By Lily Kampani

Windhoek, Namibia, February 27, Mana: Vice President Dr. Michael Usi arrived in the Republic of Namibia, Windhoek on Thursday through Hosea Kutako International Airport.

Usi is set to attend the memorial and state funeral services of the late former president and founding father of the nation, Samuel Shafiishuna Nujoma, who passed away on 8 February, 2025 at the age of 95.

Upon arrival at the airport, the Vice President was welcomed by the Attorney General of Namibia, Festus Mbendeka, Deputy SPC, Dr. Janet Banda, High Commissioner of Malawi to South Africa, Her Excellency Stella Chiripo Hauya Ndau and Secretary to the Vice President of Malawi, Dr Luckie Sikwese.

The Vice president will join mourners from across the nation and worldwide to pay homage to the legacy of the freedom fighter who led his country to independence and later served as its first president for 15 years.

Usi described Nujoma as a true African legend, adding that he feels honoured to represent Malawi at the funeral.

Nujoma's memorial service will be held on Friday, 28^th February at the Independence stadium while the burial service will take place at the Heroes Acre monument on Saturday, 1 March, 2025.

By Lesnat Kenan

Lilongwe, February 27, Mana: Ministry of Higher Education in collaboration with National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has released 2024/25 harmonised selection results for the Malawi's six public universities and two colleges.

Speaking during a press briefing on harmonised selection results in Lilongwe, Minister of Higher Education, Jessie Kabwila, expressed gratitude for the increased number of students selected to pursue studies in various public universities this year as compared to previous years.

"As Ministry of Higher Education, we are grateful for the 27 percent increase of several women and people with special needs being selected to various public universities. Government wants every Malawian to have access to quality education through higher education, and this is a great achievement as a Ministry," added Kabwila.

She further stated that higher education is pivotal for human capital development, which also aligns with the 2063 agenda for the country, therefore government is committed to promote quality, accessible and inclusive education for all.

The Minister also appealed to all underprivileged students to apply for loans through the process, which will commence on April 1, 2025, to May 31, 2025, to ensure that every Malawian can access education no matter the situation.

In his remarks, NCHE, Chairperson Estone Sambo thanked all stakeholders for the support during the selection process.

He also assured Malawians that NCHE will remain committed to work with government to ensure that there is integrity, efficiency and inclusivity within the higher education sector regardless of social economic issues in the country.

24,582 students (15,692 males and 8,890 females) qualified for public university selection and out of these 12,819 candidates (7627 males and 5202 females) have been selected to pursue various programs in Malawi's six public universities.

Meanwhile, Domasi and Nalikule Colleges of Education have selected 1350 candidates (794 males and 562 females).

 A total of 95 candidates with special needs have also been selected to study various programs.

By Leonard Masauli

Lilongwe, February 27, Mana: Malawi’s Attorney General, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda SC, has called for stronger regulations and legislative reforms to address key challenges in international arbitration.

Nyirenda said this during his remarks at the ongoing Lusaka Arbitration Week taking place in Zambia.

In the meeting which started on Monday, Nyirenda highlighted concerns about investors frequently demanding that disputes be resolved outside the host country or even Africa, arguing that local arbitration would affect the bankability of investments.

He said the investors, bulldoze host countries into submitting to arbitration taking place in Western cities.

Nyirenda challenged this notion, emphasizing the need to build trust in African arbitration institutions to resolve disputes fairly and effectively.

Reflecting on the Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments Limited case where an arbitration award was overturned due to fraud and public policy issues, Nyirenda raised serious concerns about the conduct of legal representatives.

“In that case, the lawyers for both the claimant and the Nigerian government were involved in what I could term ‘match-fixing’, as they mounted a very weak defence.

“it feels like ‘match-fixing.’ shouldn’t there be state regulation to ensure that legal teams defend public interests more rigorously and ensure that there is no match fixing thereby preventing fraud, corruption and money laundering and ensuring that arbitral institutions are not used to perpetrate fraud and money laundering,” he asked.

The Attorney General also pointed to legislative gaps in Malawi’s Public-Private Partnership Act, which mandates that disputes be governed by Malawian law but does not require arbitration to occur within Malawi or Africa.

Another critical issue raised was “double-hatting”, where lawyers act as arbitrators in some cases while serving as legal representatives in others, creating potential conflicts of interest.

Nyirenda emphasized the need for regulation to preserve ethical standards and impartiality in arbitration proceedings.

