MANAonline
MRA to use drones in tracking smugglers
By Yamikani Sabola
Mzuzu, August 6, Mana: Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has disclosed plans to introduce the use of drones along the country’s borders to detect smuggling activities.
MRA’s Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Dorothy Mataya said during a media training on new tax measures in Mzuzu on Tuesday that the drones will be patrolling the borderlines to facilitate tracking and apprehension of smugglers.
She said smuggling of goods is very rampant due to the country’s porous borderlines.
Mataya said the Authority is therefore intensifying efforts in curbing the malpractice.
“Other countries are increasingly utilizing drones in border security and prevention of smuggling and we want to do the same. The flexibility and ability of drones to cover vast areas quickly make them valuable tools for border surveillance,” Mataya said.
She reiterated that MRA is fixing tax stamps on goods that pass through the border after the importer duly pays customs.
Mataya then appealed to the general public to only buy goods that have tax stamps on them as one way of promoting businesses that are contributing to the country’s tax net.
She said the media training was conducted to ensure that the journalists are given correct information on tax issues so that they can be able to articulate them to the masses the right way.
“We need you as media to go out and tell the public the advantages of paying taxes on all imported goods and how it affects the development of the country. People should understand that if they are into smuggling or are helping others to smuggle, development suffers,” she said.
One of the journalists, Ephraim Banda commended MRA for the training, saying the information shared during the workshop was very vital.
He however asked the Authority to extend the trainings to district based journalists including those from community radio stations.
Premier Bet cashier arrested for squandering K18m through betting
By Sellah Chunda
Lilongwe, August 06, Mana: Lilongwe Police has arrested a 25-year-old, Rodney Kandulu for theft of MK18 million, money he squandered through playing multiple Premier Bet Navigator game, on Sunday, August 4, 2024.
Rodney Kandulu hails from Bismark Village, Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre District.
Inspector Hastings chigalu said on the said date at around 09:00 hours, the suspect, being one of the cashiers at Area 3 office, collected the said amount and started using the revenue to play Navigator betting game in order to generate his own profits without his company knowing.
Upon being audited at around 12:00 hours, it is when he was found with a shortage of the said amount.
A thorough grilling, and going through his cellphone, established that he used the money to play Premier Bet Navigator game in which he placed multiple bets of MK1 million minimum, and MK4.5 million maximum, for several times totaling to MK18 million.
Later, Area 3 police detectives were called in and arrested the suspect.
During interrogation he voluntarily admitted to squander the cash through betting, and said he regretted to have done such a thing, saying he cannot afford to pay back such a huge sum of money.
Kandulu is expected to appear in court soon to answer a case of Theft by Servant.
Parliament committees endorse MRA’s tax stamp
By Tikondane Vega
Lilongwe, August 6, Mana: Public Accounts Committee of Parliament says it fully supports Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) idea to fully use tax stamp as a tool to eliminate goods smuggling into the country.
Chairperson of the committee, Mark Botomani said this on Tuesday in Lilongwe after inspecting MRA Warehouse and unchartered routes that smugglers use.
Botomani said now that the committee has hands-on experience on how people smuggle goods into Malawi, there is no problem for MRA to use tax stamps on products saying doing so could also be protecting other business people.
“After our inspecting today we have noticed that smuggling is a huge problem and the only solution to prevent it is by bringing different mechanisms like tax stamps. No country can run without taxes and MRA needs our support.
“Likely, the stamping issue has the potential to reduce smuggling and that’s the only solution since the government is losing a lot of money through smuggling of goods. That’s invading tax. However, MRA should continue sensitizing the public on the matter,” said Botomani.
On his part, MRA’s Commissioner General, John Bizwick said the goal behind tax stamp is to protect and safeguard local industries and consumers from unfair competition posed by illicit, smuggled, and counterfeit excisable products.
He said the idea also seeks to ensure that consumers are not exposed to unbranded and potentially hazardous imports, which could be detrimental to health.
“The local industry will be saved from unfair competition of smuggled products because only legitimate products will have the stamp, and only legitimate products will find their way onto the market.
“Because of smuggling, the market share of products that have been produced in Malawi has been impacted negatively. By bringing in tax stamps, local industry will be saved from the competition of smuggled products,” he explained.
The stamp endorsement is coming just a day after another committee of industry, trade and tourism led by Paul Nkhoma did the same on Monday after doing an inspection.
