On November 25 2023—the day Malawi joined the world in the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence—Eneless Kachere left Chiradzulu District Hospital bruised, weak and uncertain of her future.
She had spent a week in the facility after her in-laws assaulted her with sticks and metal bars, accusing her of killing her husband, 45-year-old Graciano Yohane, who died by suicide.
Speaking on Sunday from her sister’s home in Nancholi, where she is seeking safety, Kachere said she is afraid to return to her home in Jumbe Village, T/A Likoswe, because no arrests have been made since she filed a report.
Kaliya said she trusts police are examining the case carefully.
“I can’t go back home. They destroyed my house and took my three pregnant goats and the cash my daughter received from Give Direct. This is the farming season and I cannot even hold a hoe because my finger is broken. I reported seven people who tore my clothes and beat me, leaving me for dead, but I am still waiting,” she said.
Kachere said she depended on her husband’s vegetable business in Limbe for most of her livelihood.
Her sister, Violet Kachere, said Eneless is still recovering and attended check-ups and further treatment at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital last week.
According to a police report, the trouble began when Yohane left his money with his wife before going out for a drink. When he returned, he demanded it back. She refused. She hid outside for a while, and upon her return, found that he had hanged himself.
Chiradzulu Police public relations officer Hubert Mwangoka said last week that investigations were still underway. This morning, he told our correspondent there were still no arrests.
Women and Law Association of Malawi executive director Golda Rapozo and Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre executive director Emma Kaliya said they expect police to handle the case with professionalism.
Rapozo said: “We hope the police are doing thorough investigations. Gender violence cases need urgent attention. Our culture still feeds attitudes that normalise violence—some men think beating women is a way of teaching them a lesson, and some women think enduring it is normal.”
