MANAonline
Mangochi fisheries office confiscates illegal fishing material from traders
By Lyte Ali
Mangochi, November 14, Mana: Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Unit in the Department of Fisheries with support from Ripple Africa confiscated illegal fishing material from traders around some shops at Mangochi Boma and Makawa Trading Centre this week.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, Fisheries Inspector in Mangochi, Allan Katola said after noticing increased illegal fishing gears on Lake Malawi, the department planned to conduct a spot check operation in shops that trade fishing material.
He said some of the fishing materials that were seized are monofilaments as well as gillnets, saying that most fishers buy them because they are cheap and that they kill more fish.
“What we confiscated are illegal fishing gear and are banned by the laws of the country, as such, they are unauthorised. They help are responsible for depleting every aquatic life in the water bodies.
‘‘As such, we thought of starting to move in shops, targeting traders, and those found selling these materials will be prosecuted in court,” said Katola.
Commenting on the development, District Project Manager for Ripple Africa, Robert Manthonyera said Ripple Africa will continue supporting the Fisheries Department with resources through their Fishing Conservation Project as a way of protecting fish in the water bodies.
He added that the Fish Conservation Project also known as Fish for Tomorrow is aimed at reducing illegal fishing in Malawi as well as promoting fishing regulation.
“Ripple Africa will continue collaborating with the Department of Fisheries in confiscating illegal fishing material whether in shops or lakes in order to protect our lakes,” Manthonyera said.
CS-EPWP hailed for transforming livelihoods, farming methods
By Steve Chirombo
Dedza, November 14, Mana: People of Mayani in Dedza district have hailed the Climate Smart Enhancement Public Works Program (CS-EPWP) for transforming their livelihoods as well as farming methods through construction of swales which they say are helping in holding rain waters that used to cause land degradation.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, Vice Chairperson for Ng’ombe Catchment, Cecilia Seliso said unlike in the past, many communities are embracing the initiative having noticed the many benefits that come with it.
She said apart from swale construction, the cash being provided to members of the communities is helping them to buy farm inputs and also support their households.
“Some are doing small scale businesses while others are paying fees for their children in schools. This intervention is important as it is also improving our lives. Some households have managed to buy domestic animals which also provide them with manure for our farms and others we sale in so doing improving our economic wellbeing,” said Seliso.
On his part, Group Village Chingota expressed satisfaction with the program adding that apart from the swales, they have established nurseries and tree seedlings have also germinated ready for planting soon.
“We are geared to restore forests for the benefits of our next generation. We appreciate the council for leading us in various initiatives that are transforming our lives through the program,” he stated
Agriculture Extension Development Officer (AEDO), Joseph Jassi, for Kaphuka Extension Planning Area (EPA) where Ng’ombe catchment falls, said people are able to make manure.
“About 800 hectares of land is being used by people in this catchment area. We are happy to see that participants have embraced the program. There are a number of program participants that have owned some businesses while others do have domestic animals curtsey of the financial aspect of this program,” said Jassi
Dedza district council, Land Resources Officer, Franklyn Gomani, who is also desk officer for the program said CS-EPWP is aimed at addressing four areas of afforestation, ending hunger, access to finances and ownership to the affected areas either by soil erosion, galleries and deforestation among others.
There are 22,336 program participants under the CS-EPWP in Dedza district.
The program is being implemented by the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) through the district council with support from the Malawi Social Protection Multi Donor Trust funded by the World Bank, USAID, Iceland, Ireland, UK-FCDO, EU and Norway.
Stormy rains affect 2,313 households in Mangochi
By Ernest Mfunya
Mangochi, November 14, Mana. Mangochi District Council has established that stormy rains the district had on Thursday, November 7, 2024 affected 2,313 households as 16 people got injured in 12 villages under traditional authorities Mponda, Mapila and Ntonda in the district.
The council's spokesperson, Bishop Witmos disclosed this on Wednesday following an assessment, which the District Disaster Risk Management Committee (DDRMC) conducted recently.
According to Witmos, out of the 2,313 affected households, 1,430 are female headed while 883 are male headed.
The council spokesperson added that 319 households are displaced due to damages of their houses as the council calls for urgent assistance of tents, food and other non-food items to keep the affected households going.
