MANAonline
Former Silver Strikers Captain has died
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Lilongwe, September 4, Mana: Former Silver Strikers Captain and defender Mike Robert died on Tuesday at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe after battling with kidney failure.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), brother to the deceased who plays for the Blue Eagles football team, Jacob Robert confirmed the death, saying Mike had been sick for a long period.
“Indeed my brother has passed on after suffering from kidney problems but recently he was also diagnosed with cerebral Malaria and died in the evening of Tuesday at the hospital,” He said.
Robert who also played for Dowa stars and Dowa medicals before joining Silver Strikers will be laid to rest in his home village in Dowa district.
CSEPWP beneficiaries hail government
By Solister Mogha
Zomba, September 3, Mana: Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programeme (CSEPWP) participating communities in Zomba have hailed government for the timely payment of their wages saying this will help them to meet basic needs such as food.
Speaking Tuesday after receiving her wages, Regina Saiti of Chikwekwe Village at Thondwe in the district said her family was in acute shortage of food and described the support a life saver.
“Honestly I did not have food for today and the whole of this week. However, God has answered my prayer. From here I will immediately be going straight to the market to buy maize,” added Saiti.
She said working in CS-EPWP has more benefits to the communities as well at individual households and promised that she will dedicate herself to work in the next cycle for another pay.
“Major activities in the programme are about sustainable land management and they are of direct benefit to us,” Saiti explained.
Frolence Mpinda of Mwamadi Village who also received her wages said would use the money she received to buy food for her family, saying for the past two weeks she survived on piece work to make ends meet.
She also hailed the CS-EPWP for providing the money, saying this was timely and beneficial to her family.
Director of Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources, Linda Mphande said the money was relief to families affected by hunger.
Mphande said most farming families did not harvest enough food in the last growing season and described interventions like the CS-EPWP as of great importance.
“I salute the government for programmes such as CS-EPWP. Apart from sustainable land management interventions, people can use the money received to buy food,” she said.
CS-EPWP Desk Officer for Zomba, Chimwemwe Chimbaza said a total of 19, 597 beneficiaries will receive their wages.
Upie Collection to host fashion event for People with Disabilities
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Lilongwe, September 3, Mana: A physically challenged Fashion Designer and Founder of Upie Collection, Ruth Upie Chirwa has organised a fashion event as one way of promoting inclusivity and empowering people with disabilities.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Chirwa said there are many stereotypes about people with disabilities in the country as a result she wants to showcase the beauty and talent in the fashion industry, which people with disabilities have despite their challenges.
“This event will help to address the lack of representation and opportunities for people with disabilities in the fashion industry. By featuring models with disabilities, I hope to challenge stereotypes and stigmas surrounding disability,” she said.
Chirwa further encouraged people to attend the event saying regardless of ability or disability; the fashion will celebrate diversity and inclusivity to something, which will bring about a positive change in society.
“We want to address the misconception that people with disabilities lack skills or abilities. We want to showcase the diverse talents and capabilities of individuals with disabilities, inspiring others to recognize their potential,” said Chirwa.
In his remarks, one of the models taking part in the event Chancy Chirwa said people with disabilities are left out in such activities so it is high time that they should showcase their talents, gain exposure and network with others.
“By participating in the event, disability models will have a chance to collaborate with other designers of which will help them to never look down upon themselves again,” said Chirwa.
The event is expected to take place on September 6, 2024, at Springs Park in Mzuzu.
Community expresses concern over South Rukulu Bridge construction delays
By Joel Phiri
Mzimba, September 3, Mana: People living in Mbalachanda, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chindi in Mzimba have expressed concern over the lack of a bridge on the South Rukulu River, saying it creates mobility challenges when it rains.
Speaking in an interview, Group village head Ulela Kachali said lack of bridge on South Rukulu River has resulted in many problems for the communities.
‘‘For instance, we rely on Mbalachanda rural hospital but when they cannot treat us here we are referred to Euthini or Mzambazi hospitals. But to get to Euthini we have to cross over the South Rukulu River which becomes impassable during the rainy season. Some people have lost lives before due to delays to get them to the hospital in time’’, he said.
‘‘Some learners in community day schools have to cross over to Euthini which they fail to do during the rainy season resulting in absenteeism. We appeal authorities to act on our concerns. This bridge is so important to us’’, Kachali added.
A civil servant residing in the area also expressed concerns, saying when it rains South Rukulu River swells and it becomes risky for one to cross.
‘‘As civil servants, we lose training opportunities when they take place during the rainy season in Mzuzu and other areas. Even our salaries we go to Euthini to access banks.
