By Innocent Chamtulo

Mulanje, July 13, Mana: Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture, Vera Kamtukule Saturday urged community members and other stakeholders surrounding Mulanje Mountain to conserve the environment in the mountain for it to maintain its magnificent beauty and as one way of promoting tourism in the district. 

She said this in Mulanje when she graced the 2024 Mount Mulanje porters race.

Kamtukule said the Ministry would continue selling the beauty of Malawi abroad for the benefit of this country’s economy, adding that she has for the first time appreciated the beauty of the mountain during the porter’s race.

“Government is committed to supporting the tourism sector through such events like this one in Mulanje. We will bring more tourists through our marketing strategies as a ministry. I am urging all community members in the district surrounding the mountain to conserve the environment for it to continue attracting more tourists domestically and abroad," the Minister said.

On the other hand, one of the main sponsors, Malawi Gaming Lotteries Authority, through the Director of Finance and Administration, Dumbo Muwalo said in progressing with the Mount Mulanje porter’s race, they would build a sports complex at Likhubula where all the activities involving porter’s race would be held after the completion of the arena.

“As one of the stakeholders, we believe that we have sponsored the event for quite a number of times. However, looking at the area where all the activities are being held is not impressive, so as a board we thought it wise to build a structure here where all the activities will be held after the race and this is one of the our corporate social responsibility. We want to make the event more visible abroad,” he said.

In the lady’s category, Gloria Adam, 18 carried the day after covering 25 kilometres in two hours and 40 minutes 18 seconds while Jafali Jossam, 27 came out on top in the male category after covering 25 kilometres in two hours and nine minutes 11 seconds.

Both winners received K1, 000,000 each.

Adam expressed joy after being declared the winner of the female category, saying the prize would be used towards supporting and managing her school expenses.

“It has taken a year for me to prepare for this event and being declared the winner has always been my dream. I should say my dream has come true. The prize that I’ve received will be used to settle other necessities at home and school as well,” she added.

Runners up and third positions in both categories went away with K800, 000 and K600, 000, respectively.

Communications Officer for the 2024 Mount Mulanje porters race, Jimmy Maloya said organisers of the event were satisfied with how the outcome of the event in terms of patronage and other things.

By Mary Makhiringa

Balaka, July 13, Mana: At least 1, 000 families from the area of Sub Traditional Authority (STA) Nyanyala in Balaka can afford a smile and rest assured that they have a week of three meals per day all thanks to Design OutReach, a local Christian organization.

In their lamentations, the people indicated that they are surviving on sweet potatoes, some on seasonal fruits like Masau, which they buy after enduring hard labour in other people’s irrigation fields.

Before presenting the food relief, beneficiaries were taken through prayers where messages of hope and repentance were given, with each getting a book with stories from the Holy Bible to remind them that they are not forsaken but that God is in control regardless of their situations.

Regional Director for Design OutReach, Dr. Beatrice Chisinga said the organization’s core duty is technology innovation for developing countries whereby their main focus is in an ultra-deep hand pump which extracts water at a very deep depth.

However, Chisinga said due to the dry spells that have hit most parts of Malawi, they thought of reaching out to their donors in the United States of America (USA) to intervene and donate food to some of the affected households.

“We are providing 20 tonnes of maize flour, five tonnes of soya flour, two tonnes of beans, one tonne of cooking oil and one tonne of salt, with bails of soya pieces and these will be distributed to 1, 000 beneficiaries where each person will get a 20 kgs of maize white flour, two kgs of soya flour, a one litre bottle of cooking oil, one kg of salt and 10 packets of soya pieces,” Chisinga said.

“We hope that in October, we might come back as our donors are very positive that we should give at least twice during this dry spell,” she added.

Sub Traditional Authority Nyanyala advised his subjects to prudently use the food items, reminding them of how tough the situation has been in the area.

“I have never witnessed this kind of a donation in my area, let all the food be utilized within our households. I know we will rest for a few days as most of us are relying on doing some piece works for money to buy food,” he said.

“Let these days remind us of the word of the Lord we have heard here. We all have been told messages of hope and repentance,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Bephia Samson, 43, could not hide her happiness. She said the food will serve her and her six children from starving.

“I literally harvested a half 50 kg bag this year. From the harvesting month to date, I have been surviving on grace, these days we could sleep on Masau, sometimes on an empty stomach; to see all the food today and especially that we will prepare with cooking oil is a blessing to me and my family,” Samson said.

Earlier this year, President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera declared state of disaster in 23 districts in the county of which Balaka is included, calling upon local and international development partners to come forward and assist the Malawi nation during this period.

By Mwai Kumanda

Lilongwe, July 13, Mana: Councilor for Chiwamba Ward in the area of Traditional Authority Chimutu, Hardwell Jani has urged people in his area to observe hygiene and sanitation for them to avoid contracting waterborne diseases such as cholera.

Jani made the call on Friday during the clean-up exercise at Chiwamba market, which was organized by the Lilongwe district council.

He said members of the community can end diseases like cholera in their communities if they continue observing hygiene and sanitation on daily basis in their homes and public places such as markets.

Jani further said people should stop thinking that the clean-up exercises that President Chakwera introduced are for the officers only saying it is for every person even those who are not employed in government agencies and departments.

