MANAonline
Chimwendo Banda speaks on political pressure on council’s procurement processes
By Evance Chisiano
Blantyre, August 21, Mana: Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Richard Chimwendo Banda has called on local authorities never to give in to political pressure on the choice of contractors as experience has shown that the pressure compromises procurement processes that in turn affect project implementation.
The minister made the call on Wednesday at Golden Peacock in Blantyre where the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, local authorities in the southern region and development partners met for a quarterly coordination meeting.
Chimwendo said quarterly meetings were ideal for the local authorities and development partners’ performance in service delivery, adding that the meetings provide space for the local authorities to learn from each one another and to discuss areas of improvement on service delivery to satisfy citizens’ development aspirations.
The minister observed delayed procurement processes in most local authorities thereby delaying implementation of projects at the expense demand driven development and called on the district commissioners, chief executive officers and their staff to ensure procurement processes are done with reasonable speed for efficiency and effective service delivery.
He however acknowledged political interference on issues of procurement in local authorities where some politicians impose contractors of their choice to carry out development activities.
Apart from ministry officials, District Commissioners, council directors of finance, planning and development and directors of public works, members of parliament from the southern region, ward councilors; mayors from Blantyre and Zomba cities and Luchenza Municipal Council attended the two days quarterly coordinating meeting.
To this effect, the minister called on members of parliament and other influential politicians to stop intervening procurement processes in local authorities, saying the interference has the potential to delay procurement of contracts that are meant to facilitate projects in local authorities.
“Delayed procurement processes frustrate development and this in turn defeats quality service delivery. Don’t allow politicians to interfere in your work,” the minister told District Commissioners and their directors and disclosed that donors through government Enabled to Service Delivery (GESD) project will provide 40 million US Dollars for the implementation of various projects in local authorities across Malawi.
He therefore called on local authorities to improve financial management and procurement procedures to put the donor support to good use for the good of the citizens.
Banda said Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture was trying to deploy adequate and qualified staff in local authorities for efficiency in the wake of continued inflow of donor support.
“We want to move in the right direction to satisfy development aspirations of the citizens that always look forward to quality service delivery,” he added.
On political interference, Thyolo District Commissioner, Hudson Kuphanga acknowledged the trend saying “It indeed compromises procurement procedures and timely and quality service delivery,”
He however said there was a need to stick to procurement guidelines to ensure no political interference and other factors that affect implementation development projects.
“We will always reason with politicians to listen to us and spare us space to do the right procurement process. Procurement has procedures to be followed and it takes good procedures to do good procurement,” Kuphanga added.
During the Regional Quarterly Coordination Meeting several presentations were made by local authorities on issues ranging from financial management to climate change resilience.
Ministry of Education, National Aids Commission, Non-Governmental Organizations Regulatory Authority (NGORA) among others also made their presentations on policy guidance to enhance coordination in the local authorities.
Deputy Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Owen Chomanika opened the meeting on Tuesday and closed it on Wednesday with a call to all local authorities in the southern region to coordinate with all development partners for effective service delivery in their respective areas.
Quarterly meeting in the southern region is part of a series of regional quarterly meetings with other meetings to be held in Dowa and Mzuzu where delegates from local authorities will also discuss coordination as key to quality service delivery
Man Arrested for Murdering Sibling over Debt Dispute
By Hastings Yobe
Lilongwe, 21 August, mana: A 32-year-old man, Masautso Chigwetsa, has been arrested by Mitundu Police for allegedly murdering his brother, Chokonoka Chigwetsa, 34, in a dispute over a debt.
According to authorities, the incident occurred on August 17, 2024, at around 22:00 hours, when Chokonoka, who was intoxicated, visited Masautso's residence to collect a debt. The encounter turned violent, resulting in Masautso assaulting Chokonoka with a wooden stick, causing him to fall unconscious.
Relatives rushed Chokonoka to Mlale Mission Hospital, where doctors referred him to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) for further treatment. Unfortunately, Chokonoka was pronounced dead on August 19, 2024, at around 20:00 hours, before being transferred to KCH.
A post-mortem examination conducted by medical personnel from Mitundu Rural Hospital revealed that Chokonoka died from internal bleeding caused by the assault.
Masautso, who hails from Mbofana Village, Traditional Authority Masula in Lilongwe District, will face murder charges.
According to the police, this tragic incident highlights the devastating consequences of unresolved disputes and the importance of seeking peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
CCAP to Celebrate 100 Years of Service and Faith
By Kondwani Banda
Lilongwe, August 21, Mana: The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) is set to celebrate its centenary anniversary from August 23rd to 25th in Lilongwe, with the climax of the celebrations expected to take place at Civo Stadium on the final day of the event.