Tax stamps are stamped on products to show that the manufacturers have met tax obligations but also to show that the products are fit for human consumption.
First Lady's cancer initiative takes screening to Rumphi
By Manasse Nyirenda
Rumphi, August 6, Mana: First Lady, Madame Monica Chakwera’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign has launched a four-day screening for cancer and sexually transmitted infections at Jeka village in Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe in Rumphi district.
In an interview on Monday, principal social welfare officer at State House, Grace Kalanda said the initiative aims at encouraging women to test for breast cancer routinely in order to detect and treat it early to save their lives.
She added that the initiative was launched in 2023 and at least 700 women in State Residences have been screened for breast cancer and three who tested positive are undergoing treatment.
She further said that their target is to screen at least 500 people in Rumphi.
Director of Health and Social Services for Rumphi District Council, Dr. Arnold Jumbe said about six percent of women who undergo cervical cancer screening in Rumphi test positive.
He therefore urged women to go for cervical and breast cancer screening.
Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe said he was happy that the initiative was launched in his area and urged State House team to take it across the country so that more women can benefit from the initiative.
One of the women who came for screening, Ida Nkhata, 28 from Jeka village in the same area said she was happy to access such services within her village.
She also called upon women to utilize the screening services in her village and test for breast and cervical cancer.
The First Lady's initiative focuses on breast cancer while Rumphi District Health Office has included cervical cancer and STI to the screening campaign.
Statistics indicate that at least 600 women die from breast cancer yearly while 4,000 test positive for cervical cancer out of which at least 2,000 die every year in Malawi.
The screening campaign will run from 5th August to 9th.
Summit of the future a platform for sustainable development
By Lesnat Kenan
Lilongwe, August 6, Mana: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo has highlighted the importance of youths’ participation in the upcoming summit of the future saying this has potential in boosting sustainable development.
She made the remarks on Tuesday in Lilongwe during the summit of the future high-level national consultative workshop jointly held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo, Minister of Education, Madalitso Wilima, Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kumkuyu and Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture, Uchizi Mkandawire.
"The summit of the future is a good platform which will help Malawi to strengthen its cooperation globally and provide opportunities for youths in terms of shaping Malawi's future,” she added.
According to Tembo, Malawi is still off-truck in meeting the 2030 agenda for sustainable development globally, therefore the summit of the future will speed up the implementation of 2030 agendas on sustainable development and strengthen the partnership of Malawi and other countries.
She also expressed her gratitude to the Republic of Germany and United Nations for collaborating with Malawi in various developmental activities.
In her remarks, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Malawi one of the facilitators of the summit, Ute Konig expressed her gratitude for Malawi's engagement in the summit as this gives Malawi a better way for strengthening its relationship with other countries.
"The summit is important as it will help Malawi and other countries to make better future for the upcoming generation and for the state as the summit will tackle different issues in as far as development is concerned,” she said.
One of the organizers of the summit, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Malawi, Rebecca Addah - Dontoh, appealed to every Malawian especially youths and society to have a voice in contributing to the future of the country.
The 79th session of the summit of the future will be held on September 22-23, 2024 in United Nations, New York.
Tobacco Commission cracks down on "nesting" scam
By Patience Kapinda
Lilongwe, August 6, Mana: The Tobacco Commission of Malawi has launched a crackdown on the illicit practice of "nesting," where unscrupulous tobacco sellers conceal inferior products or objects within bundles to deceive buyers.
According to Tobacco Commission Public Relations Officer, Telephorus Chigwenembe, a staggering 5,080 bells containing nested tobacco were confiscated during the 2024 selling season.
"Nesting is a serious problem that compromises the integrity of our tobacco industry and hurts our economy. We will not tolerate it and are taking decisive action to eradicate it," Chigwenembe said.
The Commission has implemented stringent measures to combat nesting, including confiscating bells containing nested tobacco, re-handling tobacco at the grower's expense, and collaborating with law enforcement agencies to apprehend middlemen and vendors involved.
Christopher Saka, a re-handling expert, explained the process of cleaning and sorting nested tobacco bells: "We sort and remove all waste tobacco from mixed bales. Our checkers inspect each bale for unwanted materials like plastic, papers, stones, sand, and suckers. We use qualified measures, including grading, to sort out nested bales separately and accordingly."