He further expressed concern over the poor quality and weak reasoning of some arbitration awards, which in some instances force courts to intervene and set aside decisions.

He called for higher standards and accountability in award writing to uphold the credibility of the arbitration process.

Nyirenda congratulated Zambia’s Solicitor General and Attorney General for their success in the recent energy dispute case of ANTRA Energy v ZESCO and the Government of the Republic of Zambia, where the legal team successfully defended a claim exceeding $500 million.

By Brian Wasili

Mwanza, February 27, Mana: Mwanza District Hospital nurses on Wednesday planted assorted species of trees around the hospital premises as Malawi is striving to restore hectares of degraded land and forests in the 2024/2025 forestry season.

Guest of honour, Senior Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Gloria Thokozani Chirombo told Malawi News Agency that the nurses took the time to plant trees, realising that most diseases are related to effects of climate change ignited by depletion of natural resources such as forests.

She further observed that when natural disasters such as cyclone-induced floods, dry spells and outbreaks of waterborne diseases happen, communities seek medical services from the hospital hence the need for the nurses to take part in addressing the source of the problem.

“As a district hospital, we always receive serious cases from health centres as such, we are overwhelmed with such incidences so much that we cannot stay idle but rather join stakeholders to mitigate the cause," said Chirombo.

She therefore commended fellow nurses for sparing time, taking off their normal schedule to participate in the tree planting and urged other stakeholders in the district to emulate what the nurses did.

National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM) Mwanza chapter chairperson, Patrick Ganizani described the tree planting as a response government's call to all stakeholders to plant trees so that they can restore degraded land-depleted forests.

“We started planting trees last year in January after the exercise was introduced in the health sector by NONM. We expect to roll out to all three health centres by March 31," said Ganizani.

200 seedlings which include indigenous and tangerines were donated by NONM, 170 of which were planted at the event and the rest will be distributed to the health facilities in the district.

NONM introduced planting exercise in the health sector in December 2024 as part of their efforts to address the effects of climate change and promote environmental conservation.

Vice President, Michael Usi launched the 2024/2025 National Forestry Season in Chitipa on December 17, 20254 under the theme; Restore Forests and Land to Secure Food.

Malawi intends to restore 22,420 hectares of degraded land and depleted forests by planting 40,130,719 trees across the country.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, February 27, Mana: Lilongwe District Council has launched various projects worth K1.4 billion under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) programme.

The projects were officially launched on Wednesday, with a key project being the construction of a community multipurpose hall at Mtunthumala headquarters in the area of Traditional Authority Mbwatalika in Lilongwe South West.

Lilongwe District Commissioner, Dr. Lawford Palani, stated that the district secured the K1.4 billion performance-based grant (PBG) under GESD and emphasized the council’s commitment to complete the projects.

Speaking during the launch of a K77 Million Ndumba Bridge and K85 Million Chikuli classroom block respectively in the area of Traditional Authority Mazengela in the district, Council Chairperson, Mathias Chiopsanjati, issued a stern warning to the contractors involved, cautioning them against misusing the allocated funds.

Chiopyanjati stressed that the council would closely monitor the projects to ensure transparency and accountability and that it would never accept any sub-standard project.

“Let me take this opportunity to urge the contractors to do your work as agreed in the project contracts. We are expecting quality work and nothing else. If you do shabby work the council will not accept it,” he said.

Ward Councillor for Chilenje, Noel Uganja thanked the government for initiating different development projects in the rural areas saying they are improving the lives of the people in the district.

Uganja then assured the Contractors of the community’s support so that the projects should be completed on time.

The projects are expected to be completed within three months.

GESD is a $100 million grant from the World Bank and is implemented by all qualifying local authorities through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC).

By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, February 27, Mana: Lilongwe police are keeping in custody two men and a woman for allegedly stealing K6 million from a Zambian national who boarded their car which was operating as a taxi on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

According to Lilongwe Police Spokesperson Hastings Chigalu, the suspects have been identified as Davie Kaunda, 34, Habib Foster, 26, and a well-known habitual suspect Charity Kathumba, 26.

Chigalu said, the suspects, operating a Mira motor vehicle registration number NN 11689, picked a Zambian national at Mchinji Boma who was coming to Lilongwe for personal business.

"Upon arrival at Area 4 Ziboliboli stage at around 1:00 Oclock in the afternoon when the passenger (victim) wanted to drop off from the car, he failed after several attempts due to locked doors following a child-lock system the driver engaged.

