WIRE — By Jimmy Chazama: The sixth witness in the case involving filmmaker Tumpe Mtaya popularly known as Phwedo told the Lilongwe Principal Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday that he was in a relationship with her friend, who is the victim in the matter. She said in her first statement to the police she concealed some information because she did not want to be involved in the case. "I lied in the first statement because I did not want to be implicated," she told the court. She explained that she later changed her account in a second statement after being advised by her friend (the victim) to disclose everything she knew. The witness added that her friend had also insisted that Phwedo should have sex with her (witness), which she eventually accepted and had sex with him. Principal State Advocate Festus Sakanda from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said the state was satisfied with the progress of the proceedings. "We are finished with our sixth witness," Sakanda said. Defense lawyer Khwima Mchizi pointed out inconsistencies in the testimony. "One could easily see the contradictions that were there in the evidence of the state," Mchizi said. Meanwhile, the court led by Principal Resident Magistrate Benjamin Chulu adjourned the case to August 13, 2026, to allow the state to parade the remaining two witnesses. Phwedo, who starred in Welcome to Maula Prison and School Days, is answering charges of having sex with a minor and child trafficking, allegations he has since denied.
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