“Cholera is a result of poor sanitation, so the only way of preventing it is to observe hygiene. I am encouraging people of this community to take these clean-up exercises seriously,” he said.

Health Surveillance Assistant for Chiwamba Health Centre, Francis Mdzinga thanked the council for the initiative saying it has been an eye opener to the members of the community on the importance of keeping their surrounding tidy and clean.

Mdzinga further said good sanitation and hygiene practices can also boost people’s mental, emotional well-being and energy to tackle their daily activities.

Lilongwe District Council Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Blessings Makhilinga said the council will continue working hand in hand with members of the community in promoting hygiene and sanitation to prevent diseases.

Makhilinga said it is the wish of the council to end the spread of the cholera outbreak in the district, hence adopting the initiative.

By Vincent Khonje

Mchinji, July 13, Mana: Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has embarked on a campaign to educate consumers about their rights and responsibilities in the communication sector.

This sector includes essential services like broadcasting, mobile telecommunications, internet, and courier provision.

The campaign aims to ensure that consumers are well informed and effectively engage with service providers.

Hutchson Mkwapatira, MACRA's Consumer Affairs Manager, said the importance of the initiative is for people to be enlightened.

"People need to understand what is expected of the service providers and what is expected of them. This knowledge will empower consumers to demand better services and hold providers accountable," Mkwapatira stated.

Part of the campaign is also informing the public about the upcoming phase-out of airtime scratch cards.

He added: "We are moving towards using electronic platforms for purchasing airtime. This transition is necessary to modernize our communication infrastructures."

Bornface Maigwa, one of the consumers who attended the sensitization event at Mchinji boma, expressed happiness with the campaign.

"This campaign is important as it has enlightened us on our rights regarding the consumption of communication services. There are obligations that service providers must honour, and if they fail, we need to report them to MACRA. At the same time, we also have to take care of the equipment they use to provide us with services," said Maigwa.

Maigwa also welcomed the move to phase out scratch cards saying it is a good move to prepare consumers so that they can adapt to new methods and ensure a smooth transition.

During the event, most consumers complained about poor telecommunication services especially those using cellular phones and slow internet connection and on the other hand, service providers complained of infrastructure vandalism.

By Arnold Namanja

Blantyre, July 13, Mana: Old Mutual Pension Services Company has urged Malawians to consider joining voluntary pension scheme services for a better future.

Old Mutual Pension Services Manager, Taonga Manda made the call during a half-day media training held in Blantyre, jointly organized by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi, Association of Women in Media (AWOME) and Old Mutual.

Manda emphasized the benefits of voluntary pensions under Malawi’s Pension Act of 2023.

He observed that the majority of Malawians are not in formal employment settings that would cover them under mandatory pension schemes; hence, they should take advantage of the new arrangement that gives them the liberty to decide how much they want to save for the future.

“These savings will help you and your dependents in the future when they retire. We have a large population that is not covered in formal employment settings thereby creating the need to sensitize them about planning for their future from the little they earn,” he added.

Manda also pointed out the importance of journalists in disseminating the information to the masses, noting: “Journalists are a reliable tool for spreading information of this kind, so we thought of engaging them to ensure they understand the basics of the law for effective presentation of facts.”

MISA Malawi National Governing Council Member, Chikondi Mmanga Kasambara expressed hope that the media will benefit from the training both in providing accurate information to their audience and in their own future planning.

“As a governing body of journalists in the country, we are glad that our members are among the first beneficiaries,” said Kasambara.

“If they are well-informed, they will be able to send out accurate information. We know Old Mutual cannot disseminate this information on its own; they will rely on the media,” she added.

Statistically, 90 percent of the country’s population is not in formal employment, underscoring the need to adopt voluntary pension schemes.

By Leonard Masauli

Lilongwe, July 13, Mana: Director of Information, Communications, Education, and Public Sector Reforms Management Department, Suzgo Khunga, has emphasized that Public Relations Officers (PROs) and District Information Officers (DIOs) are crucial to the reforms agenda, as they play a vital role in publicizing progress initiatives within various ministries and parastatals.

Khunga expressed the sentiments at Crossroads Hotel on Friday during an orientation meeting with PROs and DIOs on Public Sector Reforms.

She highlighted the importance of these officers being well-informed about institutional activities, particularly reforms, to effectively communicate and track progress.

"As a starting point, we thought it necessary to meet the team, so they are aware of the Public Sector Reforms, their origins, and our current communication level. Public Sector Reforms is a government initiative and a recurring effort at every stage and level of government."

Spokesperson for the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, Kate Kujaliwa, echoed Khunga's views, stating that the meeting was critical for the Public Sector Reforms.

She emphasized that DIOs and PROs are key stakeholders in information dissemination and public awareness.

However, Kujaliwa pointed out that many institutions have information and PR officers in low-ranking positions, with decisions being made at the management level.

"We believe that through these reforms, communications and PR specialists should also be placed at the management level," she said.

"This will allow them to contribute their input when programs are being developed, ensuring they are not just involved at the end. Their skill set is essential for creating content, managing crises, and crafting impactful messages for Malawians," she said.