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SEHAS trains learners, cane growers and motor bike taxi operators in First Aid
By Ivy Yohane
Blantyre, September 26, Mana, Status Environmental Health and Safety (SEHAS) is conducting First Aid trainings among learners, cane growers and motor cycle taxi operators to build their capacity to save lives during emergencies.
SEHAS Public Relations Officer, Chisomo Petani told Malawi News Agency in an interview that the organization is committed to provide First Aid knowledge and skills in a number of areas that need immediate attention.
“We are moved with what happens often in our communities and this is the reason we feel there is need to help people to know more about First Aid. We therefore train people understand issues about cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), choking, severe bleeding, burns, head injuries and many more,” she said.
So far SEHAS has conducted trainings on First Aid Blantyre Girls Primary School, St. Andrew Primary School in Blantyre, and a school at Chikwawa Boma,
The organization also trained cane growers at Bangula in Chikwawa and motor cycles riders in Zomba.
Petani said SEHAS will reach out to many communities across Malawi with skills to build capacity on how to respond to situations that require First Aid in time of emergencies.
“It is our plan to reach many areas throughout the country to provide First Aid training. We are planning to engage a lot of partners that can help us achieve our goal across Malawi," she added.
One of the trained cane growers in Chikwawa, Elizabeth Kampesi hailed SEHAS for providing the training, saying this has built her capacity to handle situations that shall need immediate actions to save lives among people working in sugar cane fields.
“I believe the training is important to my community because l will be able to provide First Aid in time of emergences to save lives and prevent further injuries. This can be important in situations where professional medical help is not immediately available,” she said.
SEHAS was established in 2019 to train people in First Aid and safety skills and is helping to bridge the gap in emergency response capabilities, saving lives and improving community resilience.
Somali national arrested for forgery in Dowa
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, September 26, Mana: Police in Dowa on Wednesday, arrested Abdimalick Bashir, a 26-year-old man of Somali nationality for allegedly being involved in the scheme of forging false travel documents.
Public Relations Officer for Dowa Police Station, Alice Sitima said the conspiracy traces back to August this year, when a 45-year-old Ethiopian National, Muhammed Abdisemed, planned a business trip to Malawi.
"Seeking assistance to obtain a visa, Abdisemed contacted his friends at Dzaleka Refugee Camp which led to him contacting the suspect, Bashir, where communication started via WhatsApp, and they agreed on visa processing at a fee of USD 250. Abdisemed promptly transferred the money to Bashir and received the visa within seven days through WhatsApp.
"However, upon arrival at Songwe Boarder on August 26, 2024, immigration officers detained Abdisemed for presenting forged documents," said Sitima.
According to Sitima, Abdisemed reached out to Bashir for clarification of the matter to which Bashir showed ignorance.
"Investigations led to the arrest of Bashir, who revealed that this was not his first time to be involved in an offence involving the production of fake travel documents," she said.
Bashir will appear before court soon, to answer a charge of forgery.
Bangwe All Stars triumph over Baka City in a thrilling match
By Albert Mulizakamba
Balaka, September 25, Mana: In an exciting football match held on Wednesday at Balaka Stadium, Bangwe All Stars secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Baka City from Karonga district.
All goals came in the second half, showcasing a strong performance by the home team as the first goal was netted by Kondwani Chilembwe at the 60th minute mark and just three minutes later, Richard Rapson doubled the lead for Bangwe.
The final blow came at the 85th minute when Clevor Chikwata, also known as Halaand, scored the third goal, sealing the win for Bangwe All Stars as Richard Rapson’s outstanding performance earned him the title of Man of the Match.
In a post-match interview with Malawi News Agency, Baka City coach, Kondwani Mwalweni, accepted the defeat gracefully, stating, “We will work on the challenges that led to our loss today.”
On the other hand, Bangwe All Stars, coach, Trevor Kajawa, commended his team’s effort, saying it was a tough game but they managed to take the day.
“Baka came well-prepared, but we managed to beat them and gain three points, just as we did against Nyasa Big Bullets. We worked hard to avoid relegation,” he added.
The match also saw some drama in the first half when Bangwe team manager, Mike Mdala, was shown a red card for unsporting manners.
It was a memorable day for Bangwe All Stars and their fans as they continue their fight to stay in the league.
The Balaka encounter marked a significant event as it coincided with the anniversary of Balaka Stadium’s construction and the celebration was marked with peaceful and joyous atmosphere.
Bullets staged a stunning 3-2 comeback
By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, September 25, Mana: Maxwell Gasten Phodo, Babatunde Adepoju, and Ernest Petro each contributed a goal, helping FCB Nyasa Big Bullets secure a 3-2 victory over Creck Sporting Club on Wednesday at Kamuzu Stadium, extending their position on the TNM Super League log table.
