MANA-online
People Taking Ownership of Sweeping Exercise - Dedza DC
By Blackson Mkupatira
Dedza, August 14, Mana: Dedza District Commissioner (DC), Thomas Chigwenembe, says it is pleasing to see that people are now taking ownership of the sweeping exercise in the district.
Speaking Friday when the council conducted a sweeping exercise at Chimbiya Trading Centre, Chingwenembe said this is a positive development as it will prepare the district to prevent cholera and diarrhea outbreaks.
"We have noted that nowadays people are organising themselves to clean their surrounding without the council's involvement which is good.
"Let us not wait for the rainy season to start practicing good hygiene but to continue with these cleaning activities so that our environment could be clean at all times," he said.
While commending civil society organizations for their participation in the exercise, the DC appealed to Members of Parliament, councilors, chiefs and other local leaders to champion the exercise in their areas.
Malawi red Cross Society Project Officer for Cholera Emergency Response project in Dedza, James Kachidiku said everyone should not take the exercise lightly as it is important in preventing outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera.
"It is very important especially for our markets to be clean because they are a place where people gather and can easily spread diseases, which is why the council should put measures to promote the exercise in such places," he said.
Chimbiya Trading Centre Market Chairperson, Lorent Kainja said because of the Cholera outbreak that affected the area recently, people have received the initiative with two hands and are willing to participate fully.
Entertainers of the year awards returns in December
By Yamikani Yapuwa
Blantyre, August 14, Mana: Players in entertainment sector have all reasons to smile as Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has announced the return of Entertainers of the Year awards 18 years after it was discontinued.
Making the official announcement in Blantyre on Monday, MBC Director General, George Kasakula said the awards event will take place on 15 December, 2023 at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
“We have decided to re-introduce the awards in fulfilment of our mandate of entertaining as a public broadcaster.
“We want to take this further by rewarding talent from all sectors in Malawi, as long as it is entertainment,” said Kasakula.
Kasakula said they have hired an independent auditing Firm, Graham Car to oversee the selection of nominees and winners to ensure transparency, accountability and credibility of the awards.
He said Graham Carr will be getting Short Message Service (SMS) through a platform provided by Airtel Malawi which will be used to identify the winners.
“It is not completely full proof. There could be one problem or two but we have time on our side. We know people are already talking about how we will ensure that it is one vote one person in the digital age where one can have several sim cards and use them.
“That is something that we are going to crack our heads but the idea is it should be one vote,” said Kasakula.
He, therefore, called upon companies to come out and support the initiative.
Close to K80 million is needed to finance the awards.
“MBC does not have that money that is why we are appealing to the public, private sector and businesses to come and partner with us on this noble assignment. Even media houses can come on board,” he said.
Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, Zilanie Phiri said the red carpet event will recognize outstanding achievements across various entertainment categories including, but not limited to, broadcast, music, drama, film, stage theatre and sports.
“The Entertainers of the Year Awards will be open to all individuals of Malawian origin practicing their trade in the proposed categories. Legal foreign nationals currently plying their trade in the country are also eligible.
Voting will open on from October 1 to 22 and all members of the public are eligible to vote.
Improved tobacco production excites Tobacco Commission
By Moses Nyirenda
Lilongwe, August 15, Mana: The Tobacco Commission says it is excited and satisfied with improved tobacco production that has been emerged in the 2023 tobacco marketing season.
Speaking on Tuesday during press briefing in Lilongwe, Tobacco Commission Board Chairperson Godfrey Chapola said that as a commission they have seen an increase in tobacco production in this year's tobacco marketing season as compared to last year's tobacco season.
“We have seen an increase in production this year as compared to last season, we have closed the season with 120 million kilogrammes while last year the closing volume was 85 million kilogrammes,” Chapola said.
He added that, the increase in tobacco production in this tobacco marketing season was made possible due to the good prices offered in 2022 saying that this motivated farmer to grow the crop and enticed new growers to enter the trade.
He also said that the increased sponsorship to the tobacco farmers by the buyers and good weather patterns in most tobacco growing areas also triggered the increase in tobacco production in this year’s tobacco marketing season.
