MANAonline
Zeze to host Zeze Experience
By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, November 27, Mana: A renowned multiple award winning singer and song writer, Zeze Kingston, will on November 30 perform at Moneymen Ground in Blantyre under the theme 'The Zeze Experience'.
A South African based singer Mr Brown, Malinga Mafia, Gwamba, Kell Kay, Tuno, Quest, Afana Ceez, Nae Rae, Malimba Music, Black Don, Inkosi Jay Vee, Deo Grunger among other supporting artist have teamed up to spice the event.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday Zeze, who is also the organizer of the show, said the event is aimed at giving direct interaction on his music journey to entertainment lovers.
"Most shows are hosted during the night. This one will begin in the morning to show children, through music, how the journey of life begins. Later on, it will be scaled up for the elderly at night.
“Music is an integral part of cinematic experience since it has the power to evoke emotions, set people's mode and enhance storytelling. As such, I am urging people to come in large numbers to learn from my experience and should consider the event as a family day,” said Zeze.
Zeze popularly known as music Mayor said people should expect a lot of popping music and recipients will be given a performance, which will symbolize the value of their entry fee due to his energetic performance.
Some of the activities to take place at the event include family games, jumping castle, family-to-family interaction, fun land games section and dancing as DJ Drew, DJ Boo, DJ Nyenyezi and DJ V2G will be on the decks.
In a separate interview with the South African based 'Rain on Me’, hit maker, Mr Brown, said he is geared to share his music with the patrons.
"I am urging people to come in large numbers to experience new genre of music. I am ready to perform and entertain the people of Malawi since this show will give me a chance to interact directly with other musicians," said Brown.
Chimwemwe Damiano, one of the entertainment lovers commended Zeze for organizing the show, saying most of the times artist exclude children.
He said he is ready to partake the show together with his wife and two children.
"I am expecting harmony and good rhythm. The event has come at a right time where I and my family were looking for a place to spend the weekend. It is good to have a feel of live music because it's part of stress relief,” said Damiano.
Police condemn vandalism at Magawa Secondary School, three students nabbed
By Vincent Khonje
Mchinji, November 27, Mana: Police in Mchinji have taken into custody three students from Magawa Secondary School for allegedly masterminding protests by fellow students that led to of vandalism of property belonging to the school.
According to reports filed by police, some angry students on Monday torched the head teacher's office after 21 students were called for a disciplinary hearing for leaving the school campus premises without a permit.
Before the disciplinary outcomes were given, some students organized themselves and petrol-bombed the office.
The office had items whose value was not yet established, including books, shelves, tables, chairs, and other materials.
According to Mchinji Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Limbani Mpinganjira, the police visited the scene and identified some exploded bottles suspected to have been used in the arson.
“Police have arrested three students in connection to the case, and investigations are underway to trace the other students behind the act who are still at large,” said Mpinganjira.
UCSSACCO drills Journalists in financial management
By Patience Longwe & Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, November 26th, Mana: The Chief Executive Officer for the United Civil Servants Saving and Credit Cooperative Society LTD (UCSSACCO), Francis Waliwa, has urged journalists in the country to develop a culture of serving money for investments and future use.
Waliwa made the call Tuesday in Lilongwe during a financial management training for the journalists drawn from central region.
He noted that many people in the country including journalists fail to embrace the saving culture because of the mentality of saying they will start saving when they start earning more money.
“No matter how little you get; it is important to save something. Remember any journey starts with a single step. So don’t underrate any amount you save,” he said
Waliwa said the main challenge that many people have in the country is that they are used to spending their cash on things they don’t budget for.
“Mind you, the money you spend on things you didn’t budget for, would have assisted you in the future if it was saved. Let’s have a culture of saving at least ten percent of any amount we get, your life won’t be the same again,” he said
Commenting on the matter, Lydia Banda, a journalist working with Ulimi Radio, hailed UCSSACCO for the training saying it was an eye opener to journalists on financial management.
Banda said it sad to see many people who were famous when they were working, but soon after their retirement they start suffering and others even die within short period of time.
UCSSACCO is a member owned institution that offer a range of savings and credit products to civil servants, parastatals and private organizations in the country.
The institution is rated among the top 10 best performing SACCOs in Southern Africa.
CDF Canada launches project to address food insecurity
By alexander Tchongwe
Mzimba, November 27, Mana: Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF Canada) has announced the launch of a new project aimed at integrating aquaculture and agriculture to address food insecurity in Malawi.