The defending TNM Super League champions have now accumulated 30 points from 27 as Creck Sporting Club squeeze down to position 5 with 31 points.
Spectators witnessed a brilliant first half as Creck Sporting team tried to rule the game by attempting the gloves of Bullets goalkeeper, Innocent Nyasulu after his defense lost composure.
Bullets took the lead in 45 minutes of the game through Maxwell Gasten Phodo who received a ball from Babatunde, who later in the 45+3 added time doubled the lead after exchanging passes with Ernest Petro making the first half to end 2-0.
Creck Sporting reduced the deficit through Muhammad Sulumba’s first goal in the first 3 minutes of second half after receiving a curve ball from Hadji Wali due to mistakes made by the Bullets team defense.
Later, in 50th minutes, Sulumba came with an equalizing goal from a counter attack.
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach, Kalisto Pasuwa expressed concern over his team’s performance saying the team repeated the same mistakes each and every game.
Analysing the game, the coach said the team failed to keep a clean sheet in the second half because the players lost concentration due to the excitement that they were leading.
“We need to do a lot in order for us to come back to where we were last year. We still have a lot to do, we have to go back to the drawing board and try to correct ourselves otherwise it is not impressive," said Pasuwa.
In the 57th minute, Ernest Petro scored with a header to give Bullets the lead with their third goal, despite Creck Sporting Club's continuous attempts to equalize through relentless attacks, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
The fame still remained in favour of the FCB Nyansa Bullets who carried the day before their fans that were hungry for the team’s win.
Creck Sporting head coach, Macdonald Mtetemera blamed the referee, Msungamwa Mwayi as the cause of their loss saying the officiating panel showed biasness.
“Am very disappointed with the referee who was guiding this game, I think people on the referee’s association have seen the referee’s poor officiating performance. It is my hope that they will work it out,” he said.
In other TNM Super League matches, Bangwe All Stars against Baka City at Balaka Stadium ended 3-0 in favour of Bangwe as Mafco claimed 3 points against Mighty Tigers with 2-0 win while Kamuzu Barracks against Dedza Dynamos ended 2-0 in favor of the soldiers.
Ministry moves to protect groundwater
By Moses Nyirenda
Lilongwe, September 25, Mana: Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Director of Water Resources Engineer James Chitete said his ministry is committed to protecting groundwater to sustain water supply sources such as rivers and boreholes in the country.
He made the remarks on Wednesday during the opening of Malawi National Groundwater Stakeholders Dialogue which was held at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
Chitete said his ministry is currently intensifying various efforts aimed at protecting the groundwater.
“As government what we are doing now is to improve on the aquifer recharge and we are restoring the catchment so that the ground cover of a lot of catchment areas which provide water for primary water sources is enhanced and protected,” Chitete said.
He added that, through the catchment restoration intervention the ministry is working with various partners including the Department of Forestry which promotes initiatives like natural regeneration that help in protecting the groundwater.
The Director further called for more efforts to also be made by other stakeholders including communities and organisations to support the protection of the groundwater saying that groundwater plays a crucial role in the country.
“Groundwater is very crucial in Malawi because is the source of both water supply and even some investments which we have like irrigation systems and almost 80 percent of the population in Malawi depends on groundwater for water supply,” he said.
Chitete also warned that if the groundwater is not properly managed, primary water supply sources such as boreholes and rivers would be affected.
“Groundwater is the resource which is very key and if it is not properly managed the water table will be going down, we have some cases where we have boreholes that were drilled sometimes back because of the degradation of the groundwater the source is not enough.
“Some of the boreholes by the time water-table goes down around September or there about the boreholes run dry because of the degradation of the groundwater, so we need to improve on the recharge of the aquifers,” Chitete explained.
The Malawi National Groundwater Stakeholders Dialogue attracted various officials from Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as; WaterAid and BASEflow just to mention some.
Also speaking during the event, National Focal Group on Groundwater Co-Chairperson, Dr. Brighton Chunga commended the meeting.
“Beyond 60 percent of the rural areas depend on groundwater and we must manage it, therefore the conference would help us to come up with the best ways on how we can manage our groundwater,” he said.
Ministry of Education on the alert of cholera and Mpox in schools.
By Benedicto Maguda
Blantyre, September 25, Mana: The Ministry of Education says it is working closely with Ministry of Health to prevent cholera and Mpox outbreaks in schools as learners enter the third week of the first term of the 2025/2026 school year.
Ministry of Education, spokesperson, Mphatso Nkuonera told Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday that the ministry received a report of cholera and Mpox outbreaks in some parts of the country.