“Just to cross the other side and connect to Euthini and then to the rest of the areas we use improvised boats. It is risky. We cannot travel outside Mbalachanda it becomes almost impossible,’’ said the civil servant who refused to disclose his name.
Group village head Kachali said is fed up with delays in having the bridge completed by authorities adding they have resorted to local resource mobilization among villages.
‘‘We are asking each village head to mobilize money amounting to K15,000 from his subjects so that we can raise K6 million in total and construct a make-shift bridge across the river so we could lessen our mobility challenges.
“This is just a desperate measure to save the situation because it becomes dire during the rainy season and our livelihood is disturbed. Most essential services like banks and schools are at Euthini. When it rains and becomes difficult to cross, most people suffer,” said Kachali.
‘‘Even school-going children cannot cross over to a community day school in Euthini. Business people risk their lives travelling on risky improvised boats to cross. We wish the government did something to improve our situation in terms of completing the bridge which was abandoned’’, said group village headman Chikoma Botha.
Mbalachanda Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson, Jimmy Nyirenda said having no bridge results in communities being cut off from the rest of the country hence the need for authorities to complete the bridge construction to lessen their mobility challenges.
M’mbelwa District Council Director of Public Works Allan Chitete in an interview admitted the sorry state of the bridge but referred the matter to Roads Authority.
‘‘The road that connects Euthini and Mbalachanda passes through South Rukulu River and there is indeed no bridge. That road and bridge is not under our jurisdiction as council but Roads Authority. We have written Roads Authority about the state of the road and the lack of bridge’’, said Chitete.
In an interview, Roads Authority spokesperson Portia Kajanga asked for more time to cross check facts about the matter.
MP appeals government to boost health centers
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Lilongwe, September 3, Mana: Member of Parliament for Ntchisi East Benard Chikwete, has expressed concern over the delayed completion of health centres in his constituency highlighting that people are facing difficulties in accessing health services.
He made the remarks during the Parliamentary session on Tuesday in Lilongwe, through supplementary questions to the Minister of Health.
Chikwete said the Ministry should consider finishing up the construction of the Chafubwa health centre because the main hospital in the constituency is located far where other people fail to go.
“Since 2013 the Health centre has not been completed. It is my plea to the Ministry that it should consider finishing it so that people must not travel long distances to access health services,” he said.
In her response, Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said she is aware of the facility and that the government has approached the health sector joint fund for assistance whereby they agreed and that the completion will commence as they now have funds for the project.
“The health centre has been abandoned for a long time as it is a very hard place to reach which is a sad development as women and children have to walk long distances to get health services,” said Chiponda.
She further said, it is the wish of the ministry that the health center should be large enough to accommodate all patients in the area.
“We are going to finish up what already started, then we are going to build an extra centre so that all services should be found there”, she added.
The minister assured Malawians that her Ministry will address challenges in the health sector as so far they have recruited more health workers across the country so that people should have quality health care.
Mponela Community Hospital to be completed next year
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, August 3, Mana: Head of Infrastructure Development in the Ministry of Health Dr Sanderson Kuyeli has said construction of Mponela Community Hospital will be completed in June 2025, which will pave the way for the opening of the facility.
He made the remarks Monday at Mponela in Dowa during a media tour organized by the Office of President and Cabinet in conjunction with the Ministry of information and digitalization, aimed at appreciating the progress of the facility.
Kuyeli said the facility whose construction started in 2019 faced some challenges like inflation, but the government is committed to have it operational mid next year.
"Because of the magnitude of the of the project, we had put it in phases. The first phase was the construction of an administration block and wards which is now 85 percent complete.
"The second phase included the kitchen, mortuary and other facilities which is now at around 40 percent. And in the third phase, we are constructing houses of which excavations and foundations have already started.
'We are planning that in the next three or four months, we should have some blocks already functioning. But ultimately, we want by June 25 all the facilities should be completed," he said.
Other facilities at the hospital will be theatres, a nutrition department, an infectious disease unit and about 46 houses.
This will be a secondary facility which will be receiving patients from health centers surrounding the area, and other complicated cases and referrals.
The hospital, whose initial cost was K7.9 billion is expected to complement Mponela rural and Dowa district hospitals.
"Looking at the district hospital, it is an old hospital. Although it is also in the plans and funds are available to build a new hospital, but it takes time. So this facility which will also have enough medical personnel fills in on the gap," said Kuyeli.
Kuyeli then said the government is committed to developing health infrastructure to ensure universal access to health services for all Malawians.