Sponsored by the Government of Norway, the five-year initiative, running from 2024 to 2028, will target eight districts, including Mzimba, to promote sustainable economic and social development.
Speaking in Mzimba on Wednesday, IAAM Specialist for CDF Canada, Tiwonge Soko Nyirenda, explained that the project focuses on creating a self-reliant system by integrating fish farming with other value chains.
“The project integrates fish ponds with crops like rice, maize, yellow sweet potatoes, and fruit trees under agroforestry.
“This system allows farmers to use pond mud as fertilizer for vegetables and pond water for irrigating crops, minimizing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Livestock, such as rabbits, are also incorporated, with rabbit urine used as an organic fertilizer and pesticide alternative,” Nyirenda said.
According to Nyirenda, the project was inspired by the need to help farmers diversify their income sources, especially following recent challenges like Cyclones Freddy and Ana, which devastated fish farms.
“Many farmers rely solely on fish farming, and when disasters like cyclones hit, their livelihoods are wiped out. This project introduces diversification, so farmers can turn to other income-generating activities, like livestock or sweet potato farming, if one enterprise is affected. This boosts nutrition and economic resilience,” Nyirenda said.
Fisheries Officer for Mzimba South, Andrew Saukani, commended CDF Canada for the initiative, noting its potential to address key challenges faced by fish farmers.
The K841.3 million project targets 1,528 individuals across Malawi, with 167 farmers in Mzimba from areas such as Eswazini, Kazomba, Manyamula, Mbalachanda, and Zombwe.
A motorcycle rider dies in a road accident
By Nolious Gondwe
Mzuzu, November 27, Mana: A 30 year- old motorcycle rider, Peter Kaunda died Tuesday in a road accident which occurred at Msiki along Mzuzu-Ekwendeni M1 Road.
According to Deputy Public Relations Officer of Mzuzu Police Station, Cecilia Mfune, Kaunda was riding unregistered King-Lion Motorcycle from the direction of Ekwendeni heading Mzuzu City
She said that Kaunda collided with an oncoming vehicle, Toyota Hilux Pick- up, registration number CHS 2606 FS which was being driven by Aaron Hamilton as he was overtaking a truck and sustained severe head injuries.
“Kaunda was pronounced dead upon arrival at Mzuzu Central Hospital while Hamilton sustained minor injuries,” Mfune said.
She urged road users to exercise caution and adhere to road safety rules and regulations to prevent such type of accidents.
" We appeal to all road users to be vigilant in observing traffic rules to avoid loss of lives," she said.
Kaunda hailed from Mkondezi Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mkumbira in Nkhata Bay District.
Theft of water meters’ worries CRWB
By Timothy Peter
Dedza, November 27, Mana: Central Region Water Board (CRWB) says it was losing a lot of money due to theft of water meters in Dedza, a development the board says was affecting a lot of households in accessing safe and potable water in the district.
The Board’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Zefelino Mitumba, revealed this on Tuesday during a stakeholder’s consultation meeting held at Mountain View Lodge in the district.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), he said 98 water meters were stolen in 2023 and 35 water meters were stolen in 2024.
Mitumba stated that one meter costs about K 90, 000 to 150,000 adding the board has lost a maximum of K 20 million in replacing the stolen water meters within the last two years.
"There is a lot of meter theft in the district mainly around Dedza Town. The trend does not seem to be dying and the loss of meters is crippling service delivery each passing day at the same time affecting collection of revenue," he said.
According to Mitumba, other challenges that the institution meets in its pursuit of providing clean water to Dedza residents include unpaid water bills and deforestation which all contribute to the current persistent water crisis in the district.
He said the aim of the consultation meeting was to allow stakeholders come up with a Water Users Committee to help in providing civic education to residents about their role in taking care of CRWB property.
"The water-users committe will act as a bridge between the service provider (the board) and the service recipient (water users). We have huge expectations from the committee to help customers that we serve so that they become responsible customers," Mitumba said.
Chairperson for the new committee, Said Bout promised to take a step in dealing with some of the challenges that have worsened the water situation in the district.
“As a measure to water meter theft, our committee has since resolved that the responsibility of replacing the stolen meters is now with the recipients of the commodity as opposed to the previous years where CRWB was taking full control,” he emphasized.
The stakeholders meeting brought together Group village heads around Dedza Boma and a community member representing each village.