“We are aware of the outbreak, and we know that all of them spread fast, but they are preventable and curable. As ministry, we want to remind teachers, school administrators, school committees, chiefs, mother groups, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to play a role in preventing any outbreak and that we should work together to protect learners,” he said
Nkuonera said the Ministry of Education will continue working with Ministry of Health and other partners to protect learners from the outbreaks at all costs.
“We are working together with the Ministry of Health. The last time we had COVID-19 in this country, we closed our schools for the whole term because we took advice from the Ministry of Health,
“We shall continue monitoring the situation and will listen to the Ministry of Health. Whatever they advise, we will do according to such advice,” he said
Nkuonera appealed to parents to take precautionary measures in protecting their children against any possible outbreak as the Ministry of Education continues to monitor the situation.
Health expert, Mphatso Ngulube Chikwaza, said there was a need to take all precautional measures, adding that first priority should be adhering to best hygiene practices in our schools
“Stakeholders in schools should make sure that water is available so that learners should use it to clean their hands, furthermore, teachers should teach learners to practice hygiene all the time,” she said, adding that overcrowding of learners in most public schools becomes a challenge in disease prevention and control.
He however said there is a need to teach learners best hygiene practices such as consistent hand washing.
“School administration should make sure that water is available in schools, and this should be a priority so that when we tell learners to wash their hands they should know where they to get water,” she added.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022/2023 Malawi recorded 53,020 cases and 1,586 deaths.
CHAKWERA SAYS MIOMBO FOREST VITAL FOR THE ECOSYSTEM
By Arkangel Tembo, New York, USA
New York, 25 September 2024, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has commended the efforts of the World Conservation Society, the International Conservation Caucus Foundation, and the Rain Forest Trust as partners in promoting the sustainable management and conservation of the Miombo Forests.
The president made the remarks on Wednesday during the high-level dialogue on the Miombo forest held at The River Club conference centre in New York, USA.
President Chakwera stated that The Miombo Forest is not just a natural wonder but is a vital ecosystem that defines the landscape of our beautiful continent and sustains the livelihoods of millions within the Southern African region.
“Stretching across more than 2.7 million square kilometers and spanning several countries, including Malawi, the Miombo woodlands are a bastion and central bank of natural treasures for our planet,” said President Chakwera
The president highlighted that the biodiversity of flora and fauna in Miombo forest is simply extraordinary, serving as an immune system of sorts that regulates the health and quality of the food, medicine, and materials that our communities depend on.
President Chakwera stressed that due to a lack of knowledge about the Miombo forest among people among most individuals, the forest has turned into perfect conditions of obscurity to allow criminal activities to place in the forest which has led to the loss of biodiversity.
“As I speak, there is lawless logging in Miombo Forests. There is dangerous deforestation in the Miombo Forests. There is careless charcoal production in the Miombo Forests.
“The net effect of all of this is the decimation of Miombo’s biodiversity, much to the detriment of the millions of people whose livelihood depends on it, and without which they have no natural defense against the blows of climate impacts,” said President Chakwera.
President Chakwera has reaffirmed Malawi’s commitment to work collaboratively with Mozambique to reforest the parts that have been destroyed, creating programs to empower local communities to take ownership of its stewardship.
He also stressed that his administration would work closely with the President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi to implement and comply with the Maputo Declaration on Sustainable Management of Miombo Forests that was signed in 2022 and mobilize resources to be invested in research for the development of sustainable practices that enhance the resilience of our forests against climate change
Mwase’s targets are achievable - sports analysts
By Isaac Jim
Blantyre, September 25, Mana: Sports analysts in the country have said there are a lot of chances for Mighty Mukuru Wanderers’s Coach, Meck Mwase with his team to win at least two trophies this season as the club’s target after he was officially announced as a head coach on Friday.
Commenting on the given target, sports analyst, Frank Kandu, told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Wednesday that the chances of winning the TNM Super League are still there considering that there are more games to be played in the elite league.
“Chances for Mwase to achieve the given target are there since Wanderers are consistent now as they have played eight league games and won all of them. In addition, there are ten games to complete the season and among those games, Silver Strikers have to face Nyasa Big Bullets and Wanderers although Silver Strikers head coach said that the league is already gone,” he said.
Kandu, however, advised Mwase to use new tactics and approaches if he is to win cup games as they are tricky unlike Super League matches, and switch focus to cup titles if winning the league seems to be impossible.
“Sometimes league titles become easy to win because a coach can use home ground advantage and that many games are also played in league title unlike in cups.
“Therefore, the approach and the system of play have to be different and Mwase’s focus and concentration can also be shifted to an achievable title when he feels that his team can no longer fight for the league title after scrutinizing the team’s form and performance,” he added.
On his part, another analyst, Kim Kamau concurred with Kandu. However, Kamau is of the view that the target has not been given in good time as the league is underway and that competitions like Airtel Top 8 have already started.