Chapola further said that as Tobacco Commission they are on the move to maintain the increase in tobacco production in order to satisfy the tobacco buyers.
“As we celebrate this year’s production, we are inspired to promote increased production to ensure we satisfy global demand for our tobacco, this year’s trade demand was at 170 million kilogrammes and we have supplied 120 million which means there is a great market opportunity at our disposal.
“One of our strategic goals for the next five years is to raise our annual production to 200 million kilogrammes, we are confident that we will achieve this because the market dynamics are working in favor of increased production,” he said.
Commenting on the same, Tobacco Commission Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Chidanti Malunga said that they will be pursuing the mega farming and irrigation farming in the next five years as part of increased production drive.
MUST graduates 410
By Brenda Nkosi
Thyolo, August 11, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has emphasised on the need for university students to be innovative and create enterprises and industries in order to strengthen capacity of institutions and organisations.
The President made the remarks Friday at Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Thyolo during the graduation of 420 students from the university.
Chakwera, who is Chancellor for MUST, said the graduates have endless opportunities and great responsibilities hence the need for them to put that into practice.
“You have a responsibility to serve your country with integrity, dedication and sacrifice. You have the opportunity and responsibility to do great and unimaginable things and to put Malawi on the map by outperforming other nationalities,” he said.
He said a college graduate is a privilege, a responsibility and an opportunity which needs to be taken seriously.
"I say it is a privilege because in every nation on earth, only a minority get the chance to enroll into an institution of higher learning," he said.
Vice Chancellor for MUST, Prof. Address Malata disclosed that the university will call back all needy students so that they are offered the courses they were selected in on scholarship by MUST.
"We are, in September launching 'Come back to campus' initiative which will recall back all students who could not afford school fees and were withdrawn," she said.
Of the 420 graduates, 45 got distinctions from the 24 degree courses offered at the institution.
Climate change a threat to human health- Minister
By Sarah Munthali
Lilongwe, August 22, MANA: The Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has said the adverse effects of climate change are increasingly impacting, not only the environment but also the health and well-being of communities.
She made the remarks in Lilongwe Tuesday, when she opened a regional workshop on health for delegates from Africa, Europe and organisations dealing with climate change and health aimed at uniting diverse African stakeholders to drive policy changes and build resilient health systems.
“As we all know; climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is a reality that we are seeing and feeling every day. It is no longer something that we just talk about. Climate change, at the global level, is now regarded to be the greatest threat to human health. The threat and impact of climate change is more pronounced in developing countries like Malawi, which are not resilient to climate shocks such as extreme weather events and disasters.
“As Africa we need to have a common position, you are aware that there is COP28 (climate change conference) which will be held in Dubai, December this year, the conference is a rare opportunity for us to have discussions because we get so many countries and partners gathered at one place,” she said.
Chiponda said that African countries should unite if the issue of climate change impacts on health is to be addressed.
She said for first time there will be a day dedicated to health, saying the health sector in all member states have experienced crises, health emergencies such as draughts and waterborne diseases, among others due to the impact of climate change.
“Let us have a common position as Africa, all of you are pushing the 2063 agenda which is being championed by African Union and all of us are striving that by 2063 we need to move from where we are and be more productive and more resilient,” the Minister said.
She then called for financial partners to provide additional funding opportunities for sustaining climate and health research and actions in the African Region.
Amref Health Africa Group Director for Partnership and External Affairs, Desta Lake said as Amref Health Africa they are committed in addressing the impacts of climate change on health.
“Amref Health Africa has taken a significant interest and commitment in ensuring that health is at the Centre of every climate conversation, here in Malawi you have seen the effects of climate change on the health, communities, women and children.
“With partners such as; PACJA, World Health Organization, Ministries of Health and the government officials we are committed to work with Africa to negotiate and come up with a common position in addressing the impacts of climate change on health,” Lakew said.
She added that, as an organization, they also ensure that they assist in presenting the Africa’s common position on the issue of mitigating the impact of climate change on health to forums that will help to bring solutions to challenges affecting the Africa’s health sector due to climate change.