“After sensing danger while the car was still in motion, the victim while in the backseat, powerfully grabbed the steering wheel and started tussling with the driver which forced the car to stop in the middle of the road,” he said.

Chigalu added,” This is when Kaunda who was in the backseat, and Charity who was in front, immediately got out of the car and started to run away allegedly with the bag that contained the cash. However, after shouting for help, well-wishers responded and apprehended Kaunda, and Foster (driver), while Charity managed to flee the scene with cash.

The Police publist further said some angry people started assaulting the suspects severely and wanted to set them ablaze, before being rescued.

Later in the evening, following an intensive manhunt, a detective arrested Charity at Kaphiri whilst on a hire motorcycle planning to flee the city.

Meanwhile, police said efforts are underway to recover the money.

The suspects will appear in court soon to face a case of theft.

Chigalu said Charity Kathumba was also arrested on November 7, 2024, for committing similar offences, however, her robbery case, alongside two other male accomplices, stalled after they stopped honouring court bail conditions.

Davie Kaunda hails from Kabunduli Village, Traditional Authority ( T/A)  Kabunduli in Nkhata-Bay while Habib Foster is from Mthiramanja Village, T/A Mthiramanja, and Charity Kathumba comes from Chitambi Village, T/ A Chikumbu, both in Mulanje District. Mana/pl/tv

By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, February 27, Mana: SPRODETA a local non-governmental organization and Chitipa District Council have embarked on awareness campaigns on the importance of livestock farmers utilising dip tanks especially cattle farmers at Lufita Extension Planning Area (EPA).

SPRODETA is implementing a two-year Beef Value Chain (BVC) Project, which targets 6350 cattle farmers in Chisenga and Lufita Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in the district, which is being financed by Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) to the tune of K200 million.

Nutrition, Gender and Social Inclusion Officer for SPRODETA-TRADE Project, Grace Khonje, said that the biggest challenge cattle farmers are facing is diseases.

Khonje said that during the rainy season, ticks are rampant hence the need for the cattle farmers to utilise dip tanks for treating their cattle.

“In this project, we are promoting the use of dip tanks, as one way to reduce diseases. We have just rehabilitated the dip tanks at Chinunkha and we are sensitising the farmers to start using dip tanks as one way of reducing livestock disease in the area and district as a whole,” Khonje said.

She further advised the farmers to construct proper kraals for their livestock and start storing feed for the livestock.

“Cattle farmers need to start storing feed this time around. This improves the weight of the cattle so that when they go to the market they can easily compete with other cattle. The price is determined by the weight of the animal. In the project, we also want to link these farmers to potential buyers like chain stores,” she said.

Chitipa District Council Livestock Officer, Chikondi Gondwe, said the sensitisation campaign is important because the district council wants the animals in the district to be healthy.

“We want our animals to be of high quality when we bring them to the market. We want our farmers to take livestock farming as a business. Most farmers keep animals for prestige but we want to make them realise that livestock farming is a business,” Gondwe said.

On the issue of public health, Gondwe advised households to stop eating animals that have died, which he said is dangerous.

“We want our farmers to be aware of zoonosis diseases. We are also looking at rabies and Tuberculosis, which are commonly found in animals and can be transmitted to humans if the animal is not examined before slaughtering.  People should not consume animals that have died. It is dangerous,” he appealed.

The project started in August 2024 and it will phase out in August 2026

By Manasse Nyirenda

Rumphi, February 27, Mana: Rumphi District Council has handed over to communities nine community-based childcare centres (CBCC) constructed under the World Bank-funded Investing in Early Years Project (IEYP).

Speaking during the handover ceremony on Wednesday in Sub Traditional Authority (STA) Chisovya, District Commissioner for Rumphi, Emmanuel Bulukutu urged the communities to take ownership of the centres and also support caregivers.

STA Chisovya said the two centres in his area have not only beautified the area but also given the children a good start to learning.

"We want our children to become district commissioners, medical officers and many other top positions. These structures will help them achieve that as they now have a solid start through early learning. We are very grateful to the government and donors," said Chisovya.

Group Village Headman Baghaya from the area where Lukali CBCC has been constructed, promised to take care of the centre for the benefit of their children and others to come.

Rumphi was allocated 15 CBCCs under the programme.

The other six are at advanced stages of construction and expected to be completed before June when the project winds up and at least 1500 children are expected to benefit from the centres.

