By Patience Harawa

Karonga, January 9, Mana: Police in Karonga are keeping in custody a clinical officer, Chimwemwe Kaonga, 37, on allegations that he abducted a 17-year-old girl, a student at Nyungwe Community Day Secondary School in the district.

Public Relations Officer for Karonga Police Station, Margret Msiska confirmed the development in an interview on Thursday.

She said Kaonga, who works as a clinical officer at Thawilo Health Centre, proposed to the girl on December 18, 2024, and took her to his house for marriage.

"The suspect is believed to have taken the girl to his house where he claims they were living as husband and wife. This was done without the knowledge or consent of the girl's parents, who later reported the matter to Nyungwe Police Unit which led to his arrest on January 8, 2025," said Msiska.

"He has since been charged with abduction contrary to section 136 of the Penal Code and investigations are underway to establish allegations of having sexual intercourse with the minor during the time of their stay at his house," she added.

Kaonga hails from Mwakasangila Village, Traditional Authority Kilupula in Karonga district.

By: Aisha Chiwaya

Salima, January 9, Mana. In a bid to ensure sanity in the district, prevention of fire accidents and fuel panic buying, Police in Salima on Wednesday, confiscated 65 litres of fuel plus empty plastic bottles and gallons from illegal vendors.

According to Salima Police Public Relations Officer, Sub Inspector Rebecca Ndiwate, the illegal vendors are suspected to have been buying the commodity at a lower price from fueling stations, and selling them at a higher price.

"The act of these vendors keeping fuel in plastic Jerry cans and containers do not only go contrary to Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority Act but also posing danger to lives of people surrounding the storage area," she said.

In addition, the operation 'chotsa zigubu' also aims to ensure that no one is found buying fuel using gallons or selling or keeping fuel in unauthorized places.

She said anyone found doing the same will be arrested to answer relevant charges. Meanwhile, Police have appealed to the public to report anyone found buying fuel in Jerry cans, selling and storing the same without a permit.

By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, January 9, Mana: Participants of Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme(CS-EPWP) in Nkhata Bay have commended the programme for unlocking their business potential.

Nemesi Mphande from Chiomba village in Senior Chief Fukamapiri said through the wages they receive after working, she started a business selling tomatoes and usipa.

She said this Wednesday during the launch of the third cycle pay parade of wages to program participants in the district.

"I am grateful for the programme because, from the K48,000.00 I receive, I have managed to start a business selling tomatoes and fish, enabling me to take care of my family with ease," Mphande said.

Another participant, Wellington Chirwa, 48, from Chimika Village in the same area, said he used the wages to start pig farming.

“I used the wages to buy a pig at K35,000.00, and from today's wages, I will add more pigs," he said.

On her part, Victoria Nkhoma from Chibunya Village, Group Village Head Chavula, said she can now support her children's education through the program.

"I used the money I received after working to top up my capital selling plastic bags.

"Today, I can support my children, a third-year student at Malawi University of Applied Sciences (MUBAS) and another one at Kapanda Community Day Secondary School with school fees and my business is growing, " she said.

She therefore urged her fellow participants to invest the money for it to multiply.

In his remarks, CSE-PWP District Programme Facilitator Edward Ngwemba said that currently work is progressing well in all 14 catchments for the fourth cycle, and participants are expected to get their wages as early as February.

"In this phase, we are focusing on riverbank protection through tree and vertiver planting, among others, as you know that we are in the rainy season.

“Let me urge all frontline workers to always preach this message and always make sure that all data is correctly captured for smooth processing of the wages,” he said.

CS-EPWP is one of component of Social Support for Resilience Livelihoods Project implemented by the National Local Government Finance Committee with Funding from the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund.  

By Alexander Tchongwe

Mzimba, January 9, Mana: Country Director for Ripple Africa, Force Ngwira, has said that his organization plans to invest K3 Billion for planting 3 million tree seedlings in Mzimba district.

Ngwira was speaking Wednesday in Mzimba during the district’s executive committee meeting when he briefed stakeholders on projects which the organization is implementing in the district.

“We conducted a research last year which indicated that there is rampant deforestation in Mzimba, hence we started planting trees since last year to address the challenge.

Our goal is to plant 3 million tree seedlings in Mzimba within three years and budget of K3 billion has been allocated for the initiative," Ngwira said.

He added that environmental conservation is a long-term process that requires community sustained civic education and behavioral change.

"Such problems cannot be addressed within a year or two. We need sufficient time to civic educate people and raise awareness to bring about meaningful achievements in environmental management," he added. 

Principal Environmental Officer for M’mbelwa District Council, James Pelani, commended Ripple Africa for the project, saying it will go a long way in responding to climate change related issues.

 "This initiative is timely, especially when the country is grappling with the effects of climate change emanating from deforestation among other malpractices. Efforts like this," said Pelani. 

M'mbelwa District Council Public Relations Officer, Joel Phiri, said that the initiative, complements the council's efforts in environmental conservation.

By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, 8 January, mana: The Malawi Police Service has arrested Hastings Dumba, 44, for allegedly for having sexual intercourse with a minor, a 16-year-old standard six girl.