Saka noted a significant increase in nesting cases this marketing season: "So far, this year's tendency has increased a lot."
Despite the challenges posed by nesting, the 2024 tobacco selling season yielded positive results, with 133 million kilograms of tobacco sold, valued at $396 million, and an average price of $2.98 per kilogram.
The Tobacco Commission's crackdown on nesting sends a strong message to perpetrators and reinforces the government's commitment to promoting a fair and transparent tobacco industry.
Adapt and change - Director of Agriculture tells staff
By Solister Mogha
Zomba, August 6, Mana: Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources for Zomba District Council, Linda Mphande has advised members of staff under her supervision to adapt and change in the course of implementation of their various activities.
Speaking on Monday during a quarterly review meeting for Programme for Rural Irrigation Development (PRIDE), Mphande said each review meeting is supposed to offer new approaches to issues while also setting as a benchmark.
Mphande, however, said she was concerned that despite several review meetings, members of staff were still conducting business as usual.
“I feel we need to change in the way we conduct our activities. Why should we continue to have review meetings that have no impact,” Mphande said.
She therefore, warned to take action on officers who will fail to adapt to changes and continue to carry out activities according to instruction.
“In the civil service, there are rules and regulations and actions that must be taken on an officer who is reluctant to change. As head of the department and controlling officer, I shall be implementing just as such,” she added.
Mckenkly Dupu, one of the senior officers in the department, concurred with Mphande that failure to adapt to change has been a major setback in the department, saying this has contributed to stagnation of some projects.
“You can imagine some officers taking the whole month to submit their activity reports. This has heavily affected implementation of some of our activities,” Dupu said.
Director of Public Works for Zomba District Council, Henry Mwamvani who was the guest at the event, appealed to staff to take the concerns with serious concern.
“We all work for the betterment of the district and the country at large. I, therefore, urge you to improve and take keen interest at the resolutions made from this meeting,” he said.
Level of goods smuggling shock Parliamentary committee
By Tikondane Vega
Lilongwe, August 5, Mana: Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Trade and Tourism says it is shocked with the level of goods smuggling happening in the country saying there is need to find lasting solutions on how to deal with malpractice.
Speaking on Monday after inspecting the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) Warehouse and some routes that smugglers use, the chairperson of the committee, Paul Nkhoma said it is pathetic that while government needs more resources to assist Malawians, some people continue to invade tax through smuggling.
Nkhoma said it was important for the committee to visit places like Salati, which borders Malawi with Mozambique as well as Dickson Trading Centre, a famous place where all smuggled goods are gathered.
“Our aim of coming here is to appreciate the good work that MRA is doing and also to see some challenges like smuggling. They took us to smuggling hotspots where we indeed saw people with motorcycles as well as bicycles taking goods to Malawi from Mozambique.
“We are told that when it's night, more vehicles use these unchartered routes with goods loaded into our country. All these are in the name of invading tax. More sensitizations are needed on the part of the community,” said Nkhoma.
He has since commended MRA for considering the introduction of tax stamps as well as coming up with drones saying the two will help the institution curb smuggling and increase revenue collection in the process.
Chairperson for Budget and Finance Committee, Gladys Ganda who also joined the committee said the revelations that MRA collected MK3 billion from smugglers last year is a clear indication that Malawi is losing more through smuggling.
Ganda said as chairperson of budget she will ensure that the authority has all the resources to fight smuggling as well as bringing more resources to run the affairs of the country.
She said: “Countries are run by taxes from different activities. If we decide to invade tax like what we have seen today in warehouse and routes we visited then we will not manage to construct classrooms, buy medicine, and construct good roads among others.
MRA Commissioner General, John Bizwick said MRA has put several measures to curb the smuggling of goods saying apart from the introduction of drones and stamp tax, the authority is also considering revising the informant scheme as well as interconnecting with the Mozambique side.
“We have already started discussions with our friends in Mozambique to help us curb the smuggling business. On informants, we plan to reward people with a handsome amount. It is our hope that everything will be done soonest,” he said.
VP emphasizes mindset change
By Sellah Chunda
Lilongwe, August 6, Mana: Vice President Dr Michael Usi has called upon chaplains across the country to embrace mindset change in order for the country to achieve its aspirations as enshrined in the Malawi 2063 (MW2063).
