By Hope Chimwala

Blantyre, November 12, Mana: Super League of Malawi (SULOM) in partnership with Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) on Monday announced that starting from December 1 football fans will only be using electronic tickets to enter venues to watch TNM Super League games.

Speaking during a press briefing in Blantyre, SULOM’s Marketing and Commercialization Committee Chairperson, Chimwemwe Nyirenda, said the introduction of e-ticketing will improve accountability and efficiency on management of financial resources collected on games.

“With this system, there will not be cases of stealing at the entrance and it will even help the club owners to track how money is managed as the system clearly shows the number of people attending the game,” he said.

General Manager for TNM Mpamba, Chris Sukasuka, said TNM is ready as the system was tested for nine months since April to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the e-ticketing.

“Today we are glad and excited to announce that all challenges and gaps have been closed and corrected,” he said.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency (MANA), a sports expert, Kim Kamau commended TNM and SULOM for the development saying this will help teams to generate more revenue and further urged TNM to improve its network.

“Let TNM improve its network systems as poor network poses a big challenge,” he urged the service provider.

The debt cards for the application of the tickets will be accessed in all TNM shops and all stadiums where matches will be played.

By Solister Mogha

Zomba, November 12, Mana: Cecelia Namota, 86, of Mlooka Village in Zomba has urged the younger generation to take voter registration seriously and have themselves registered to vote in the forthcoming elections.

Namota made the appeal on Tuesday at Chimbiya School in Zomba Lisanjala Constituency where she went for voter registration in readiness for the 2025 General Elections.

She said the youth form a large part of the country's population as such they need to be on the lead in the voter registration.

“Despite my age, l finds it important to take part in the voting process of the country. Voting gives a person an opportunity to choose people that can lead the country better,” she said.

Namota said as voter registration continues in phases, Malawians should come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right for the September 16, 2025 tripartite elections.

Second phase of voter registration in Zomba and other districts started on November 9 and is expected to end on November 22.

By Abednego Sibale

Nkhata Bay, November 11, Mana: Nkhata Bay District Hospital Community Malaria Coordinator, Emmanuel Mapondera says government is this year expected to distribute insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) to 84,292 households in the district.

In an interview on Monday along the sidelines of mass distribution of the nets at Mkumbira, Mapondera said the district has incidence rate of 954 malaria cases per 1,000 people annually hence the intervention.

He said the initiative is one of the means government has put in place to eradicate Malaria in the country by 2030 and therefore every net distributed counts.

"Our initial plan was to distribute 188,799 ITNs as per registration. However, we have a shortfall of 261,534 nets. As such, we are providing one net to three people with a maximum of three nets per household,” said Mapondera.

He advised households which have received the nets against selling them but use them for the intended purpose.

A mother of four, Emily Kamwemba from Mkumbira Village commended government for the support and promised to put it to good use so that her family is Malaria free.

"We are thankful for these free mosquito nets as not everyone can afford to buy on their own. My children will now be having peaceful sleep and protected from mosquito bites,” said Kamwendo.

The campaign, which targets 19 million people with 11.7 million ITNs across the country, is being implemented through Malaria Control Programme with funding from Global Fund.

By Manasse Nyirenda

Rumphi, November 12, Mana: Women in Rumphi have hailed Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) for transforming their livelihoods from abject poverty.

In an interview, one of the beneficiaries, Jane Makungu from Mlongoti Village in Rumphi, says she acquired cattle through SCTP, a Malawi Government initiative funded by the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) and the World Bank.

Makungu, who receives K9,000 per month from the programme, joined Vision Village Savings and Loans (VSL) group in 2019.

This group provides her with access to funds for investment through share contributions. She receives her share of profits annually.

"In my first year with the group, in 2020, I received K50,000 in profits which I used to buy a mattress. In 2022, I invested the K100,000 I earned from the VSL in tobacco. I bought one bale of tobacco, which earned me K250,000," said Makungu.