Dumba who is in police custody at Area 3 in Lilongwe, was apprehended on January 4, this year by community policing members at Njewa area when the two were together searching for a house to rent following a decision to relocate from Chinsapo where they stayed for two months as a couple.

It is said that the suspect, who is a panel beater by profession, proposed to the girl at Nsaru Trading Centre in November last year when the victim escorted a friend for shopping.

The suspect promised to take the girl to town same day if she said yes to his marriage proposal, a thing which happened, though without the knowledge of the victim's parents.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted to have stayed with the girl as wife. However, he blamed it on the victim saying being single as he was, he could not resist the girl's approaches that she desperately wanted to stay in town.

After the suspect's arrest, the victim was taken to One Stop Centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital for medical examination where it was also discovered that she was born on December 2, 2008.

The suspect, who hails from Thapaniwa Village, Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka District, will appear in court soon to answer a case of Having Sexual Intercourse with a Child.

By Paul Madise

Lilongwe, January 09, Mana: The Tobacco Commission (TC) has described the implementation of the new tobacco law – the Tobacco Industry Act No.5 of 2024 as instrumental in the transformation of the tobacco industry in the country.

Speaking with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), Public Relation Officer (PRO), for the TC, Telephorus Chigwenembe, says implementation of the new law will make the Malawi tobacco industry more attractive further creating a competitive atmosphere on both local and international markets as well as rising expectation to the local producers.

“The new tobacco law will, among others, ensure that as a country we comply with international standards on tobacco production. This will make our tobacco more attractive, which we expect to motivate good competition for our crop.”

“When competition is very good, you expect good prices for the crop,” said Chigwenembe.

Tobacco Commission also acknowledged tobacco farmers’ satisfaction with the new regulations governing tobacco industry in the country highlighting that the initiative has proved to be more beneficial than before.

Among other things, the new regulations allow farmers to use own vehicles to transport their tobacco to the market which previously was prohibited.

The Tobacco Industry Act No.5 of 2024 provisions also states that if a company in contract with a farmer refuses to purchase their tobacco twice, the farmer has the right to sell to another company or at auction.

Furthermore, farmers now have the right to appeal to a court of law if they are dissatisfied with a ruling made in their case. This has been implemented to ensure that justice is always upheld. The panel overseeing such cases will include a retired judge, an expert in tobacco farming, and an agricultural specialist.

Reacting to the development, Alfred Kapichira, one of the mega tobacco growers from Madisi in Dowa district, has appealed to Tobacco Commission to maximize civic educating farmers in all parts the country to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the newly implemented tobacco laws in the country.

Recently, Tobacco Commission has been civic educating tobacco farmers in areas where tobacco farming is prevalent in the country.

Tobacco remains the premier cash crop for forex generation in the country.

By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, January 8, Mana: Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) has warned against usage of unregistered number plates and vehicles saying it is a violation of the Road Traffic Act.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the Directorate highlighted that the illegal operation of unregistered vehicles is a punishable offense.

“Section 11(2) of the Road Traffic Act (1997) states: No person shall operate on a public road any motor vehicle which is not registered and licensed. Additionally, Regulation 19(11) of the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing) Regulations (2000) requires the immediate affixing of registration plates on the vehicle upon registration,” the statement reads.

The Directorate says vehicles without authorized registration plates or with unauthorized plates will be imposed with appropriate fines for owners and operators.

It has emphasized that unregistered vehicles pose a serious safety and security hazard, necessitating effective traffic safety management.

The Directorate has, therefore, urged all vehicle owners to ensure their vehicles are properly registered and that valid number plates are securely affixed to the front and rear of their vehicles at all times.

Chairperson for Blantyre Minibus Association, Cosmas Kamoto, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday that many vehicles remain unregistered due to challenges at the Directorate.

“Indeed, many minibuses are not registered because we are often told of netwwork challenges at the Directorate which prevents us from being assisted. This has been a persistent issue and a significant barrier for vehicle owners attempting to register their vehicles,” Kamoto said.

He said minibus owners are looking forward to more efficient and broader communication from the Directorate regarding licenses and registration.

He, therefore, urged minibus owners to proceed with registering their vehicles, emphasizing that it is against the laws of Malawi to operate an unregistered vehicle.

By Ireen Mseteka

Likoma, January 8, Mana: A 36-year-old man, Mayamiko Chirwa, has drowned on Lake Malawi in Likoma District.

Deputy Public Relations Officer for Likoma Police Station, Chisomo Thomson, said Chirwa who hailed from Kande Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Fukamapiri in Nkhata Bay District lost balance and fell into the lake.

“According to a report, the deceased left his house in Tuesday morning while drunk to take a bath in the shallow waters of the lake and as he was bathing; he lost balance and fell into the lake.

“He was spotted by children who were playing and shouted for help from passersby who rushed him to St Peter’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival,” said Thomson.

Thomson said postmortem results indicated that the deceased died due to suffocation.

Meanwhile, police in the district have advised people to avoid being closer to the lake while drunk to prevent similar incidents.