By Ernest Mfunya

Mangochi, May 5, Mana: Martin Chiwanda, who until his death was District lnformation Officer for Machinga has been laid to rest at Karonga Village, Traditional Authority Ntonda in Mangochi on Monday, April 5, 2025.

Chiwanda who also served as Public Relations Officer for Machinga District Council died on Friday, April  2, at   Machinga District Hospital where he was admitted  on April 1, for pnumonia.

Speaking during the funeral ceremony, Deputy Director of Information,  Lisa Malango described Chiwanda’s passing as a loss to the ministry, saying he will be remembered for his hard working spirit.

According to Malango, late Chiwanda was dedicated to duties, saying  the ministry will greatly miss his contributions.

“It is very heart-breaking  that our friend and workmate who was selfless and dedicated to his job has  departed from us,” said Malango.

A representative of Machinga District Council, Shepherd Jere expressed sadness over the death of Chiwanda, saying that the council has lost a person who had  passion to transform the district.

“The council is saddened with the death of our brother, Martin Chiwanda. He was available anytime the council wanted him,” he added.

Lucius Msosa who spoke on behalf of the deceased family said the family was shocked with the death, saying that Martin was a strong family pillar that stood for everyone.

“The family has lost a pillar and we are going to miss him. He taught us a lot and for that we are thankful to him. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he added.

People from Mangochi, Machinga, Nsanje, Lilongwe and other parts of the country gathered at his home village to pay their last respect among them included officials from the Ministry of lnformation, journalists from various media organisations and Association of Catholic Journalists.

Senior Chief Chamba of Machinga and Traditional Authority  Ntonda of Mangochi also paid their last respect to Chiwanda at Karonga Village saying his death has left a gap.

Chiwanda, who was born on  March 3, 1981, joined Ministry of Information and Digitalization on April 18, 2012 and  served  as District lnformation Officer in Nsanje and Machinga.

He is survived by a wife and two children.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, 5 May, Mana: Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), commonly known as Mtukula Pakhomo beneficiaries in Lilongwe District have applauded government for introducing the safety net initiative that has assisted them to improve their livelihood.

Lydia Phiri an old woman from Malembo village in the area of Sub-Traditional Authority Malembo, said the wages she receives from the programme has assisted her to pay school fees for her children and find basic needs for the family.

She was speaking on Monday during a supervision exercise of E-payment which was organized by the council aimed at appreciating the achievements and the challenges the beneficiaries are encountering with the new system of receiving their payment.

“I don’t receive much, but I manage to pay school fees for my children, I used to struggle with my family members, but now I am able to support them with basic needs,” she said.

Phiri then urged other beneficiaries to be using the money they get from SCTP for intended purpose so that they become self-reliant financially.

Another beneficiary, James Chikafa from Kasiya village who became a beneficiary of the SCTP in 2018, said she uses most of her money, to keep livestock such as pigs, goats and chicken which later she sales and find money for her family’s needs.

She said very soon she will be venturing into a small business so that it keeps her going as she waits to sell her livestock.

Lilongwe District Social Welfare Officer, Responsible for Social Cash Transfer Programme, Sarah Chimodzi, said it is encouraging that many beneficiaries are able to invest in livestock, such as chicken, goats and pigs.

Chimodzi further said the programme has also assisted in reducing negative risks such as withdrawal of children from school and absenteeism, among others.

The programme in Lilongwe District (SCTP) is being managed by Malawi Government with support from World Bank and targets ultra-poor and labour-constrained households by providing them support in form of cash.

The programme covers 23 Traditional Leaders and has a total number of 29, 512

beneficiaries.

By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, May 5, Mana: District Commissioner (DC) for Nkhata Bay District, Rodgers Newa, has asked people living along Nkhata riverbank in the area of Senior Chief Timbiri and surrounding areas to evacuate to uplands for safety of their lives and properties due to continuous heavy rainfall.

Newa made the statement on Sunday at Kakumbi Village during a monitoring visit to affected households to assess the extent of the damage caused by the rains.

"We are here to assess the extent of the damage that the heavy rains have caused here at Kakumbi Village and other areas. As you can see, in most parts, nature is just claiming its course as these houses were constructed along the riverbank.

"My advice is that these people must move out with immediate effect to avoid further damage, as we will keep on receiving these rains up to next month," Newa said.

