By Hastings Yobe & Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, August 10, Mana: President for the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who is also State President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera has thanked all party members who volunteered and donated for the party's convention.

The President said this on Saturday at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) during the closing ceremony of the party’s 2024 elective convention.

“I want to thank all party members who run small businesses all over the country but still decided to donate their income to support the convention because this is what is needed for the stronghold of our party,” said Chakwera.

Chakwera further urged the newly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) members to be hardworking, committed and work as a team.

“You should keep in mind that the people who have elected you are united, hardworking, lovers of peace and do not bring anything opposite to this. We respect the rule of law and not strength of individuals,” Chakwera said.

Newly elected Secretary General, Richard Chimwendo Banda, emphasized on the need for the new committee to work in unison in order to achieve better results.

“I strongly advise for peace to those who are in the party. We must work together even with those we were contesting against on the same seat we are on now. We must remember that we are children of the same family,” said Chimwendo.

Chimwendo also thanked the delegates for choosing what he called democratic leadership.

“This convention has proven that our delegates know what is best for the party because they have voted each position wisely,” said Chimwendo.

The MCP elective convention started on Thursday, August 8.

By Hastings Yobe

Lilongwe, August 10, Mana: The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) convention at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) auditorium has reaching its climax, with musician Skeffa Chimoto setting the tone with soothing music as delegates await the commencement of today's events.

The highly anticipated events, expected to start shortly, will be graced by the presence of State President and MCP President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera.

Today's proceedings mark the finalization of all events held during the convention, resulting to the announcement of the official results for the party’s new National Executive Committee (NEC) by the Malawi Electoral Commission.

By Rosalia Kapiri

Salima, August 9, Mana: Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) says the media has a powerful role to play in making sure that correct information is passed on to the public, thereby facilitating in voluntary tax compliance in the country.

MRA Head of Corporate Affairs, Steven Kapoloma disclosed this on Thursday, in a statement during a media editors training on new tax measures and MRA initiatives workshop in Salima.

Kapoloma said MRA engaged various media organizations to take them through the various tax administration reforms and measures that have been implemented by MRA and the new technologies employed to fight smuggling.

"Editors are key gatekeepers of information and engaging them will make sure that the information going out to the masses is the correct one.

"MRA is committed to ensure that all tax knowledge and skills are shared with members of the press to advance capacity and guarantee effective utilization across the news gathering chain," he said.

In his presentation, MRA Training Manager under Domestic Taxes Division, Samuel Mwale highlighted the introduction of tax stamps, a tool to help identify goods that have come through the border and are of good quality and genuine.

He said this will help differentiate smuggled goods from legitimate ones on the market of which teams deployed to search will be confiscating goods without MRA stamp found on the market.

"Tax stamps is not a new type of tax, but a compliance monitoring tool," he said.

He added that MRA will run campaigns to encourage the general public to report non-compliance for rewards.

The Authority has appealed to the public to adhere to the paying of taxes, saying they enable Government to implement various social services such as buying of medicines for hospitals, learning and teaching materials in public schools, developmental projects such as construction of roads and paying of salaries to civil servants, among others. 

By Brian Wasili

Mwanza, August 9, Mana: Senior Chief Nthache of Mwanza has hailed Mwanza District Council for constructing two classroom blocks at Mthetula, Group Village head, Kasuza where the council is introducing a Community Day Secondary School to provide secondary education within reach of children in the area.

In an interview on Wednesday Nthache said in the past the leaners from Mthetula used to walk long distance to Chidoole Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), regarded as next school, adding that the long distance to Chidoole frustrates children’s interest in education.

“Now that the school is going to open within a walkable distance, our children will be motivated because many will be selected to start form 1 and this will surely promote education in my area,” said Nthache who also expressed optimism that cases of school dropout will end in the area.

The classroom block which is at roofing level has been constructed with last financial year’s Constituency Development Fund at a total cost of about K45 million.