“We will take this common position with us to Botswana WHO meeting and work with Africa Health leaders’ policy forum to brief our Ministers of Health to the Africa Climate summit in Kenya, take it to the UN General Assembly’s climate summit and COP28.
A representative of the World Health Organization in Malawi, Ishmael Nyasulu said the organization is committed to supporting countries towards building climate resilient and carbon health systems by supporting health community engagement in the climate change forums.
The three-day regional workshop is funded by the WellCome Trust in partnership with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Amref Health Africa and African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) in partnership with the Government of Malawi and World Health Organization in Lilongwe, Malawi.
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Chakwera arrives in Johannesburg for BRICS meeting
By Manasse Nyirenda
Lilongwe, August 19, Mana: President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has arrived in South Africa ahead of the five-member grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa (BRICS) meeting which officially opens on Tuesday, August, 22 at Sandston Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
President Chakwera arrived through Lanseria International Airport in the company of First Lady Monica Chakwera and was welcomed by Malawi's High Commissioner to South Africa, Stella Ndau and other South African delegates.
On arrival the president said the summit will provide the country an opportunity to engage development partners on ways of addressing debts.
"We will champion our cause with emerging and fellow developing markets through multilateral cooperation to rebalance the world’s economic and political tectonics and make the global system conducive for inclusive growth," he said.
The summit is being held under the theme "Brics Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multiteralism"
High on the agenda for the summit among others will include discussions on expanding the grouping's membership to include more countries.
So far a number of African States have expressed interest to join the grouping which include Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Tunisia, Senegal and Egypt among others.
Angola takes over SADC chairmanship from DRC
By Zenak Matekenya in Luanda, Angola
Luanda, Augst 17, Mana: Angola President Joao Manuel Gonvalves Lourenco has taken over the Sothern Africa Development Community (SADC) Chairmanship from Felix Antoine Tshiseked, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the 43rd Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in Angola.
Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera is in attendance of the summit which runs between August 17 and 18, 2023 under the theme “Human and Financial Capital: The Key Drivers for Sustainable Industrialisation in the SADC Region”.
In his acceptance speech on Thursday, President Lourenco said SADC has great potential to attain meaningful development through human and financial capital investment.
Lourenco observed that enhanced industrialisation and market integration programs are critical for the region’s wellbeing.
Outgoing SADC Chairperson, DRC President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi described the theme as key to the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap to help the region get away from dependence syndrome.
He said the region has potential to diversify its economies if it focuses on adding high value on its manufactured goods.
“As proposed by the incoming Chair, the theme will enable our region to continue to drive the industrialisation agenda forward by developing, mobilising and harnessing human and financial capital.
“As a united regional community of 16 member states, with a combined gross domestic product of around US$720 billion and a total population of over 360 million, 75 percent of whom are young people, we have a market with considerable potential for investment and economic development,” he said.
He added that SADC oneness has led to relative enjoyment of stable peace and security despite recurrent threats to the security in the DRC and Mozambique where armed groups continue to cause untold suffering among civilians, particularly women and children.
“Despite some challenges, our region continues to do well as shown by the African Union Commission's Multidimensional Regional Integration Index which gave SADC a high score for regional integration, particularly in terms of financial, infrastructural, trade and environmental integration,” he said.
He commended and encouraged SADC member state officials, including SADC Ambassadors and High Commissioners around the world, as well as the media to intensify their efforts to raise awareness of SADC’s roles, mandate and achievements.
During the session two Malawians, Lisa Malango and Viveck Orlando received award of US$1000 for scooping second position in SADC Media Awards photograph category and US$ 2000 for scooping position one in the 2023 SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Earning Awards.
SADC Executive Secretary Elias Mpedi Magosi emphasised on the need for the region to fast track integration, industrialisation and opening easy access to markets within the region and beyond.
Mana/zm/pk
Chakwera assures South African investors of government support
President Lazarus Chakwera has assured South African investors of the Government of Malawi’s support in clearing all bottlenecks that stifle investment opportunities into Malawi in order to accelerate economic growth in the country.