According to Newa, the heavy rainfall, which started on Saturday, May 3, 2025, has affected over 31 households at Nkhata Bay Boma, with some having their roofs blown off.

"We are still receiving reports from across the district as most areas like Traditional Authorities Fukamapiri, Timbiri and others are affected, causing damage to bridges, roads, crops. We will give a final report in due course," Newa added.

He further said the council has identified a temporary shelter for the affected households at Nkhata Bay Boma and will continue providing relief food where necessary while intensifying awareness campaigns.

Councillor for Boma Ward, Syrian Adamana said the affected households are in dire need of food and some are being housed by neighbours and relatives.

One of the affected people, Mary Tobias from Kakumbi Village said she has lost all the food and expressed hope that government will help them as they are trying to recover to their normal life.

By Rose Cross Mahorya

Mzuzu, May 5, Mana: Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has expressed satisfaction with the progress at which artists in the country are utilizing its Universal Service Fund.

Speaking in Mzuzu during a third round premier of ‘Welcome to Maula Prison’ movie, the fund’s Project Manager Khumbo Kasambala said the production of the movie, is a testament of such utilization.

He called for more actors to utilise it by pitching to the fund with their respective projects.

“What we want is to boost Malawian content on our media channels; currently only around 20 percentages of it is local.

“We are impressed to see that the ‘Welcome to Maula Prison’ movie is not only showcasing great talent but there is also a huge improvement in terms of production which is very encouraging,” said Kasambala who further noted that the production gives hope of further growth of the film industry in Malawi.

Public Relations Officer for ‘Welcome to Maula Prison’ movie project, Desire Namachotsa appreciated the statutory body for setting up the fund which she said is an answered prayer to the artists.

“Good and quality things are expensive and movie making is no exception. Our movie industry can only grow if there are more sources of funding like the Universal Service Fund.

“Aside to that, we appreciate the support that we have received from Malawians across the country. It has made us feel proud of our work,” she said.

The premier, which delayed by over an hour in scheduled time due to slow turn out, ended on a high note with patrons who filled the hall to the brim, showering praises on the production team.

“I must confess that I am impressed beyond my expectation because the production is far better than most Malawian productions we have seen,” said Tawina Sangano, one of the patrons.

Another patron, Daud Banda said: “The acting, the picture, the sound, the content and everything else are top notch. I say bravo to the team for a great production.”

Universal Service Fund is a unit under Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority set aside to help achieve digital inclusion for all Malawians. It is a contributory fund from all telecommunication agencies in the country.

By Alice Ndunya

Machinga, May 4, Mana: Machinga District Council has assured participating communities in Climate Smart-Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) that it will improve on payment of wages to ensure timely and consistent wage payment of participants in the social protection programme.

The council made the assurance after CS-EPWP under Nkhande catchment, at Paramount Chief Kawinga's area in the district, after they complained of delayed and inadequate wages, which they said fail to meet their day-to-day needs.

Machinga District Council’s Information Communication Technology Officer, Lucy Beyadi acknowledged the challenges and assured the participating communities that the council was addressing late payment and other challenges in the programme.

“We are aware of these problems and right now some of them have been resolved, for instance, we had challenges with our server which we use when paying the participants but as of now, it has been resolved,” she added...

The payment of workers that participated in the fourth phase of CS-EPWP, which was completed some months ago, is expected to cover 22 catchments in the district.

One of CS-EPWP, participants, James Rashid, said that they waited for three months before receiving their wages and complained that the wages were not sufficient to make ends meet considering current cost of living.

“We have waited this long to receive payments such that it became worrisome. The affected our plans as we failed to buy basic necessities for our families,” he added.

Another CS-EPWP participant, Hilda Kawinga from Michongwe Village, Paramount Chief Kawinga’s area expressed joy over the payment, saying though the wage payment delayed,, it will still help  her buy school materials for her grandchildren while the other part of the wages will be used for household needs.

“I will use the money to buy exercises books for my grandchildren while the rest we will buy food at home,” Kawinga added.

She therefore commended Machinga District Commissioner, Rodrick Mateauma for taking his time to inspecting wage payment in Nkhande catchment.

“I am glad that we have been given a chance to express our concerns. This is a testimony that the council is committed to look into our concerns,” she said

In his sentiments, Mateauma encouraged the participants to continue working hard in all the activities aligned with the restoration of the environment in their respective catchments.