Secretary General of the CCAP General Assembly Reverend Dr Mwawi Chilongozgi, , announced this during a press briefing at the Central Office of Information in Lilongwe, revealing the theme of the centenary celebrations as "The Lord has done great things for us" (Psalm 126:3).
“We have enough reasons to celebrate because CCAP has made an impact on evangelism, education, health, and development,” she added.
According to the Moderator of the CCAP General Assembly, Reverend Biswick Nkhoma, the celebrations mark the union of individual Presbyterian Missions in 1924.
“In 1924 the name CCAP was born as a name for Presbyterian family for the three Synods of Blantyre, Nkhoma and Livingstonia t,” Nkhoma stated.
The celebrations will feature a book launch and dinner at Bingu International Convention Centre on 23rd August, the laying of the foundation stone at the General Assembly office in area 18 on August 24th followed by a march to Civo Stadium, and a worship service at Civo Stadium on 25th August.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera is expected to attend the celebrations on Sunday 25th August.
The celebrations will also bring together partner churches from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United States, as well as CCAP members from the synods in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, who will attend the event.
Two Die in Nkhotakota Plane Crash
By Wongani Mkandawire
Nkhotakota, August 21, Mana: Two people have died and one has survived in Nkhotakota after a plane they were travelling in crashed into Lake Malawi near Benga in the district on Tuesday afternoon.
Nkhotakota District Commissioner Ben Matengeni Tohno confirmed that the two bodies were recovered around 2 a.m. on Wednesday and were taken to Nkhotakota District Hospital.
The deceased have been identified as 50-year-old Fungay Jonathan, a Zimbabwean pilot and Frisco Westheim who is 29 years old and of Dutch origin while the survivor is Charlotte Lemstra who is 22 years old and also of Dutch origin.
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism Vera Kantukule has applauded the rescue team and service providers at Nkhotakota district council for the swift operation and support rendered to the survivor.
She said this when she visited the survivor before heading to the crash site.
“I am very happy and impressed with the help given to the survivor here at Nkhotakota District Hospital. Let me express gratitude to our partners at African parks and the communities for the support given in one way or the other,” said Kantukule.
The plane has currently been recovered from the lake and brought to the beach.
In a statement, government spokesman Moses Kunkuyu said the aircraft a C210, registration 7QPFU departed Nkhotakota Tongole airfield at 2 p.m. of Tuesday and was traveling to Liwonde in Machinga with the three on board when the accident happened.
New classroom block to promote enrollment in Chiradzulu
By Blackson Mkupatira
Chiradzulu, August 21, Mana: People of Nyandule Village under Traditional Authority Sandareki in Chiradzulu District have expressed gratitude to Chiradzulu District Council for constructing a classroom block in the area, which will lead to the introduction of Nyandule Junior Primary School.
In an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Wednesday, Village Head Nyandule said that many children have been unable to enroll in Standard 1, despite being of school age, because they are too young to walk the long distances to the nearest primary schools.
"The closest primary schools from the area are Masanjala and Donde Primary Schools. Masanjala is over 8 kilometers away and across the river; so during the rainy season, when the river overflows, it was impossible for the children to cross, which promoted absenteeism.
"Donde is about 5kms and on the other side of the main road, which is also not safe to cross. That why we wanted at least a junior primary school so that these children would not travel long, unsafe distances to access education, " explained the chief.
He, therefore, hailed the council for fulfilling the needs of the people of the area and asked authorities to expedite the handover process of the classroom block, saying children are eager to start benefiting from the development.
Primary Education Advisor for Nduze Education Zone Kingsley Chapola applauded local leaders and community members for their active involvement in advocating for the school block and overseeing the construction to ensure it was completed on time and met quality standards.
"Once the structure is fully complete and the school opens, many children will be able to enroll in Standard 1 and 2. Dropout rate and absenteeism will also be reduced as the long distances have been the main reason students lose interest in education here," Chapola explained.
Chiradzulu District Council Director of Planning and Development, Henderson Kaumi expressed satisfaction that the construction of the school block is almost complete and that it has been built to meet modern standards.
He said the structure will have two classrooms, Standard 1 and 2, and will accommodate a minimum of 120 learners and is scheduled to be handed over to the communities by September 2024 for utilization.
"This is the development they wanted, and as a council, we are pleased to deliver it to them. Meanwhile, we are looking for additional funds to construct teachers' houses," said Kaumi.
Nyandule classroom block has been constructed with funding from the World Bank through the Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) Project, at a cost of K62,094,782.10.