He was speaking Tuesday at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe during the opening of the Council of Chaplaincy Ministry (COCHAM) stakeholders conference.
Usi emphasized the council's crucial role in providing invaluable professional development services to chaplains across both public and private institutions, aligning with the MW2063 as a guiding bridge.
"One of the preconditions for fulfilling our development agenda is mindset change. This involves a shift from the traditional ways of conducting business in both government and the private sector. It's about diagnosing and addressing the undesirable behaviors that undermine our progress,” he said.
National Planning Commission (NPC) Director General, Dr Thomas Munthali, described the meeting as important in steering mindset change.
He concurred with Usi on the importance of chaplaincy in addressing mindset change issues hence the need to engage them.
"We are making progress, but it is slow due to the 'business as usual' mindset prevalent in both state and non-state actor sectors. If people are not in the right mindset and are influenced by false narratives, it hinders progress,” he said.
He appealed to men of God not to be compromised when they encounter powerful politicians but must deliver a clear message to change ways with integrity.
He said chaplaincy plays a vital role in providing quality and professional psychosocial and spiritual care which is essential for the nation's progress.
"If we have a positive mindset change, our public sector will improve and civil servants will start thinking differently thereby enhancing governance and human control,” Munthali said.
COCHAM Executive Director, Mavuto Chipeta, said chaplains have accepted to play the crucial role in changing people’s mindsets.
The inaugural COCHAM conference was held under the theme ‘Chaplaincy as a Vehicle for Malawi 2063.
First Lady drums support for girls’ education
By Solister Mogha
Zomba, August 6, Mana: First Lady, Monica Chakwera has called on Civil Society Organizations and other partners to support girls’ education saying her organization ‘Shaping Our Future Foundation’ is already committed to girls’ education as this is key to Malawi's development growth.
Speaking on Tuesday in Zomba during the opening of Shaping Our Future Foundation’s 2024 Girls Empowerment Retreat, Madam Chakwera said she was saddened with the increasing numbers of girls dropping out of school due to lack of support and other social factors.
“My dream is to educate and empower girls in school so that they achieve their dreams and become self-reliant. As a foundation, we are committed to supporting all girls but we may not reach out to all, hence our call for your support,” said Madam Chakwera as she called on partners to come in with support.
She added that Malawi Vision 2063 recognizes human capital as one of the enablers and as such, investing in girls’ education could spur the country's development growth.
“By educating a girl child, we can educate the whole nation. I therefore appeal to all partners in and outside Malawi to help our girls who have big dreams but are faced with various challenges," she said.
The First Lady has also urged traditional leaders to take lead in promoting girls education by condemning some traditional practices that frustrate girls’ advancement in education, observing that traditional and cultural norms and gender based violence are some of the contributing factors to the girls’ failure to pursue their education.
She therefore encouraged girls attending the retreat to remain focused and work hard in school to achieve their desired dreams.
Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza said girls’ education meet a lot of challenges that need collective efforts to address the hiccups.
The minister therefore hailed the First Lady for coming up with the foundation which she said is helping out girls to advance in their education.
“It is the wish of our ministry to see more girls complete their education and we are very grateful to the foundation,” Sendeza said.
Executive Director for Girls Education Trust, Dr. Limbikani Kamlongera said the trust intends to expand their support initiative so that more girls are supported, adding that girls education continue to meet numerous obstacles but with concentrated efforts, a lot can be achieved.
Meanwhile, University of Malawi pledged to play a complimentary role in supporting girls’ education by mainstreaming gender in its academic programmes to ensure equal opportunities for girls to pursue tertiary education.
Dr. Mufunanji Magalasi who represented the UNIMA Registrar said the college is working tirelessly to ensure 50:50 intakes of students, giving girls equal opportunity for higher education.
Shape Our Future Foundation held its first girls retreat in 2022 at African Bible College in Lilongwe, the second was at Mzuzu University in 2023 and the UNIMA retreat became the third edition.
During the four days retreat which has 150 secondary school students from the southern region, will provide opportunity for girls to hear motivation talks from ladies from various professions that will act as role models.
Before she opened the girls’ retreat, the First Lady toured pavilions by partners that support girls education and among the partners were; Joyce Banda Foundation, Sparkle Foundation, Advancing Girls Education in Africa (Age Africa) Partners Action for Sustainable Development (PASD) and Youth Development for Productivity (YODEP)