Lucia Michael Chipwaira of Chibwato village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mponela in an interview said the facility will ease challenges especially pregnant women face.
"Pregnant women travel a long distance from the village to Mponela for assistance, and some deliver on their way there which poses risks to their lives. So this facility will minimize these challenges, and we are thankful to the government under the leadership of President Dr Lazarus Chakwera," she said.
Benjamin Samale of Kachulu village in TA Mponela shared the sentiments saying once the hospital opens, people will be able to get medical attention in their localities, hence cutting costs and time.
He however asked for the hospital to be completed in time.
President Chakwera dates Huawei Technologies
By Chikondi Chimala, in Beijing, China
Beijing, September 3: Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera Tuesday morning met the Technical Management Team of Huawei Technologies led by Vice President Li Junfeng in Beijing, China.
In his remarks, Chakwera reminded the Huawei delegation that he was proud to have inaugurated Malawi's first State-of-the-Art National Data Centre in the city of Blantyre on 21st July, 2022, thanks to the successful execution of the Fibre Backbone Project by Huawei which helped to position Malawi on the global digitalization map, on par with highly developed nations.
Chakwera who was accompanied to the meeting by Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu, said Malawi had significantly benefited from the exceptional services that Huawei provides through cutting-edge solutions offered, ranging from smart devices to advanced digital solutions.
“My administration is also keen on collaborating with Huawei in the following specific areas of Smart Village Initiative for rural communities the company is implementing similar projects elsewhere in Africa, Establishment of technical training centres for ICT to help us upskill our youth in digital skills, including AI and cybersecurity, Smart agriculture solutions to support our large-scale farm initiatives, and Cybersecurity for Malawi's digital landscape,” said Chakwera adding that his officials are prepared to discuss further the issues and the potential areas of collaboration that he outlined.
The president also asserted his administration's unwavering commitment to the minigrid project as Malawi seeks to expand electricity access across the country saying he is exploring financing opportunities to scale the project based on the results of feasibility studies that identify numerous eligible areas across the country.
The Malawi leader also took the opportunity to request Huawei to explore financing opportunities in China for the project.
In an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), Huawei Technologies Managing Director for Malawi, Gomez Gu, said his company was geared to support Malawi in digitalization, and power through microgrid solutions, especially for rural areas.
On his part, Kunkuyu disclosed that the government will soon launch the first Smart Villages project in the villages that will help increase the number of smart villages in Malawi thereby increasing access to connectivity and various online services in rural areas.
The meeting was a continuation of President Chakwera’s engagement with various Chinese Companies including Huawei on the sidelines of the Summit of Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that runs from Wednesday up to Friday.
The 2024 FOCAC Summit will among others focus on building relations and cooperation in supporting Africa’s industrialization, energy and trade as a priority, talent development, accelerating agricultural modernization, agenda 2063 of the African Union, modernization and mutual learning among civilizations, political, peace, and security cooperation as well as poverty reduction.
FOCAC was established in the year 2000 to foster relations between China and the 53 African nations and the African Union (AU) and is held every six years while the minister’s conference is held every three years.
The 2024 Summit is being held under the theme, “Working together to promote modernization and build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.”
Eagles Sisters finishes on high annotation
By Tione Andsen
Lilongwe, September 3, Mana: Blue Eagles Sisters have finished on high annotation for the first round of K 40 million Mpico Gateway Mall Central Region Netball League on Saturday after thrashing Boma by 53 baskets to 18 at Gateway Mall netball court.
According to the General Secretary for Central Region Netball Association, Daniel Chigowo, the second round of the netball league will commerce on September 21, 2024
The Sisters have a 100 percent record after playing nine games and have collected 18 points and are yet to lose the game in the remaining nine game until November.
They have netted 481 baskets against 189 with goal difference of 292.
Civonets are closing on them with 16 points from the same number of games played have scored 431 baskets against 268 with 163 as goal difference.
The Servants had to slender Young Eagles on the final round one games with 31 baskets against 29 to climb the ladders and the Eagles dropped one step down.
Young Eagles have registered their first defeat of the season and have dropped on the ranking third after netting 451 baskets against 253 with goal gap of 198 and are having 14 points in their bag.
Lioness are fourth after beating Dyna Queens by 51 baskets to 32 with 12 points recording 381 baskets against 291 with baskets minus of 90.
Vanessa are fifth with nine points after posting a winning by 60 baskets to 23 against Sharpshooters while Dyna Queens are sixth with eight points.
Boma helped themselves to move to seventh after they claimed a win over Immigration by 51 baskets to 25 and have six points while Immigration are still stuck on ninth position with two points.