Some of the CBCCs handed over include Nkhumano, Lwatizi, Lwendera, Phoka, Lukali, Titemwane and Kauka.

By Brighton Chimsinde

Mchinji, February 27, Mana: Mchinji District Council’s Director of Planning and Development Martin Pindankono has pointed out fuel scarcity and inflation as among other challenges facing the implementation of the infrastructure projects in the district.  

Pindankono said this on Wednesday when he was supervising some of the infrastructure development projects that were carried out by the council across the district.

He said during the implementation of the infrastructure projects they were facing several challenges and among them were fuel scarcity and inflation.

“We face several challenges but major challenges are fuel scarcity the country had and inflation that have led to rapid price increases of materials on the market making contractors hesitant to continue with the projects.

“Despite these challenges, it is encouraging to observe that all the projects that were initiated in 2022/2023 were completed and 2023/2024 projects are at advanced stages thus some of them are expected to be completed by the end of March 2025,” Pindankono said.

The council was implementing the projects with monetary grants from Performance Based Grants (PBG), District Development Fund (DDF), and Constituency Development Funds (CDF) among others.

Director of one of the contractors Pangano Chinkanda from UPFOLD Contractors and General Suppliers who was assigned to construct Kapiri Community Centre Stadium expressed concern that fuel scarcity and the devaluation of Malawi Kwacha currency have caused the escalating cost of construction materials.

“In August last year, a bag of cement was at K9, 000 but as I am speaking the bag is costing us more than K30,000. On top of that, ferrying the construction materials to the site is also exorbitant due to the fuel scarcity on the market at that time,” said Chinkanda.

In her comment, Catherin Banda, a youth member of Mkanda Youth Centre which is under construction said she is happy that infrastructure development is taking shape.

“We have benefitted from the council’s infrastructure development through Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD). Upon completion it would provide quality services to the youths of Traditional Authority Mkanda and surrounding areas,” said Banda.,

Mchinji has an ambitious plan to carry out various infrastructure developments for it to accomplish its vision of becoming a model district council in the provision of sustained quality socio-economic services.

By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, February 25, mana: In rural communities across Malawi, the arrival of construction workers on major infrastructure projects often sparks optimism, signs of progress, new opportunities, and the promise of better livelihoods. But for some women, these workers are not just builders of bridges and roads; they are ghosts of heartbreak, symbols of betrayal, and reminders of dreams that never materialized.

Two decades ago, with financial backing from the Japanese government, the Malawian government oversaw the construction of the Bakili Muluzi Bridge in Mangochi. To the thousands who rely on it to reach places like Malindi and Namwela, the bridge is a feat of engineering, a lifeline connecting communities. But for Patuma Hassan (not her real name), a 41-year-old woman from Mangochi, it stands as something else entirely: a painful reminder of a fleeting love that left her with scars both seen and unseen.

Like many large-scale projects, the construction of the bridge brought an influx of workers, men from across Malawi and beyond, including foreign contractors. Their presence reshaped the social landscape, and for some women, it altered their lives forever. Relationships formed in the excitement of new encounters often ended in abandonment, leaving many to grapple with emotional distress, unwanted pregnancies, and the risk of disease.

“I thought it was love,” Hassan recalls. “During the construction, the town was full of men, locals, foreigners, even the Japanese and Chinese contractors. I fell for one of the Japanese workers, believing in promises that never came true.”

Hassan, who currently trades in second-hand clothes business at Mangochi Boma to support herself and her son recollects that the Japanese man used to visit her at her home at Mpondasi where they would chat and make love as all couples do.

“‘The man promised me a good life. I recall him promising to construct a good house for me and give me money to embark on a business so that my livelihood should be improved as he said the grass thatched house was not good enough. He also pledged to give me capital for a small scale business. It’s only later after the bridge’s construction works had finished and he had left that I realised I was pregnant,” she said.

Hassan later gave birth to a baby boy. Struggling to pronounce the father's complex Japanese name, which she had initially wanted to give her son, she turned to her uncle for help. He chose to name the child Jafali.

“It’s a pity the boy now 23 will never know his father. It’s now that I realize the man may have been married wherever he came from that’s the reason he left without even saying goodbye. I was just used,” says Patuma, in regret.

She says while the Bakili Muluzi Bridge gives people hope that it eased their travelling challenges in terms of connecting them to various places, to her the magnificent bridge stands as a bitter reminder of the mental torture she has faced in raising her son single-handedly more so without the support of his father.