Also under construction at the new school is a staff house with Performance Based Grants by Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project at a cost of about K118. Million and there are plans to build an administration block estimated to cost K143 million, courtesy of GESD.

Mthetula CDSS is expected to open this coming academic year (2024-2025) and will bring the number of secondary schools in Mwanza to nine with Mwanza District Secondary School being the only boarding public school in the district.

Emily Nyozani a primary school learner in the area commended the introduction of Mthetula CDSS in the area, which she said, will reduce drop out of girls in the area.

“I am particularly grateful for having a secondary school in our area because this will be convenient on our part, the walking distance is reasonable,” she added.

She encouraged fellow girls in the area not to rush for marriage but rather stay in school to go up to secondary school as the new facility is there for them.

By Chisomo Kambandanga

NKhata Bay, August 9, Mana:  A citizen of the United States of America, Teneil Jayne has constructed a two kilometer slab road at Bwelero in the area of Sub Traditional Authority Mndola in Nkhata Bay to ease mobility challenges.

In an interview, Thursday during the road handover ceremony, Jayne said the challenges that people face in accessing medical services prompted her to mobilize resources for the project.

"I have stayed in Nkhata Bay for about eight years now.  One of the major problems I noticed is transport for people to access medical services. Expectant women struggle hiking down the mountains as the roads are impassable, hence a stretch of the helping hand" she said.

According to Jayne, she witnessed people getting injured due to accidents as they hike down the hills.

"I commend the community and their leaders for their contribution towards the project with sand among other resources. Together with the little that I mobilized from family and friends we have made it," she said.

In his remarks, Nkhata Bay District Commissioner, Rodgers Newa commended Jayne for the gesture of improving the condition of the road as it has opened a door of opportunities to many.

"This is quite a welcome development. The terrain of Bwelero is hilly and it was extremely difficult to travel through it. We are today happy to witness the handover of this project.

Newa therefore invited more partners and well-wishers to continue supporting government's efforts in developing communities in the district.

Mary Banda, a resident from the area said the road has connected them to a number of services they have been failing to access with ease.

"For ages we have been failing to access this road either by car or foot. The situation was worse during rainy season. Now that it has been repaired we are grateful. We are now connected to hospitals, schools and even trading centres to transport agricultural products", she said.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, August 9, Mana: Chairperson for Association of Persons with Albinism (APAM) – Kasungu Chapter, Caroline Zimkomola says beliefs against people with albinism are a major barrier to their full participation in politics.

She was speaking in Kasungu on Thursday during an elections stakeholders meeting on women's participation convened by the Catholic Centre for Justice and Peace (CCJP).

Zimkomola said there is need to remove the hindrance and has asked civic education organizations to help raise awareness on the rights of persons with albinism to demystify the myths, which have largely contributed to killings.

She said: “The mention of elections worries us because this is the period some people make evil schemes against persons with albinism resulting in abductions and deaths.

“It is for this reason that most people with albinism opt not to take part in political activities because they feel insecure even to attend political rallies.”

Zimkomola said persons with albinism have the potential to campaign, participate as voters and also contest for leadership positions, but are let down by superstitions.

“We need to seriously look at this issue because it borders on serious threats to the right to life.

“Communities on the other hand must be made aware through intensified civic education about the rights of persons with albinism so that there is a safe environment for everyone to take part in elections,” she said.

In his remarks, District Gender Officer for Kasungu, Humphrey Longwe said political structures must create a conducive room for women participation by ensuring that bottlenecks that discourage women to contest as leaders are cleared.

He said gender equality is not a favour towards women but a virtue that communities must accept and adopt as the correct way of living in a civilized world.

He said: Women’s perspectives, needs and interests must be adequately represented in decision-making processes, which ensures that policies and laws reflect the diverse experiences and challenges faced by all citizens.

“Gender-diverse leadership leads to better governance and more effective policies as women often bring different priorities and approaches to leadership which contribute to having more comprehensive policies.”