“The league title race is not yet completed as the Bankers have to play away games same as Wanderers although I believe that it is good to give a coach targets before the season starts as that makes a coach have a good plan like what Silver Strikers did with Mponda.
“So, giving him targets this time I feel like they are late since other teams also have the same target which they started planning way ahead of the competitions,” he said.
Kamau said that Wanderers have a poor record when playing against big teams, emphasizing that they should defeat the opponents they struggle with to mount pressure on league leaders Silver Strikers.
“Wanderers should defeat teams that give them pressure such as Big Bullets, Mighty Wakawaka Tigers and league leaders themselves to tighten the league title race and if they want to win TNM Super League although Wanderers lacks confidence when playing against big teams and sometimes, they lose games that they are not expected to lose even when they are in top and good form,” he said.
“Therefore, Mwase needs to sit down with his backroom staff and have a good plan on how they can at least win one title if the target fails which the sponsor cannot be disappointed with unlike finishing the whole season with nothing to celebrate,” Kamau added.
Mwase who has been serving as an interim coach for almost four months was promoted to head coach following the club’s good performance as the Lali Lubani boys are placed in second position on the league table with 41 points from 20 matches, 7 points behind leaders Silver Strikers after trashing Baka City in the TNM Super League with 10 goals to nil on Saturday.
Nomads will play against Bangwe All-Stars in a second-leg match of Airtel Top 8 at Mpira Stadium on September 28 after the first-leg match at Kamuzu Stadium ended 1 - 0 in favor of the Lali Lubani boys.
Shortage of learning materials suffocating adult schools
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, September 25, Mana: Adult literacy supervisor for Santhe Zone, Augustino Tembo, says the lack of learning materials is affecting the smooth operations and effectiveness of adult schools in the area.
Tembo has since asked authorities to provide the necessary support to the schools which he said are important in the development of communities.
He said this Tuesday at Chigodi in Senior Chief Santhe’s area in Kasungu, during the presentation of certificates to 1 425 students who have completed their adult literacy sessions in the district.
“We last received books in 2017. Most centres do not have the necessary learning materials and this makes our work difficult and the lessons ineffective.
“Adult schools are very important in communities because, after completion of the sessions, the students become productive members of the society, taking important positions in community development structures,” Tembo said.
Kasungu District Council Director of Administration, Matias Blugama said Kasungu is one of the districts with high illiteracy levels in the country and that the council is doing its best to reverse the trend.
“We cannot achieve socioeconomic development if we have illiterate societies. This is why we take this day seriously as we reflect on the challenges that affect adult literacy programmes.
“We are trying our best to reduce illiteracy in the district through various programmes, including adult schools because we understand the importance of such initiatives in achieving socioeconomic development,” he said.
Receiving her certificate, one of the graduates Ella Banda said it was pleasing that she can now read, write and make calculations, skills she said are crucial in her life as a businessperson.
In her remarks, Senior Chief Santhe said it was her wish to see many women and men registering for the adult schools in her area.
The activity was part of the World Adult Literacy Day which falls on 8th September every year and this year’s theme is ‘Promoting multilingual education: literacy for mutual understanding and peace’.
Globally, at least 765 million people are illiterate and in Malawi, about 5 million people, mostly rural women cannot read, write and make mathematical calculations.
Two arrested for robbery in Balaka
By Albert Mulizakamba
BALAKA, September 25, MANA: Two men have been arrested for robbery with violence, Malawi News Agency (MANA) has established.
According to Balaka Police Publicist Gladson M’bumpha, the arrested are, Edward Paudala (30) and Kondwani Davie (29) who committed the offense on Monday, September 23, 2024, at Kapasule Village.
He said the suspects allegedly robbed Dyton Nasiyaya (42) of Gwaladi Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Nsamala, of a bicycle and two cell phones.
Said M’bumpha: “On this day, at around 15:00 hours, the victim left his home to go to Gwaladi Village to buy charcoal using his bicycle.
“As the victim was on his way back home and reached Kapasule area, he met the two suspects who ordered him to switch off his torch. The victim disobeyed the orders, and the suspects blocked the road, causing the victim to fall. The suspects then stabbed the victim in the head and robbed him of his bicycle and two cellphones.”
He added: “The victim shouted for help, and a passerby rescued him while the suspects fled with the stolen items. The incident was immediately reported to the police, who visited the crime scene and conducted investigations, leading to the arrest of the two suspects, and the stolen items were recovered.
According to M’bumpha, the victim is admitted to Balaka District Hospital as both of his eyes were damaged during the robbery and his condition is a bit fair.
The two suspects will appear before court soon to answer charges of robbery with violence.
Edward Paudala hails from Kwitanda Village and Kondwani Davie from Nayiluwa Village, both from Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka District.