“We are pleading with organization to help the victims with family tents, food items including maize or flour, rice, relish, cooking oil and nonfood items such as blankets, plastic kitchen utensils as most families lost almost everything,” added Witmos.
Mangochi Municipal Council, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ernest Kadzokoya said that the stormy rains affected 782 households in five wards in the municipality including; Chikole, Kalungu, Msukamwere, Chigawe and Ndege.
He added that a boy got injured and infrastructure damaged, citing Mpondasi primary school roof and Ndata market shed were blown off.
Kadzokoya has since appealed to individuals of goodwill and organizations to help the council with tents food and non-food items to timely assist the victims.
The assessments were underway in Traditional Authorities Chimwala and Nankumba to establish the impact of the damage due to stormy rains on Tuesday, November 13.
Apart from Mangochi, stormy rains also affected other districts in the country including, Balaka, Neno, Mwanza, Mzimba.
UNIMA Research Shows Rising Alcohol Consumption among Youth and Women in Africa
By Austin Kananji and Yewo Munthali
Lilongwe, November 14, Mana: Research conducted by the University of Malawi (UNIMA) in collaboration with the University of Stirling in Scotland has revealed an increase in alcohol consumption by youth and females across Africa.
Presenting the research findings titled " Regulating alcohol packaging and supply to protect health in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from policy systems in Malawi and Uganda (RAPSSA) " lead researcher, Dr Isabelle Uny shed some light on the increased alcohol consumption rates.
"The alcohol industry in Africa is using tactics to promote products like beer in larger containers, fruit flavoured beverages to attract this demographic. Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for death in this region," she stated.
In his presentation on the National Alcohol Policy, Assistant Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health, Michael Udedi highlighted the need to enforce restrictions on the promotion, sponsorship, advertising, and importation of alcohol in the country through the revision of the National Alcohol Policy.
“The policy intends to curb harmful consumption of alcohol, therefore there is a need for the development of systems that monitor the marketing of alcoholic products in the country.” he said.
Chairperson of the parliament health committee, Dr. Mathews Ngwale encouraged Civil Service Organizations and other stakeholders to bring the issue into much focus to be discussed in Parliament.
“We as parliamentarians do not initiate laws or issues ourselves as we are not lawmakers but rather mere representatives of the people from our societies, we therefore appeal to all stakeholders be they individuals or organizations to bring their findings so we amend the policy if there is a need,” said Ngwale.
The research was presented in Lilongwe on Thursday at Crossroads Hotel. Other organizations in attendance were the Southern Africa alcohol policy alliance, the Malawi Chapter, Danish church aid, Parliamentarians, ministries of health and homeland security, and the trade industry.
Utatu Woyera Choir 1 in CD and DVD launch
By Benedicto Maguda
Blantyre, November 14, Mana: Utatu Woyera (Kawale) Catholic Parish Choir 1 will launch its first ever-English music CD and DVD album titled, County Your Blessings, on Sunday, November 17 at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe from 1 pm.
The launch is part of the choir’s mission of spreading the gospel through music on top providing space to establish new relationships with other choirs.
Chairperson of the audio and video project, Laurent Mkwanda, told the Malawi News Agency (Mana), that preparations for the launch were at an advanced stage and pledged that people in Lilongwe will enjoy the audio and video launch.
“We are launching a CD and DVD titled; Count Your Blessings which is our first English album. For a long time, we have been producing Chichewa albums but this time, we have decided to come up with English songs,
“We want to reach those that like listening to the English songs,” he said, adding that many choirs from Lilongwe and outside Lilongwe were invited to the album launch.
The new CD and DVD have 17 songs and were recorded by Felix Ziyade of Honour Et Gloria studio and Felix Mpinga of Luntha Studio.
“We have decided to invite special choirs to be guest choirs. We want people to watch beautiful performances on stage,” he said.
Silvester Mwang’ana, Secretary for Utatu Woyera Catholic Church Choir, said people should expect live performance, adding that all instruments will be played live.
“We will not use CD on the day like what others have been doing in their launches. We shall play our instruments like guitars, flutes, and violin manually on the stage,” he added.
Mwang’ana called on people in Lilongwe to come in large numbers at Golden Peacock Hotel to witness the launching of Utatu Woyera (Kawale) Choir 1.