Sharp Shooters are anchoring the 10 team log with no point and they have a mountain to climb.
Blue Eagles Sisters coach, Madano Tepetheya admitted that this year’s Mpico Gateway Mall Netball league has been tough.
“We used to win with wide margins but today the story is different, this means teams are preparing for games and they planning well in order to contain us,” he said.
Coach for Sharp Shooters, Kondwani Nyirenda noted that his charges were not good in the first round and promised to do better in the last round.
“We are urging our supporters to come and watch us in the next set of games and they will enjoy them,” he promised.
Let us collaborate to fight GBV-Minister
By Rennie Tembo
Lilongwe, September 3, Mana: Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Jean Sendeza has emphasized the need for collective action from parent’s community leaders and stakeholders to protect children from early marriages and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Sendeza made the call Monday at Mpingu Primary School in Traditional Authority Mbwatalika during the commemoration of International Day of African Child.
Sendeza said it is sad that despite different interventions by the government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), issues of GBV are continuing in several parts of the country.
“You need to know that every child has the right to education and it is every parent’s responsibility to ensure that their children are going to school so that they become responsible citizens soon,” she said.
Sendeza then expressed concern with the recent Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examination poor results from the central region despite well-wishers and other organizations paying their examination fees.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us, paying school fees alone is not enough. These poor results show clearly that there are a lot of challenges that affect children be it inadequate resources at school or challenges at home.
“We must work together as it is not a one-man show and there is a need to bring up stiff penalties to all parents who send their children to early marriages,” she said.
Lilongwe District Social Welfare Officer Derrick Mwenda thanked the government through the Ministry of Gender and NGOs for the support in advancing child welfare and education.
However, Mwenda expressed concern over cases of GBVs and school drop-out rates among girls in the district due to early pregnancies and marriages.
“Just imagine, Mpingu alone registered 592 cases of GBV in the 2023/24 among adolescent which is very alarming,” he said.
Mwenda then thanked the police for their vital role in making sure that every child who has been abused receives the necessary support.
Lilongwe Civil Society Organization Network Chairperson Gibozi Mphanzi said despite their efforts there are still challenges that children are facing that need more attention and action.
‘’We are worried with the recent examination results, this shows that many children are struggling and there is need to support our education system more. As NGOs we are committed to continue working hand in hand with the government to address the root causes of these challenges,” he said.
This year’s International Day of African Child was spiced up by poems, drama and dances, and it was cerebrated under the theme “Quality and Inclusive Education for all children; It starts now,”
DoDMA calls for decentralization of UBR
By Chisomo Kambandanga
Nkhata Bay, September 3, Mana: Commissioner for Disaster Risk Management Affairs (DoDMA) Charles Kalemba has called for consideration to decentralize the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) system to local councils for it to be regularly updated and give accurate data.
Speaking Monday in Nkhata Bay during a two-day workshop on lean season response targeting and implementation, Kalemba said the UBR sometimes contains data that is not reliable.
“Apart from the Joint Emergency Food Assistance Program (JEFAP), councils use UBR to identify beneficiaries to be supported in lean season programmes. There is a problem that the UBR takes years to be updated and contains data that is outdated.
“People relocate, die and economic statuses change and for someone to have correct data for beneficiary selection in social protection programs there is a need for data that is updated at least every year,” Kalemba said.
According to Kalemba, updating the UBR yearly at the council level can be less costly than doing it at the central level hence the urgent need to decentralize updating of the UBR data just as it is done at the National Registration Bureau (NRB).
Kalemba then advised against political and local leaders’ interference in all processes involved in selection of beneficiaries in lean season response programmes.
Data Management Assistant at UBR Management Unit in the department of Economic Planning and Development, Chimwemwe Saidi said the call to regularly update data in the UBR system is a welcome idea and it is currently in the pipeline.
“We are establishing what we call a UBR dynamic update to have the data in the UBR active. Surely this will respond to some challenges raised and all we need is collaborative efforts from all stakeholders involved so that we move forward together, ’said Saidi.
In his remarks, Nkhata Bay Director of Planning and Development Edgar Chihana commended DoDMA for the training as it has reached out to all district and community representatives who are crucial in lean season response targeting and implementation processes and expressed optimism that the knowledge and skills gained will be put into good use.
According to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, a total of 5.7 million people are projected to be food insecure between October 2024 and March 2025 of which 10 494 people are from Nkhata Bay.
Malawi Government through DoDMA is set to provide food assistance to these families through financial and in-kind donations mobilized from various humanitarian partners.