In 2023, she deposited K250,000 as a partial payment for a cow priced at K400,000. She completed the payment earlier this year and the cow has since given birth to a calf.

At 68 years old, Makungu describes the SCTP as a lifeline enabling her to meet her household’s daily needs such as food through small-scale businesses funded by the programme.

She added that before she became a beneficiary she struggled with her husband who is an elderly man to provide for their family but the programme has made their lives easier as they are now able to provide for their daily needs.

Another beneficiary, Eunice Zgambo says the programme has given her a lifeline as she is able to take care of four children of her late sister.

Two children of her late sister have disabilities; one does not speak while the other one has a mental illness.

"The others are in college and I support them through this programme. One is studying law at University of Malawi while the other one is at Ekwendeni College of Nursing.

"I invest my money in farming. I grow tomatoes, vegetables and other crops which I harvest and sell to support my family," said Zgambo.

Desk Officer for the programme in Rumphi, Abel Ndlovu, notes that many beneficiaries in the district have used the programme to acquire assets such as livestock and to build decent homes.

SCTP is a Malawi Government programme under Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods (SSRLP) which is funded by the World Bank and Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF).

By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, November 12, Mana:  Subsistence farmers in Traditional Authority (TA) Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba district have expressed prospects of better harvests in the 2024/2025 farming season due to climate-smart interventions they have adopted in their gardens.

The farmers say climate smart works under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSEPWP) have turned their once barren lands into fertile ones.

Speaking Monday during a tour of Thundwe Catchment Area which falls under Kazomba Extension Area (EPA), Melinet Mseteka, from Mukomakuka Village said last year she managed to cultivate one acre where she applied climate-smart technologies.

“I managed to harvest substantial amount of maize. These climate-smart interventions helped me, unlike in the past when I could not harvest the 40 bags that I managed this time,” said Mseteka, who is also the treasurer for the catchment.

According to Agriculture Extension worker for Thundwe Catchment, Harvey Nyirongo, most farmers have benefitted from their participation in climate-smart interventions.

“We have model farms where we practise these climate-smart interventions and most farmers have also embraced them and introduced them in their farms. It would appear most of them have seen the importance of having them in their gardens as they tout them very much,” said Nyirongo.

CSEPWP in Thundwe Catchment is benefiting over 1,200 people who are enrolled on it.

Mseteka said before she was enrolled on the programme she used to grapple with a lack of nutrients as her farmland was barren due to soil erosion.

“But having enrolled on the programme, we have learnt how swale construction helps hold water thereby reducing the speed of water. This makes the water infiltrate and helps in moisture retention. I have also planted vetiver grass which has helped add nutrients and because of this I hope for the better in the 2024/2025 farming season,” she said.

According to Mzimba Senior Land Resource Officer and Desk Officer for the Enhanced Climate Smart programme, Olive Nyalira, most farmers in various catchments have come to embrace the programme after realising that natural ways of managing their farms are better off.

“This is why most have adopted the technologies in their farms. They know with the high cost of chemical fertiliser it's cheaper to adopt these climate-smart technologies in preserving their gardens,” she said.

Nyalira also said the programme is trying to manage some deep gullies that heavy rains in the past created which if left unchecked could lead to loss of farming land.

“Here at Thundwe we have one which the communities are managing. They planted trees around it and they have also dug swales to ensure it no longer continues widening and posing threat to the communities’’, said Nyalira.

CSEPWP is funded by the World Bank and other donors under the multi-donor trust fund.

By Bishop Witmos & Lyte Ali

Mangochi, November 12, Mana: Board Director for the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), Fr. Francis Damaseke, has expressed satisfaction with the quality of work of an ICT laboratory under construction at Namwera Catholic Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Traditional Authority (TA) Jalasi in Mangochi District.

The laboratory is being constructed under the authority’s Connect a School Project.