“Am requesting all gospel music lovers to come and be blessed with our songs. We are well prepared and let me assure people that they will enjoy the songs,” he added.
Some of the songs that are in other albums include; Ambuye Ndimadabwa, Ndikubwera Kuti Ndidzipereke, Lord of Dance, Sweet Sacrament.
Utatu Woyera (Kawale) Catholic Choir 1 from the Lilongwe Archdiocese, has three albums, the first one being Ndidzatama released in 2012, Kodi Ndidzanena Chiyani in 2018, Ambuye Ndimadabwa in 2023 with Count Your Blessings the fourth one.
PAC impressed with infrastructural development projects in Mzuzu City
By Precious Mandala
Mzuzu, November, 14, Mana: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has expressed satisfaction over progress of infrastructural development projects taking place in Mzuzu City.
PAC Chairperson, Mark Botomani, was speaking in Mzuzu when the members of the committee toured the city to inspect infrastructural projects that are funded by government.
“So far, so good, the committee is pleased with the projects’ progression and the council’s efforts are in line with the Malawi 2063 and I believe that they are on track to achieving this development blueprint of the country,” Botomani said
Botomani, however, said that, levy collection for the government has been a hustle, a development he said has affected many projects which are being run by many councils in the country.
Chief Executive Officer for Mzuzu City Council (MCC), Gomezgani Nyasulu, said that despite having registered remarkable progress in projects’ implementation, the council has numerous challenges particularly lack of funding.
“The main challenge we have is lack funding. For example, construction of Zolozolo Road has now stalled for over a year,” Nyasulu said
He then took advantage of the PAC’s visit to the council to implore the committee to lobby for more funding for the council.
Master Chirwa who is site engineer for SOS Construction, the company that is working on Dunduzu-Sonda Road, said that payment delays have forced the firm to reduce its workforce drastically due to funding issues.
The committee among others, inspected road projects and a state of art five-story civic office complex which is expected to be in operational by September 2025.
Thyolo DC laments delays in drafting by-laws
By Yamikani Yapuwa
Thyolo, November 14, Mana: District Commissioner for Thyolo, Hudson Kuphanga, has expressed frustration over delays by the office of the Attorney General in drafting by-laws submitted by the council, saying the situation is crippling the district’s revenue collection efforts.
Speaking during a visit by the Local Authority and Rural Development Committee of Parliament Thursday, Kuphanga, disclosed that the council is unable to collect over K200 million in tariffs from tea estates because there are no legally binding by-laws to guide the process.
“The tea estates are willing to pay, but they demand a proper legal framework. Unfortunately, the Attorney General’s Office has not yet approved the by-laws we submitted, citing a shortage of legal drafters,” said Kuphanga.
He said the delay has dire consequences, stating that the council owes its direct staff over K100 million in unpaid wages, causing unrest among employees.
“Our staff have resorted to reporting the council to the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions, accusing us of withholding their wages intentionally. Meanwhile, the money we need to address this is sitting in the estates, uncollected,” lamented Kuphanga.
In response, Local Authority and Rural Development Committee Chairperson, Horace Chipuwa, recommended that the council use interim measures to proceed with tariff collection.
“While awaiting for the Attorney General’s Office to draft the by-laws, the council should use the minutes from the Full Council meeting where the by-laws were formulated and passed. This could serve as a temporary measure for collecting the tariffs,” said Chipuwa.
Chipuwa acknowledged that the delay in drafting by-laws is a common issue affecting many councils across the country, calling for urgent intervention to address the bottleneck.
“This is not an isolated problem; it’s a national challenge. We will engage relevant authorities to ensure that the Attorney General’s Office expedites the drafting process so councils can collect revenue and improve service delivery,” he said.
During the tour, the committee visited the newly constructed office complex as well as Mtambanyama Market, a Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) funded project where Chipuwa expressed satisfaction with the quality infrastructure.
Flames Line Up: Coach Pasuwa trusts Gaba and old guards to face Burundi
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Lilongwe, November 14, Mana: The Malawi National Football Team, the Flames, interim coach Calisto Pasuwa has restored Gabadinho Mhango in the starting loine that will face Burundi today in 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at Stade Félix Houphouët -Boigny in vory Coast.
This comes after Burundi defeated Flames at Bingu National Stadium 3-2 on September 5 2024.
