the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) to expedite deportation cases, according to SAnews. The move comes as South Africa and Malawi collaborate to manage a recent surge in repatriations. The Witness reports that 980 Malawians have already been processed through the Lindela facility, while the Malawian government has commissioned buses to move thousands more citizens currently gathered in Durban.