He made the remarks recently in Mangochi after inspecting the construction works in the company of Parliamentary Committees for Education and Media, Information and Communication.

Fr. Damaseke observed that the work was progressing well very, saying the structure proved strong and was being constructed with advanced equipment.

“So far the progress is good, the project is approximately at 80 to 90 percent complete, even though there are few challenges in terms of delays of supplies of necessary equipment to finish the project on time. As MACRA Board, we are going to make sure that delivery is done on time so that by December it should be ready for use,” he said.

He said Connect a School project was a significant step in promoting digital inclusion in rural Malawi, adding that provision of ICT laboratories will allow marginalized communities to acquire digital knowledge and connect them to skills trainings and employment opportunities.

“Connect a School Project is one of government’s commitment to achieving digital inclusion in Malawi by 2030, and we are moving towards the right direction to see that we are leaving no one behind " he said.

Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Education, Bester Awali, observed quality work despite delays in providing materials, which he said, was most likely to affect progress of the project.

He, therefore, appealed to MACRA to ensure the projects finish on time so that students should be allowed to access ICT services.

He said the world is advanced in digital technology such that it was important for children in Malawi to be very well equipped with digital knowledge and skills.

Awali said his committee will advocate for more resources into initiatives that promote digital inclusion in schools and rural areas to ensure wide utilization of digital technology.

Namwera CDSS Deputy Head Teacher, Benedicto Mujiwa, commended MACRA for the project, saying it will help advance computer literacy and improve on research.

“We have over 200 students at our school. As such, in this digital era, it is an achievement to have access to digital technology. We will own and embrace it and l am sure the community will also benefit from this,” he said.

The Connect a School Project, implemented by MACRA through Universal Service Fund, is set to construct 75 ICT laboratory centres in CDSSs across the country to promotes digital inclusion and equitable access, providing marginalized communities with digital tools, skills training and employment opportunities.

By Beni Bamusi

Thyolo, November 12, Mana: District Commissioner for Thyolo, Hudson Kuphanga, has commended the smooth commencement of phase two of the voter registration exercise in all centres across the district.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Monday, Kuphanga, who is also chairperson for the District Elections Supervisory Team (DEST), expressed optimism about the turnout and the progress made so far.

“The turnout is impressive. I encourage everyone in Thyolo who is eligible to register in order to vote in the 2025 general elections,” said Kuphanga.

He assured the public that Thyolo District is prepared to manage the logistical demands of the exercise despite the current fuel challenges.

“We have secured 15,000 litres of diesel for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) vehicles, ensuring smooth operations. A total of 82 vehicles have been deployed to cover all registration centres,” he said.

However, he acknowledged delays in deploying National Identity Biometric Registration Machines (NIBRM), which are crucial for registering individuals without IDs.

According to Kuphanga, by Saturday, deployment stood at 30 percent but has now reached 70 percent.

“We are optimistic that soon, everyone without an ID will have the opportunity to register,” he said.

Visits to several voter registration centres revealed a positive response from the public.

At Thyolo Prison Voter Registration Centre, Supervisor Ellina Bwanali, reported that 94 people registered on Saturday and 174 on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, 30 individuals, including inmates, could not register due to the absence of NRB machines. However, we have reported the issue and are hopeful that it will be resolved soon,” said Bwanali.

Similarly, Mpinji Registration Centre Supervisor, Swedi Kalowa noted a strong turnout, with 174 people registering on the first day and 196 on the second.

Kenneth Kane, 23, from Ndalama Village under Traditional Authority (TA) Nchilamwera, who came to register at Mpinji, urged fellow youths to register in their large numbers.

“I have registered to exercise my right to vote and have a say in the democratic governance of this country. I encourage all youths who have reached voting age to register. By doing so, we can influence the future of this nation,” Kane said.

The second phase of the voter registration exercise, which began on November 9 will run until November 22. It is being conducted in 11 districts and two cities nationwide.