In a line released by the Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Pasuwa has trusted the formerly maligned Mhango to lead the attack together with anothr long absentee Mozambique based Richard Mbulu.
John Banda will captain the team with William Thole manning the goals who will be defended by Charles Petro, Macdonald Lameck, Alick Lungu and Chembezi Dennis among the new look line up.
Gaddie Chirwa and Lanjesi Nkhoma have been entrusted to attack from the wings with support from Yankho Singo,
The Previous meetings between the two sides have favoured the Burundi after registering two victories and two draws.
Malawi will be looking for their first win against Burundi in all competitions since 1987.
Parliamentary Committee on Local Authority commends Balaka Council for outstanding projects
By John Witness
Balaka, November 14, Mana: Local Authority Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, toured the Balaka District Council to appreciate various projects implemented under District Development Fund (DDF) and Governance for Enabled Service Delivery (GESD) support in the district.
Speaking after touring Balaka District Hospital guardian shelter and Rivirivi Extension Planning Area (EPA), the committee’s chairperson, Horace Chipuwa, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the projects saying they reflected development aspirations of people in the area.
“In the absence of the guardian shelter, l know that people were sleeping outside. New EPA offices have bailed extension staff from using old offices which were in very bad state. We will write a report and present to Parliament so that the house should appreciate.
“Construction of Rivirivi Extension Planning Area (EPA) office has shown a significant transition from old and dilapidated offices to new office,” he added.
Balaka District Director of Health and Social Services, Dr. Chimwemwe Thambo, said construction of the guardian shelter was ideal and timely but stressed the need for the speedy construction of additional toilets and a kitchen to provide conducive environment for the shelter users.
The council’s Director of Planning and Development (DPD), Chris Nawata, said the local authority was happy with the committee's sentiments on the DDF and GESD supported projects.
"We are impressed with their sentiments as regards to progress of the projects. The committee’s remarks are very encouraging,” he said.
Nawata said there was need to increase GESD funding to enable the council to implement more projects to satisfy people’s development needs.
“We adopted a package approach to ensure that each project has elements such as water, electricity and staff houses, and in our Annual Investment Plan we have a lot more projects that need to be done as soon as possible,” he added.
Agricultural Extension Development Coordinator (AEDC) for the Rivirivi EPA, Bexstor Soko explained to the committee negative impacts of working in an old and dilapidated office, saying the old office provided unconducive work environment for the staff.
“The structure was almost a death trap especially when it is raining and wind blowing. The new office is a game changer to us as well as the famers we serve,
“We can comfortably converge here with farmers because we also have a conference room within the building,” he added.
New Rivirizi EPA office was constructed using GESD funds while Balaka District Hospital guardian shelter was constructed with DDF
PMRA for stiffer punishment for illegal drug transaction offenders.
By Namon Chitukuta
Mzuzu, November 14, Mana: Director General for Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) Mphatso Kawaye has expressed dissatisfaction with some of the sentences that courts of law imposed on convicts of drug cases.
Kawayi was speaking on Thursday in Mzuzu when he opened a two-day sensitization workshop on drug related crimes for magistrates which was organized by PMRA in conjunction with the Association of Magistrates (AMA).
He said that most offenders are slapped with lenient sentences which can not deter those that are involved in drug related crimes from indulging in the vice.
“We therefore ask both the Malawi Police Services (MPS) prosecutors and magistrates mett deterrent penalties on such convicts so that drug related crimes are reduced,” Kawaye said.
He added that any illegal drug related act poses a threat to people’s health, hence the workshop involving the main players in addressing the malpractices.
Chairperson for Judicial Training Committee, Justice Violet Chipao said that there is need for collective understanding and enforcement of laws and regulations that govern pharmaceutical sector in the country.
“If sentences are not deterrent enough, the law loses its value as individuals who weigh the potential costs of the crime against the benefits of the crime before deciding to engage in criminal activity, hence they opt committing the crime as they see it beneficial,” Chipao said.,
It is expected that stakeholders will discuss various issues including risks associated with handling illegal drugs by the public, the difficulties the magistrates and courts encounter while handling drug related matters.
The workshop also provides a platform for promoting coordination among prosecutors, investigators and magistrates in handling drug related crimes.
PMRA has conducted a series of such workshops and the recent one was held in Lilongwe.
