The Week From Hell - Part One

Before embarking on this trip I had, given that I would be in Africa for at least a year, already accepted that at some stage or other I would be the victim of theft, I would catch malaria and would more than likely have at least one incident with the authorities.

However, I didn't figure all of these things would happen in the space of seven days. Yet they did, and by the end of it I was about ready to turn my back on Africa. Suddenly the option of being deported back to England appealed to me, but thankfully I rode it out and am stronger for the experiences I will now share with you.

Welcome to Nkhata Bay Police Station

It had started just like every other Wednesday in Nkhata Bay, a nice leisurely swim followed by breakfast at the lake's edge lapping up the early morning sun. Sat eating my fruit salad little was I to know that things were set to get worse, much worse, over the coming days, starting with Wednesday itself. If somebody had told me at breakfast I would be deported by the end of the day I would have laughed in their face, yet that was exactly what was set to happen.

What should have been a routine visa extension turned into the biggest mess possible. Not only did the immigration official, Mr Mitengo, try and charge me double the price that I knew I had to pay, but he then had the audacity to have me arrested for intimidation, amongst other things, for confronting him on this matter. Now I realise my use of the word 'corruption' may not have been the wisest, but still I found it hard to believe one could be arrested for simply challenging what amounted to attempted corruption.

The scene of THEIR crime!

If that left me baffled, what was to follow left me in a state of utter shock. Despite nobody being in the immigration office other than myself and Mr Mitengo when I got to the police station there was a witness ready to testify against me. What to me had started out as a trivial matter was suddenly becoming a rather serious one. My hope of this being sorted in an amicable and fair manner dropped when I saw the chief of police, Mr Morton Chitsulo, marching over to take charge of my case - not that there was a case in my eyes.

Two hours later it had become a grave situation. A statement, from, and I mean this is the nicest possible way, a local dropout who was not even present at the scene of the 'crime', riddled with lies and inconsistencies had been given against me and things were looking bad. Despite my subtle offer of resolving this matter in another manner, by way of a bribe, it was clear the gentlemen I was dealing with were on a power trip and wanted to make an example of me.

Due to their determination to prove a point I was not in the least bit surprised when they threatened to deport me - although I did think it was a little extreme given my innocence. I was however extremely surprised when they produced the form declaring me a prohibited immigrant in Malawi, which I was forced into signing (the threat of being sent straight to prison if I didn't sign was enough to jolt me out of the daze I had fallen into).

The building on the left is where I was locked up for an hour - not pleasant!

Having started the day in such a fine manner I was now facing up to the prospect of, first having to leave Malawi instantly, and then accepting I could never return here, ever. All I will say is thank the Lord our family knows somebody in Government here, who had enough power, and sense, to realise I was innocent, and further to that was prepared to do something about it. Needless to say Mr Chitsulo and Mr Mitengo were in a state of shock similar to mine from earlier in the day, when a phone call came through ordering them to reverse the deportation order against me.

What made me laugh was the next day when I went to resolve the matter, and get my visa extended, I assumed I would just have to pay the initial price Mr Mitengo had demanded. Yet I was thankfully charged the price I knew it should have been, thus proving I was being set-up from the start. I can laugh about this now, but at the time I was actually pretty worried, and it still worries me that these people have the power to pretty much do as they please, even if people are innocent.

No longer welcome in Malawi

So I must leave 'now days'....

To be continued...

written by

MarcusInAfrica on June 24, 2009 from Nkhata Bay, Malawi

from the travel blog: Cape to Cardiff

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