AIP progress impresses agriculture authorities
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, November 27, Mana: Director of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resource at Kasungu District Council, Evelyn Chima says changes that government has effected in the implementation of the Agriculture Inputs Programme (AIP) have helped to tighten security, ensuring that only targeted households benefit from the initiative.
Among others, this year’s redemption process requires a facial scanning of the beneficiaries, effectively cutting off vendors who used to buy the inputs from beneficiaries in the previous years.
“We used to complain that inputs were missing in the beneficiaries’ allocations and that vendors were redeeming the inputs after buying the IDs from beneficiaries.
“This time, those things are not there because the facial features required have sieved out all the vendors. It’s a feature we have always been asking and we are happy that it has been done,” she said in an interview on Wednesday in Kasungu.
Kasungu District has a total of 63 249 beneficiaries in the 2024/25 AIP programme.
Asked on the progress so far, Chima said the redemption exercise started immediately after the programme was officially launched hence many farmers have accessed the fertiliser in good time.
“For Kasungu, the growing season starts mid-November, all the way to early December. The selling of inputs started in October meaning many households have accessed fertilisers in good time.
“As of November 20, redemption was at 31 percent. This is good progress and an improvement if compared to last year and I hope by this time the figures have significantly improved,” she said.
At least 20, 000 bags of NPK and about 7, 000 bags of Urea have been redeemed, with figures expected to rise exponentially as rains begin this November end when many farmers are expected to start planting.
“We agreed to start deliveries in hard to reach areas so that when rains begin, we should not have challenges as some roads become impassable.
“This explains why some areas have lower redemption rates than others. But in some constituencies, redemption rate is as high as 46 percent, giving hope that many people will have accessed the inputs as the month ends,” Chima said.
Senior Chief Chidzuma lamented the reduction in the number of beneficiaries from about 91 000 to 63 249 this year, calling on government to consider raising the numbers.
“The good thing is fertiliser is available. We have fertiliser in the depots but we have two challenges.
“Firstly, the numbers of beneficiaries have been reduced. We would have loved if we had more added. Secondly, there are network glitches which affect the redeeming process. We also appeal to those responsible to fix this challenge,” he said
Chidzuma added there are some confusions in some cases where names of beneficiaries appear in a wrong constituency hence the household cannot redeem the inputs.
“We brought this issue to the attention of authorities. We were promised that they will work on it. Nevertheless, we are thankful to government for this programme,” he said.
Chairperson for Chakhala Village Development Committee in the area of Senior Chief Njombwa under Lisasazi Extension Planning Area (EPA), mike Mdambo echoed Njombwa’s sentiments on the need to work on the names that appear in wrong constituencies.
A beneficiary under Chulu EPA, Elina Banda expressed gratitude to government for ensuring early availability of fertilisers, saying accessing inputs in good time contributes to yielding good harvest.
At least 1.1 million households are expected to benefit from this year’s AIP funded to the tune of K161 billion.
Communities in Mzimba hail timely distribution of AIP
By Rose Cross Mahorya
Mzuzu, November 27, Mana: Community members benefiting from Affordable Inputs Program (AIP) in Mzimba North have hailed government for making the inputs accessible in time this year.
Random interviews with beneficiaries who were caught getting the inputs in some of the district’s satellite centers, revealed that even though rains are yet to come, they have already gotten their inputs, a development they say will help increase productivity.
“You may be aware that due to climate change, rainfall patterns are unpredictable hence it is very important that farmers should have their inputs readily available to plant with first rains.
“Now that government has made these inputs available in time, we are assured of bumper harvests,” said Amon Jere, a farmer from Jolowale in the district.
Another beneficiary, Jessie Honde from Ekwaiweni concurred with Jere adding that she is optimistic that this year, she will have greater yield.
“As I am talking to you, my farm has already been tilled and as soon as rains come, I will plant and I have no worries about delaying to apply fertilizer,” said the 54-year-old widow who is benefiting for the third time.
Group Village Headman Charles Mhango whose area is under Traditional Authority Mtwalo appreciated government for continuing with this program as many beneficiaries would never have managed to get the inputs at the normal market price.
“We are grateful that this year again, government has implemented the program because without it, many households especially those who are widowed, old and with disabilities would be hit by hunger.
“But thanks to this program, they are able to grow food for themselves and their families,” he said.
Crops Officer for Mzimba North Agriculture Office Mwiza Munthali concurred with the beneficiaries saying the distribution exercise in the district is going smoothly and that timely access to the inputs will help maximize production.