Learner mentors making a difference in Mchinji Schools
By Vincent Khonje
Mchinji, August 21, Mana: Deputy Minister of Education, Nancy Chaola Mdooko has commended Learner mentors in Mchinji for inspiring young girls to stay in school and pursue their dreams.
The mentors, who are young girl’s school leavers from the local communities, have taken strides to encourage schoolgirls to priorities education and avoid early marriages among others.
Mdooko, visited Benjamin and Mbachundu Primary Schools in the district to witness firsthand the impact of the mentors who are part of the Malawi Education Reform Programme (MERP) and expressed satisfaction with the work being done by the learner mentors.
“We are implementing the MERP project where we have learner mentors who have done very well in motivating girls to be in school. The mentors have even removed other girls from early marriages to be taken back to school. It is our wish to increase the number of these mentors so that this excellent work should continue,” said Mdooko.
The Deputy Minister added that they are not just motivating girls to stay in school, but also serving as role models in their communities where female teachers are few.
Mchinji’s Director of Education, Youth and Sports Joyce Hamsini, said the learner mentors have brought positive changes in the district.
“We are seeing the fruits of the learner mentors in the district, and we need to continue holding hands. Several factors force parents not to send their children to school like poverty and mere lack of interest, but with these mentors, they can be influenced to send the children to school,” said Hamsini.
Hamsini said out of 221 primary schools in the district, 110 have these mentors.
A mentor for Mbachundu Primary School, Emma Kapinga, shared her experiences and revealed the impact she has brought to the girls she mentors.
“Being a mentor, I have seen girls who were on the verge of dropping out or getting married early are now focused on their studies. Over 75 learners are now back to school here at Mbachundu Primary School.
“Other results include improved performance of the learners, low absenteeism, learners’ confidence and environmental protection.,” said Kapinga.
Kapinga owed the success to the collaboration with all the stakeholders like teachers, mother groups, and the school management committee.
Minister urges Mchinji communities to embrace self-help Initiatives
By Vincent Khonje
Mchinji, August 21, Mana: Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, has encouraged communities in Mchinji to cultivate a self-help spirit that can drive development in their areas.
Sendeza made the remarks on Tuesday after touring several community-led initiatives as part of the Community Development Month (CDM) Initiative aimed at improving local infrastructure.
She said the self-help spirit should be instilled in the people so that they can initiate development projects on their own.
"It has to be the people starting the development projects since they are the ones who know what they want. I am happy that the self-help spirit is spreading in most Area Development Committees (ADCs) and that everyone is now involved in initiating development projects," said Sendeza.
She urged the council to ensure that all ADCs are trained to embrace the self-help spirit.
The Minister visited Traditional Authority (TA) Mavwere and toured Mankhwala Junior Primary School where community members are constructing a school block, and Kapanga Health Centre where the community is building a nurse's house.
Her next stop was TA Simphasi where she visited Chiwoko School, and appreciated the newly built house for the Primary Education Advisor (PEA) constructed by the community and Chimteka School where there is a complete classroom block.
Chairperson for Mavwere ADC Dereson Bisai said they thought to start themselves before asking for help somewhere else.
"We have schools that are very far from here so we thought we could build classes for a junior primary school to help young children to attend school. We also thought of making sure the health personnel at Kapanga Health Centre should have a proper dwelling house, that is why we decided to start these projects as a community," said Bisai.
Present at Simphasi was a member of parliament for Mchinji Central Jephthar Mwale, who said the people of the constituency are doing well in self-help development projects.
"This initiative is aimed at asking people to start projects on their own so that they own the projects. I am happy that people have also welcomed the initiative and it is pleasing to see that there are many community-initiated projects," said Mwale.
The CDM Initiative was established in 2023 by the government to spearhead a self-help spirit by engaging people to initiate development projects.
Mulanje Peaks and Rhythms Festival balances tourism and conservation
By Mtisunge Gwedeza
Blantyre, August 21, Mana: Youths in Mulanje have organized a festival called Mulanje Peaks and Rhythms, a platform for young people to showcase their efforts in the tourism industry and to interact with established tourism stakeholders from August 30 to September 1 in Mulanje.
The Director and Founder of the festival, Michael Kwapata told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday that the festival will feature an environmental parade with key messages on reducing plastic use, promoting recycling, and supporting sustainable practices.
“The festival will take place in various places like Chitakale, Gateway Lodge, Mulanje Sports Club, Dziwe la Nkhalamba, and Cork and Bottle; whereby, discussions, demonstrations, and activities such as tourism practices, guided hikes and opportunities for the youth to showcase entrepreneurial activities will be conducted.