“We will continue to look into the welfare of the participants. This is evident from the recent increment as government adjusted the wages from K900.00 to K1, 600.00 per day.” He added.

The District Commissioner observed that CS-EPWP brought significant livelihood transformation and improvements in environmental conservation compared to years before the commencement of the programme in the district.

“The environment was in total shambles and there was an outcry from the community complaining of poor food harvest as a result of the effects of climate change in their agricultural activities.

“I therefore call upon communities to be committed to conservational agriculture and to adhere to all measures that help to sustain land management in the wake of climate change,” he added.

CS-EPWP is funded by the World Bank to improve livelihoods among communities through various wage-earning catchment activities such as reafforestation and other sustainable land resource initiatives.

By Ruth Kumwenda

Blantyre, May 4, Mana: Cancer Survivors Quest (CSQ) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting cancer patients on top of raising awareness on various types of cancer affecting Malawians from low-income backgrounds.

The organization which is currently supporting five patients with transport money, held an online auction on April 30, 2025, selling cancer awareness keyrings with varying colors representing different kinds of cancer where it managed to raise K80, 000 against their target of K100, 000.

CSQ Executive, Director Chikhulupiliro Ng'ombe, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) that the organization came up to launch the cancer awareness keyrings designed in different colours to enhance support and awareness about different kinds of cancer.

“The cancer awareness keyrings are designed with different colour ribbons representing specific cancer type. Gold for childhood cancer, Light blue for prostate cancer, Dark blue for colon cancer, White for lung cancer while Emerald green is for liver cancer,” he added.

He expressed gratitude to those who participated in the auction and those who made donations, saying CSQ remains optimistic to meet objectives as keyring sales continue throughout.

Ng’ombe said fighting cancer is not an individual battle but a collective effort, adding, “Cancer is a very difficult condition to go through, and doing it alone is impossible. At CSQ, we believe in Togetherness in fighting cancer,”.

He further appealed to the public to continue supporting the cause either by purchasing the keyrings or making direct donations

Health expert, George Jobe, who is also Executive Director for Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), commended the initiative, saying the support will ease the burden faced by cancer patients who need treatments but lack transportation to and from the hospital.

“This initiative by Cancer Survivor Quest is recommendable because many cancer patients in Malawi are struggling financially, some patients fail to access treatment simply because they cannot afford transport or basic needs,” he added.

He called on well-wishers to support CSQ to reach out to more people who are battling cancer.

By Aliko Munde and Ireen Mseteka

Mzuzu, May 4, Mana: Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Digitalization, Baldwin Chiyamwaka, said that the government recognizes that freedom of the press is not a luxury but a necessity.

Chiyamwaka was speaking on Saturday night during MISA Malawi World Press Freedom Day Gala Dinner which was held under the theme; “Media for a well-informed electorate” in Mzuzu

Chiyamwaka said that the government understands that there cannot be sustainable development and meaningful and credible democratic elections without a media environment that is free and independent.

“The backbone of our democracy relies on citizens’ effective participation in all democratic processes, hence Malawians must be well-informed.

Without accurate, balanced and accessible information, citizens cannot make informed choices and therefore cannot effectively participate in elections,” said Chiyamwaka.

He therefore said that journalists are not just mere messengers but pillars of good governance, which includes accountability, transparency and enhancement of national cohesion.

Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Malawi, Amy Diaz, said that the media in the country have a role in ensuring that Malawians have accurate information on the forthcoming General Elections.

"You need to remain professional so that political parties and the electorate depend on you for fair and balanced information.

In this era of social media, Malawians depend on you to provide accurate information," Diaz said.

Chairperson for MISA Malawi, Golden Watonga said that despite challenges, journalists must uphold the true creed of the profession. Saying that media should always remain impartial and safeguard the interests of the public.

“Let us reject any attempts to use us as instruments for any politician or political party.  The media must rise above the fray and prove that it can be different, effective, reliable and fit for purpose,” Watonga said.

Marking the climax of the day, individual journalists and media houses received awards for their performance in different categories and overall winner was Beatrice Mwape of Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.

Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) emerged the best online media of the year while Times TV was the best TV.

Radio Station of the year award went to Times Radio, as Nation Publications Limited was the best print media house of the year.