District Coordinator for CCJP, Hastings Kalima said the meeting was organized to reflect on the challenges women face in the political arena to increase the number of women in decision-making positions.

The meeting brought together members of the clergy, political and traditional leaders, civil society representatives, women groups and the media.  

In all the general elections that happened in Malawi, women have performed badly such that their numbers in both Parliament and councils have been a source of concern for the country that is striving to promote and empower women.

Only 44 of the 193 Members of Parliament in the country are women, representing 23 percent.

By Moses Nyirenda

Lilongwe, August 9, Mana: Lilongwe District Chief Preventive Health Officer, Paul Chunga has cautioned Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) working in Lilongwe to avoid being absent from their duties and scale up efforts in promoting good health in the country. 

He made the remarks on Thursday in Lilongwe during an interface meeting with senior HSAs for Lilongwe, which was organized by Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN).

Chunga said in some areas HSAs do not report for duties yet they are supposed to do so on daily basis.

“Most HSAs do not report for duties and some report just for two hours and off they go, yet we are supposed to work from 1^st January to 31^st December unless you are on leave.

“You find that many communities are not visited by most of these HSA for several reasons, others live very far away from their catchment area with their families and because of this they fail to sustain paying transport which leads to absenteeism,” Chunga said.

He added that the HSAs are supposed to work according to their work plan but most of them barely follow the plan.

He further cautioned the HSAs to avoid being absent for duties and upscale their efforts in promoting good health in the country saying they have a lot of work do which include; sanitation and water quality promotion as well providing health education in the communities.

Chunga applauded MEHN for constantly engaging HSAs on various health related issues such as vaccination of under-five children through its vaccination project, which it is implementing in the country with financial support from Global Alliance for vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).

MEHN Assistant Project Officer, Tumpale Kalobo said as an organization they are committed to working with the HSAs in order for them to cordially work with Mother Care Groups (MCGs) in the vaccination of the under-five children and make sure that all children are vaccinated against diseases such as Measles and polio.

MEHN is supporting the vaccination work of under-five children through MCGs, which scaled up vaccination efforts by among other things making door-to-door visits to encourage mothers to take their children to the clinics for vaccination.

By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, August 8, Mana: British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fiona Ritchie, has expressed satisfaction with the operations of the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS), saying department provides accurate weather forecasts accessible to everyone across the country.

She said the weather forecasts and DCCMS systems are particularly essential to farmers about climate change for future planning and preparation of the agricultural calendar.

Ritchie was speaking Thursday during a tour of the DCCMS in Blantyre to appreciate how the department operates and how they disseminate information to their end users.

She said during the tragedy and the devastation of Tropical Cyclone Freddy they saw how important it was to have DCCMS as the weather forecasts helped people evacuate their villages and get to safer places.

She added that farmers understand the impact of climate on their crop production and livelihoods easily through community engagement to plan easily for their agricultural activities.

“I have met the most dedicated team of people who are really passionate about their job, as we see increased climate shocks affecting Malawi, DCCMS has a real vision for how it can get out there and tell the country about the importance of weather forecast and how farmers can utilize it in boosting agricultural activities,” said Ritchie.

She said it is critical to witness the partnership between the British and DCCMS that demonstrates the importance of contacts and information sharing, encouraging other partners supporting the Department.

She pledged that the British High Commission is geared to upgrade studio equipment used at the DCCMS to disseminate information.

Director for DCCMS, Dr Lucy Mtilatila, said the UK Meterological Office has been providing support to their department, citing the 20 years support the department has enjoyed including the setting up of the Television Studio which helps in broadcasting of climate change information to the end users.

“Our work is to inform people and share messages related to climate and give warnings, the UK support helps us reach as many people as possible and we will continue doing our best to make sure that the disseminated information is accurate and perfect for people to utilize it,” said Mtilatila.

During the visit, Ritchie visited the National Meteorological Centre, Communication Saver Room and DCCMS Television Studio where she presented today’s weather forecast for the country.