“Whenever I see construction workers, especially the men, I can’t help but see them as betrayers. I urge young girls not to be swayed by these strangers working on construction projects in their communities,” she says.

It's not only Patuma from Mangochi who has encountered betrayal at the hands of supposedly lovers working on construction projects.

Erkali Pahuwa (not real name) of Thekelani in Thyolo also says most men working on roads and similar construction projects should be feared by women and girls.

“As for me I have a daughter whose dad was part of the people who worked on the roads here. He was a Malawian but unfortunately I don’t even know his name, I got fooled by material things such as a phone that he bought me at the apex of our union but he left unceremoniously upon the road’s completion,” says Pahuwa.

Cases of men working on construction work flirting with women and young girls in nearby communities and leaving them unceremoniously after completion of projects have been told for ages.

While some construction staff abandon the women they found in communities with babies and pregnancies, some have even left them with diseases such as HIV/Aids and Sexually Transmitted infections.

It is through such unions that haunts Erkali and Patuma to date.

Many women and girls can tell such stories in communities where various projects have taken place.

It’s no strange visiting some districts in Malawi where construction works happened seeing boys and girls resembling some faces associated with some countries. It’s all signs of such relations that once existed.

Now, as communities confront the long-term consequences of these transient relationships, awareness campaigns are being launched by government to educate women and girls about the dangers of engaging with temporary workers. These initiatives aim to protect them from heartbreak, health risks, and shattered futures, ensuring that the hope brought by development projects does not come at such a heavy personal cost.

“This is why, at Ideal Consulting and Business Services, we have been conducting awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases in communities where the construction of the M1 Road is underway,” says Derek Chiwanda, the coordinator of Ideal Consulting.

Chiwanda, speaking in an interview in Mzimba after holding an awareness meeting with youths from around Luviri Trading Centre in Traditional Authority Mzikubola said government realised that a lot of scandalous acts happen during construction that involve community members and the workers on projects.

"Construction work involves the migration of people who leave their homes to work in different areas. As a result, we cannot ignore the likelihood of sexual relationships between these workers and local community members. This is why we are conducting awareness meetings on diseases to educate and prepare people," he said.

He added that adults cannot be controlled so there was need to create awareness and warn people in communities that they should not be taken up by strangers who offer money and other goodies as bait as they may not know their statuses in terms of diseases in their bodies so they should be able to resist their advances.

“Some women working on the projects may be coaxing boys while men on the projects may be courting young girls. So, our message is for community members to say NO to such people.

"They should avoid engaging with these workers to protect themselves from infections such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and gonorrhea. Saying no is the best way to stay safe," said Chiwanda, whose company has been hired to conduct awareness campaigns along the M1 Road from Jenda Trading Centre to the Mzimba turnoff.

Group Village Headman Zawagumbo acknowledges the circulating stories of construction workers forming romantic relationships with women in the communities where the projects are underway.

“It’s by nature that people would want to be intimate but in these days we are living it becomes risky flirting with strangers. People working on projects are strangers and community members should be fearing them,” he said.

Zawagumbo said awareness messages are key to prevention of various diseases more especially HIA/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections.

“Like in our communities, there are women who are not married who may feel it’s their time to get married to these men working on the M1 Road but they should tread carefully. These are people that may harbour various diseases which they may end up infecting the community members hence this campaign on diseases is very important to keep them aware about the dangers of messing around with strangers,” said the chief.

Chauncy Chirwa, a 24-year-old from Yosefe Village, praised the training, saying it has opened her eyes to the hidden risks posed by people working on construction projects.

“These men indeed propose to us and one may think the time to get settled in marriage is finally here. So this awareness has helped us with knowledge about these strangers on construction works,” she said.

Chiwanda said there are infections and diseases that prowl if people flirt with partners whose bodies they know little about in terms of health status as well as marital status.

"Our job is to educate communities about these diseases and help them stay vigilant in preventing infections from those working on projects like road construction. Our message is simple: avoid these strangers working on the M1 Road if you want to protect your health and future. Many make promises but leave nothing behind except heartbreak and diseases once their work is done," he said.

With these messages now imparted, Chauncy Chirwa and her peers hold their futures in their own hands. They can choose to fall for strangers and risk diseases, or stay away from construction workers and protect themselves from the hardships that Patuma and Erkali endured.