The president said this on Tuesday at Davinci Hotel when he met South African investors with diverse investment interests.
One of the investors, Natal East India said the company which deals in rice farming, milling and distribution in South Africa has committed about U$20million dollars towards establishment of a rice mega farm in Malawi.
This was disclosed after the investor and other South African investors met president Chakwera Tuesday to discuss investment opportunities.
In an interview after the meeting, the company’s representative, Thami Shande said the company targets production of up to 100, 000 tons of rice on 10,000 hectares of land.
He said the meeting was very important as they were able to inform the president and his team about the rice specifications their clients want in South Africa.
“This will make Malawi the Champion of rice production not only in South Africa, but also the whole SADC region.
“The president has assured us that in terms of licensing it will be completed within this quarter and we will be able to start implementing before the end of the year,” he said.
Another investor, Blue Energy representative, Marcel Steinberg said he was encouraged by the government of Malawi’s commitment to economic growth and industrialization and identifying the link between energy security and economic growth.
He said his team will be in Malawi from September 5 for site visits to at least 10 areas and also to do feasibility study.
He added that his company has already identified customers in Malawi and a lot of ground work has already been done.
Minister of Finance Sosten Gwengwe said the introduction of more energy investors in Malawi would lessen the pressure on the grid and create a conducive environment for economic development.
He further said that investment in rice mega farms will give an opportunity to local farmers in districts such as Nkhotakota and Salima among others to benefit from the available south African market.
He said the president has urged his team to clear all investment blocks in order for Malawi to develop.
The president also met other investors who are interested in investing in hospitality and tourism, among others.
Theh Malawi leader is in South Africa to attend the 15th BRICS summit currently underway in South Africa at the invitation by South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Elephants from hell: communities cry for social protection
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, July 31, Mana: July 8 will go down in the history of one Lemekezani Phiri, 45, as a day he cheated death from two fronts right inside his home at Chiwoko Village in Senior Chief Chulu in Kasungu North West.
He narrates: “I was sleeping on a mat on the floor while my wife and a child were sleeping on the bed. At around 11pm, I heard a squeaking noise outside the house. I knew it was an elephant because I have encountered them before.
“This time it was right on the door of my house. Before I had done anything, I saw bricks falling where the wife and the kid were sleeping. I was lucky because the bricks did not fall on me but the wife and child were hurt.”
The elephant had pushed the walls making them crack and collapse narrowly missing him. After this narrow escape, Phiri now had to face the elephant – a huge towering beast making way into his house.
“I had kept some bags of maize in the house and that was its target. We quickly took a few things and run away while calling for help. Rangers from the nearby Kasungu National Park arrived a few moments later,” he recalls.
When Phiri returned to his house in the company of rangers, he helplessly saw the beast holding up a bag of maize pouring the grain down its throat before being scared away by fireworks.
It was a long night for the family as another elephant came to the same house to finish off the remaining grain and a bag of flour. At least six elephants had visited the village on the night.
“I lost four bags of maize in total, my child was injured and I spent a lot of money on hospital bills and the house is as you can see,” Phiri says, pointing at the debris of his destroyed house.
Left with nowhere to live, Phiri sought refuge at his mother in-law’s place together with his three children while his property was deposited at the village chief’s house.
In another incident, a lactating elephant trampled to death a 32 year old mother of five, Masiye Phiri, as she went out to gather vegetables at a garden near the park boundary.
“Ms Phiri was gathering vegetables near the park boundary when a female elephant with a calf attacked her. The woman was carrying her two year old baby who survived the incident unhurt and was immediately rushed to the hospital for observation,” says International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in a statement.
The baby’s grandmother, however, says the baby was lifted up and hit onto the ground and had its leg fractured in the process.
Communities in the area tell tales of horrific and routine attacks by elephants which take advantage of the absence of a perimeter fence along the densely populated eastern park boundary.
Group village headman (GVH) Nyambo says the problem of elephants is getting worse.
He says: “All along we have lived peacefully here until February this year when we started seeing elephants invading our homes although the situation was not bad.
