By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, February 28, Mana: Contractors working on Chitipa Community Stadium, have assured government and Chitipa District Council that they will complete the construction works within the specified period of 90 days.

Twende Contractors representative, Cheyo Chiona, who spoke on behalf of all the four contractors, said there is good progress in the construction and will beat the 90 day target.

Chiona made the assurance on Thursday during a site meeting between contractors, Chitipa District Council officials and communities to appreciate progress and challenges faced in the works.

He said Twende Contractors who are doing drainage system and terrace construction are at 60 percent, Mazagala Building Contractors who are doing ablution block and ticket office are at 50 percent, Tiyesenawo Construction Company who are doing dressing room are at 97 percent and Bonongwe Construction Company who are constructing Very Important People (VIP) stand are at five percent completion.

“Let me assure government and all stakeholders that we are going to complete all the construction works within 90 days. Bonongwe Construction Company has assured us that they are going to speed up the work,” Chiona said.

Chiona asked communities in Chitipa not to be worried, saying they have competent contractors.

“We have contractors who are committed to work. We assure communities in Chitipa that they are going to get the project done within the 90 days specified in the contract,” he assured.

Chitipa District Council Director of Public Works, Engineer Misheck Gondwe, said his office organised the site meeting to see how contractors are faring.

“So far progress is very good and if this pace continues then the construction works will be completed on time or even before the completion period of 90 days,” Gondwe said.

He said they have intensified supervision and monitoring of the projects so that they are completed on time.

Senior Chief Mwabulambya applauded the contractors for doing a good job on-site.

The construction works are being financed by the World Bank funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) Project amounting to K720 million.

Chitipa District Council hired four contractors to speed up construction in readiness for the 2025-2026 TNM Super League which commences on April 5, 2025.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, February 28, Mana: Police in Dowa have arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion that he murdered his three year old step son.

The incident happened on February 25, 2025 at Kamankodola Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Msakambewa in the district.

Dowa Police Station Public Relations Officer, Alice Sitima, has identified the suspect as Gerald Tchalesi and the deceased child as Witikala Steven.

Sitima said on the day, the child's mother, 24-year-old Ethel Kambitsani, left home around 9am to attend a funeral ceremony at a nearby village, leaving her son who was at the time in good health, under Tchalesi’s care.

"When she returned home around 5pm, Kambitsani found Tchalesi locking the house and preparing to leave but without disclosing his destination. When she entered the house, she noticed a foul odor coming from the bedroom and after checking, found her son lying unconscious under a blanket.

“Kambitsani alerted village elders, who rushed the child to Msakambewa Health Centre, where he was pronounced dead," said Sitima.

She said when Tchalesi was informed of the incident he did not return home.

The matter was reported to Dowa Police Station, who visited the scene and transported the body to Dowa District Hospital for examination.

"Postmortem revealed that the child died from hypovolemic shock due to ruptured internal organs. Currently, Tchalesi has been arrested and will soon appear in court to face a murder charge," said Sitima.

By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, February 28, Mana: Mother Care Groups (MCG) facilitated by Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) are making strides in improving vaccine coverage of under five children in Blantyre.

This was disclosed Thursday, when (MHEN) toured Chiswe MCG in Bangwe Township in Blantyre to monitor some of the initiatives that MCG is doing.

Speaking at Nachamba clinic which is under construction in Bangwe Township, Assistant Project Officer for MHEN, Helbert Chakwawa, commended Chiswe MCG for showing great impact within a short period of time.

“What you are doing here is very impressive; it was only in October when we formed this group but you have managed to lobby authorities for the construction of a clinic,” he said.

Chairperson for Chiswe MCG, Alice Kumbaya, expressed satisfaction saying they are happy that their effort is bringing positive results to the community.

“Since the establishment of Chiswe MCG in October last year, we have managed to open a health post for under five children vaccination,” she said.

Kumbya said despite facing several challenges while carrying out their duties they have seen a significant change in under five vaccine distribution.

“We have managed to reach 392 children in total, where 66 were not able to receive the whole required vaccine and 20 were on zero dose but after sensitizing them they have all understood the importance of under five vaccine and the dangers of not vaccinating children,” she said.

Group Village Head Chiswe hailed MCG citing that they have helped to reduce diseases among children hence contributing to development of the area.

“In the past parents complained of long distance to Bangwe Health Centre. With the coming of Chiswe MCG, parents are able to access services at the nearest place,” she said.

Chiswe MCG is under Bangwe Health Centre and covers four villages namely; Chiswe, BCA, Chilumba Ngangala and Nachamba

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