“This engagement will not only provide exposure but also encourage young people to explore careers in tourism and environmental conservation,” Kwapata said.
“In addition, we have formed partnerships with local environmental NGOs, community groups and businesses committed to sustainability. These collaborations are helping us to provide resources, expertise and outreach necessary to achieve our festival goals and continue to seek additional partnerships to broaden our impact and strengthen initiatives,” he said.
Some of the collaborations and partnerships the festival organizers have formed include We Forest, Cork and Bottle, Conservation Arts, Mulanje Youth Organization, Malawi Travel, Nalipiri Lodge and many more.
These companies told Mana that partnering with Mulanje Cultural Festival aligns with their core values of community engagement and cultural preservation.
To spice up the event, organizers have also invited local and big artists like Tay Grin also known as the Nyau King and Lulu and the Mathumela Band have confirmed their presence at the festival.
In a separate interview, Tay Grin expressed his excitement to headline at the festival.
“Mulanje has such a special vibe with its stunning landscapes, the energy at these festivals is always next level and being part of that, seeing people come alive to the music, dance and traditions is what I look forward to the most,” the Nyau King said.
“I want to convey messages of unity, pride and celebration of Malawian identity. Through my performance, I want to remind everyone that our culture is powerful, beautiful and deserves to be showcased on every stage. Let’s celebrate who we are and look forward to a future where our culture continues to shine brightly,” Tay Grin added.
On his part, Lulu also confirmed his performance at the festival, saying he is excited to share his music and energy with the crowd.
“I am so excited to be part of these great minds, people see things we don’t see in ourselves. So, we are going to give them what they deserve but mostly we are looking forward to enjoy the environment,” he said.
Attendees can support the Mulanje Peaks and Rhythms Festival goals by staying connected with partner organizations, participating in ongoing conservation and practicing sustainability in their daily lives.
Three Men Arrested for Theft of K22 Million Worth of Soybeans
By Sellah Chunda
Lilongwe, August 21, Mana: Police at Chitipi in Lilongwe have arrested three men suspected of stealing 300 bags of soybeans valued at K22 million from the Sunseed Oil Company warehouse at Airwing on August 19, 2024.
Police have successfully recovered 37 bags of the stolen soybeans.
The suspects have been identified as Lazarus Watson (31), Nickson Yekweliya (39), and Sungeni Mlangeni (21).
According to General Inspector Hastings Chigalu, the suspects, who were all casual workers at the company, allegedly conspired with the warehouse supervisor and six security guards to siphon the bags over less than a month this August.
When the property owners reported the missing soybeans to Chitipi Police, detectives launched an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspects. They were apprehended while offloading the recovered 37 bags at a warehouse in Mpingu on Monday.
Meanwhile, police are still searching for the warehouse supervisor and the six security guards, who are currently on the run. Efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining 270 bags of soybeans.
The suspects will soon appear in court to face theft charges.
Lazarus Watson hails from Nkhwazi Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mabvere in Mchinji, Nickson Yekweliya is from Kamphinda Village, T/A Chitukula, and Sungeni Mlangeni is from Mphande Village, T/A Kabudula, both in Lilongwe District.
Ministry of Gender drills reporters and editors on Social Protection Programmes
By Eunice Disi Lole
Lilongwe, August 20, Mana: Chief Social Welfare Officer for Ministry of Gender Chifundo Nanchukwa has stressed on the critical need for media practitioners to be furnished with the right information as they play a very crucial role in disseminating information to the public.
Nanchukwa made the remarks on Tuesday during a one day orientation session on Social Protection Gender Empowerment and Resilience Project (SP-GEAR).
“We called editors and reporters from various media institutions so that we could sit down with them and orient them on the Social Cash Transfer Programmes that are being implemented in Malawi by the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare in all 28 districts.
Editors play a key role in editing stories that reporters bring on their desks and if they have an understanding on Social Protection (SP) programmes they will be able to provide the necessary support in publishing stories that contain the right information that will contribute to reducing poverty in the country.
Speaking during the orientation economist from the Ministry of Finance, Elisha Limbe, reviewed that approximately 10% of the population in the country falls under ultra-poor and incapacitated category thereby highlighting the need for support to improve their living standards.
Currently, there are a number of social protection programmes that the government is implementing through various ministries and these include, social cash transfer, school feeding programmes, older person’s act among others as a way of reducing poverty, hunger and starvation in the country.
“There is need for the media and government to work together in implementing social protection programmes effectively,” he said.
The orientation which targeted editors and reporters from different media institutions was organized by the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare with support from UNICEF.