“Somewhere around April, we saw the situation getting bad until now when we see the elephants coming every night. We are not safe at all and live in fear,”
He says infrastructure supporting irrigation farming in schemes lie idle because the schemes have been abandoned as crops get damaged or eaten away.
“Kachere scheme, for instance, used to support 52 household farmers on 11.5 hectares of land. This time as you can see, the facility lies idle. We stopped everything we were doing here.
“This time we have nothing, except poverty. We are farmers; that is how we survive. Now we don’t know what to do,” says Nyambo, sounding frustrated.
Concurring with Nyambo is GVH Chafwamba who points out that people in the area do not have food as the elephants ate their crops in the gardens and now break houses eating maize, flour and groundnuts.
He says: “My people here have no food. All the crops in the field were eaten. Those who managed to buy some maize are equally hungry now as elephants break houses and eat the maize or flour they find.
“We have abandoned our schemes now because anything we can plant is destroyed. Just last night, someone has had his house destroyed, maize eaten and is now destitute. Today it will be another person.”
Drying stems of bananas, broken houses and deserted gardens are a common sight in the area bearing testimony of the destructive conduct of the world’s largest land mammal.
The genesis of the mayhem is the absence of a perimeter fence in some stretches along the 130km eastern park border where communities have also invaded the buffer zone meant to hedge the park and keep gardens away from the sight and sniffing distance of animals.
Park authorities have so far managed to erect 67.2km of wire fence and say they will add another 20km with support from International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) by December this year to cover Chulu area, meaning at least 40km up to Chisinga near the Zambian border will still be without a fence.
Kasungu National Park Manager Ndaona Kumanga says materials for constructing the fence are being procured, assuring the communities that the area will be fortified at least by December.
“The challenge we have is that the fence is very expensive. It costs $10 000 [about K10.6 million] per km. However, we assure the communities that we will cover the entire stretch.
“Another challenge is that people cultivate too close to the park and the buffer zone has long been destroyed. In that case, elephants can always smash the fence and destroy the crops,” Kumanga says.
According to park authorities, the taste of grass in the western park boundary is somewhat sour unlike the eastern side where the grass is said to be sweet hence the elephants are expanding their home range eastwards.
“So as they go east, they see crops which are grown very close to the park. In the absence of the wire, they easily go and destroy those crops.
“It is a big problem that requires the efforts of all stakeholders including our colleagues in the agriculture sector. We need to sit down and see which crops can be grown near the park boundary in the absence of a buffer zone,” Kumanga says.
District Commissioner for Kasungu, James Kanyangalazi, says the government is aware of the human-animal conflict and its impact at Chulu area adding there is an assessment report being done to know the exact extent of need.
He says: “We have received reports on the situation here and that is also why we went to visit and see for ourselves. There is an assurance that the fence will be erected this year covering an additional 20km.
“I plead with the communities to be cooperative and own this project so that we do not see the fence being vandalised. We hope after the fence is erected, their lives will get back to normalcy.”
Kanyangalazi thanked the people of Chulu for being peaceful despite the many challenges they are facing.
“I assure you that this is the last year you are encountering this problem. We are doing everything to protect this community. When the fence project commences, let’s support and own it,” he says.
Member of Parliament for the area Bauden Mtonga also assures the communities that the fence project will commence soon and that lives will get back to normality.
Established in 1970, Kasungu is country’s second largest national park siting on 2 316 square km and is home to about 400 elephants, 263 of which were translocated from Liwonde National Park.
As the wait for the fence continues, lives, houses, crops and peace also continue to be lost, throwing the once prospering communities in socioeconomic disarray and a growing reality of deepening poverty and insecurity.
Social cash transfer a standing block for the elderly
By Solister Mogha
Zomba, July 26, Mana: They are weak and living in a dilapidated grass -thatched house in the outer skirt of Zomba district. Genazio Chinangwa 85 and Teleza Stanly 65 are just a sample of so many elderly persons battling it all, fighting for their lives even when their muscles have less to offer.
