Lilongwe senior resident magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda has committed to the High Court of Malawi a case on the murder of former Coca-Cola Beverages Company (Malawi) employee Alan Wittika in Lilongwe last month.

The State yesterday levelled murder charges against Lester Maganga, personal assistant to Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu.

Reading out the charge in court, the magistrate said: “You [Maganga] are answering to the charge of murder. On or about 20th September [2023], you caused the death of Alan Wittika. That is the allegation being levelled against you.”

Thereafter, Nyirenda said he was committing to the High Court which has the jurisdiction to hear murder cases.

State prosecutor Davison Banda told the court that Maganga needed to be on remand for 90 days to allow them finalise investigations.

He said Maganga was arrested on Friday before being taken to court yesterday.

But Maganga’s lawyer Innocent Kubwalo said he will file an application in the High Court to ascertain whether the period the State is proposing was justified.

Maganga (in blue shirt) being led away after the hearing yesterday

“We will apply for bail in the High Court where we will seek the court’s determination on whether the accused needs to stay in police custody for 90 days,” he said.

Wittika’s lifeless body was found dumped in the backseat of his motor vehicle in Area 15 residential estate in Lilongwe on September 20 2023.

He was laid to rest at Misesa Cemetery in Blantyre on September 22.

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