“Timely access of the inputs means farmers will be ready when the rains came, and for crops like groundnuts which rely on the rains, production will increase since farmers will have all necessary inputs when the rains come.
“At the same time, most areas in the district become impassable once the rains come making it hard for farmers to travel to get the inputs. But the timely distribution means by the time rains are coming, they have already gotten their inputs,” said Munthali.
While noting that with the way everything is going on now, there is higher chance that this farming season production will be high, Munthali assured all stakeholders on the ground to have access to the inputs.
TNM super league title race reaches at crucial stage
By Alinafe Kapatamoyo
Lilongwe, November 27, Mana: TNM super league title race has reached a crucial stage with league leaders, Silver Strikers, hosting Baka City at their home ground on Wednesday while Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, who are currently second on the log table, will play against Mafco FC at Kamuzu Stadium.
Silver Strikers are looking to maintain their top spot, and a win against Baka City would be a significant step towards achieving their goal for this season to claim the league title.
On other hand, Baka City will be looking to make history by defeating the league leaders since it is already relegated in the league.
Sports Analyst, Kim Kamau, has described Wednesday’s games as crucial since Silver Strikers is leading the league with a 5 points gap against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers.
He said Silver Strikers will, at all cost, carry the day since this is the only trophy that has remained for them.
“Silver Strikers will win this game. I don’t see Baka City defeating Silver Strikers since it has not lost any game this season,” said Kamau.
He urged Mighty Mukuru Wanderers to put their efforts for the game to secure all the 3 points against Mafco FC in order to reduce the gap against league leaders, Silver Strikers, so that they remain in the race.
“Mighty Mukuru Wanderers must make sure to win this game against Mafco FC for them to remain in the title race and also to have an upper hand for the coming game against the league leaders this Saturday,” said Kamau.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers will also be looking to close the gap with Silver Strikers and keep their title hopes, while Mafco FC will be aiming to finish at a good position in the super league.
These games are a must win for both Silver Strikers and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers in order to claim the title at the end of the season.
President Chakwera pledges disability inclusive infrastructure
By Priscilla Phiri
November 27, Lilongwe, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has promised to make Malawi’s infrastructure more inclusive for people with disabilities, aligning with the goals of the Malawi 2063.
He made the commitment during the launch of the Malawi Council for Disability Affairs (MACODA) flag week at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Wednesday.
Chakwera stressed the need for proactive measures to ensure public spaces are accessible to everyone.
“Lack of consideration for disability in the design of public spaces is a common problem in our country. And it is not a problem that will go away by saying it; it requires taking decisive action and making corrections to the design of these spaces to demonstrate that we take disability rights and inclusivity seriously,” he said.
He, therefore, pledged to allocate resources to support disability rights within the Presidential Palace and other public spaces, setting a positive example.
He said State Residences has plans to ensure that some of the resources that Malawians entrust them with for the smooth running of the residences go towards empowering disability rights by making all public places in state residences disability inclusive.
“This will be done to ensure that every President, starting with me, sets an example of empowering disability rights,” he stated.
He revealed his intentions of ensuring that all public buildings are disability inclusive by 2030.
“We have to look into our entire approach to service our infrastructures and ensure that they are disability inclusive from hospitals, schools and everything in between,” he said.
He urged public and private institutions to identify and address gaps in disability inclusivity, emphasizing the collective responsibility in creating an inclusive society towards the realization of Malawi 2063.
Board Chairperson for MACODA, Alex Dzinkambani, praised the President for accenting to the Persons with Disability Bill into the Persons with Disabilities Act 2024.
The Act has facilitated the transition of the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) to MACODA to better reflect inclusivity.
“Many persons with disabilities continue facing systematic barriers that hinder their full participation in society, and these challenges include limited access to education, healthcare, and employment,
“However, in the MACODA era, we are advocating that persons with disabilities should be able to enjoy the same services and facilities that everyone enjoys to the full,” he explained.
MACODA has been mandated to promote and protect the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities in Malawi, providing a simplified and cost-effective mechanism for addressing breaches of these rights.
Minister for Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, emphasized the need for stakeholders to collaborate with government in providing necessary resources and ensuring that the rights and voices of people with disabilities are heard.
This year’s MACODA flag week is held under the theme ‘Empowering disability rights: Paving the way for an inclusive Malawi towards Malawi 2063.’