With difficulties in walking and hearing, the two never leave each other, day in and day out, they are either seated close to each other at their dusty veranda or in their field trying to prepare their land for the next growing season if not, caring for their already grown crops.
Of the eleven children they produced, seven are still alive but unable to care for them due to poverty. According to Chinangwa, sometimes, these children though in their separate marriages, look up to them for support.
“We are a starving family and have no proper support. This is the reason why, even at our old age, we still go to the field so that we have food for the rest of the family,” he says.
However, Chinangwa says despite numerous challenges facing the family, they find relief in the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme which they have been benefiting since its inception in 2015.
Through the programme, the family is able to use money received to buy food, fertilizer and pay school fees for their grandchildren.
Sometimes when their bodies are weak, they use the same money to employ other people to assist them in their farm.
This is not the only benefit they have managed to get from the programme, Chinangwa and his wife have also been saving and buying iron sheets for their house which they intend to roof some years to come if God allows to remain in the programme.
“Since 2015, I have been saving some little money and I have since bought 14 iron sheets out of 32 and I am hopeful that one day, I will roof my house with iron sheets,” he believes.
Chinangwa has since hailed government for introducing SCT programme which is one of the many social protection and safety net programs.
He said without which, his life would have been a total mess and that at his age, he would have died of stress and poor health.
“How I wish this was a special package for the elderly and also accommodating many vulnerable groups. In addition, government should consider increasing the amount as the current value do not match with the cost of living,” Chinangwa suggests.
Government of Malawi with financial support from various partners including European Union (EU) introduced SCT programme as one of the social resilience and protection programme targeting the most vulnerable Malawians.
The idea is to ease sufferings of the less privileged through the provisional of monetary support to selected households.
In Zomba, about 15, 556 households are benefiting from the program among whom includes the elderly persons like Chinangwa.
According to Paul Simfukwe, Principal Social Welfare Officer for Zomba, of the total beneficiaries, 7002 are the elderly.
Simfukwe described social cash transfer as a pivotal programme that provide an opportunity to every Malawian especially the vulnerable to rise above their statuses and start contributing to the economy of the country.
He said, initially the programme was designed to aid ultra-poor populations and graduate them to a much better level where they could stand on their own.
“Much as we talk about people benefiting from the programme, this is not a lifetime-all programme, people need to graduate. However, we are failing to graduate beneficiaries due to the absence of sustainable initiatives that could take up those graduation pathways,” Simfukwe said.
On increasing number of beneficiaries for the district, Simfukwe said during re-targeting, the figure may increase by 2 percent.
“Currently, the target beneficiaries are 10 percent of the total household population and after re-targeting, the percentage will increase by 2 percent making it 12 percent,” he said.
He agreed with Chinangwa that the amounts given to beneficiaries are too little to correspond economic demands and appealed authorities to consider revising.
Malawi Network of Eldery Persons Country Director, Andrew Kavala said much as the organizations appreciates that a proportion of the beneficiaries are the elder people, they would have loved if government rolled out a pure elderly scheme.
He said people like Chinagwa should not be allowed to sweat and work with their weak bodies.
“Elderly issues must be looked into critically, we will end up losing elderly persons due to pressure, unhealthy life and many more. Its high time government should take a bold step and improve the welfare of elderly persons,” said Kavala.
During their visit to the country, KFW a development bank through which European Union channels resources for the programme in Zomba, hailed the country for a successful progress made so far.
The Bank’s Head of Health, Education and Social Protection Division for south-reign Africa, Dr Marlis Sieburger said she was impressed to see that those benefiting are ultra-poor in very remote areas.
Dr Sieburger also said including the elderly in the SCT was the much exciting thing about the programme.
She promised to lobby for more funds and also increasing the number of elderly benefiting from the programme.
“I am impressed to see elderly persons being considered. They are weak and cannot engage themselves in any hard labor. I pray that the programme continues so that more and more elder people benefit from it,” she said.
Social cash transfer programme was first introduced as a pilot in 2006 in Mchinji.
After a successful implementation, it spread out to other districts and in Zomba it was introduced in 2015.
