By Prisca Promise Mashushu

Lilongwe, December 9, Mana: Students at Likuni Boys Secondary School have been encouraged to continue maintaining discipline and hard work in order to excel in their education.

This was revealed Sunday during the inspect and interaction between Likuni Boys Alumni Association and the current students at the school.

Chairperson for Likuni Boys Association Alumni, Chris Kambani, said the association thought of visiting the school to inspire students to work hard and fulfil their dreams by following their footsteps.

He said the school has tremendously improved for the past years due to support from the alumni and other stakeholders hence the need for students to utilise the resources available to have better results.

“As an association, we thought to visit and inspect the school so that we know some of the challenges the school is currently facing before taking an initiative to help as one way of promoting quality education.

“This is the first time we have managed to visit the school, but we are planning to do this annually in order to inspire and instil hard work on the current students so that they can pursue different careers easily in the future,” he said.

One of the alumni members, Mzonde Mvula, who is working at the High Court as a judge under criminal division, said their presence at the school will encourage students to work hard by knowing where they are coming from and where they are going so that they fulfil their dreams.

“Since our time, Likuni Boys has a history of having discipline. l would like to encourage students to maintain it by following the school protocol and avoid vandalism of the school property,” said Mvula.

The school representative, Bonface Chirambo, said the coming of the alumni is important to the current students especially the program of assisting needy students with fees as well as buying essential resources that will be used by the school.

“The alumni will help students to be well behaved and disciplined which will help them excel in their education,” he said.

The alumni has promised to continue supporting the school and inspire students that are currently studying at the school.

By Gift Chiponde

Lilongwe, December 9, Mana: Ministry of Lands has raised concerns about individuals, particularly in Lilongwe, occupying and developing public land without authorization.

A statement released on Monday and signed by Secretary for Lands, Devie Chilonga, has pointed out that the areas most affected include Area 12, 10, 43, 46, and 47, where residents are extending their plots by encroaching on dambo areas and tree belts without proper authorization.

According to the Ministry, this behavior violates Section 20 of the Land Act, which states that any person who uses or occupies public land without a valid grant, lease or other authorization from the Minister commits an offense.

Section 54 of the Physical Planning Act states that any individual who subdivides land or enters into a subdivision agreement, or commences development without the required grant of development permission, commits an offense.

 "Upon conviction, the offender shall be liable to a fine of K500, 000 and imprisonment for three years. In the case of a continuing offense, an additional fine of K2, 000 may be imposed for each day the offense continues after conviction.

Furthermore, the Ministry has reminded the public that constructing buildings in road reserves, river reserves, forest reserves, or open spaces is unacceptable.

The Ministry says it will support local councils in stopping or demolishing any unauthorized developments in unplanned areas in contravention of relevant legislation including the Land Act, Physical Planning Act, Water Resources Act, Public Roads Act and Environment Management Act, among others.

The Ministry has, therefore, issued a warning to developers who have extended their plots without authorization, indicating that they are in breach of their agreements and risk having their leases terminated.

"Therefore, the Ministry and local government authorities will continue to protect public land by issuing eviction orders. If necessary, they will prosecute the encroachers.

“Additionally, city and district councils are legally mandated to enforce actions, including the demolition of any structures built without authorization," the statement emphasized.

By Sheminah Nkhoma

Lilongwe, December 9, Mana: National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM) has launched a K100 million agricultural cooperative grant to help young farmers in developing their agricultural businesses.

Speaking at the launch in Lilongwe on Monday, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, said government is committed to achieving the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) strategy and the Malawi 2063.

He said empowering young people to venture into agricultural productivity aligns with the ATM strategy’s goals of transforming agriculture into productive, market driven sector that contributes to food security, job creation and economic growth.

“This program will equip young people with resources and opportunities to drive agricultural productivity, commercialization and innovation by contributing to a self-reliant and industrialized Malawi,” said Banda.

He stated that government is determined to break barriers and create an enabling environment where young people can thrive as many are unemployed.

He said the coming in of the grant will enable them boost their agriculture business so that they can attain enough income.

Banda has, therefore, urged the youth to use the funds for the intended purposes, to be transparent and accountable as well as work diligently to grow the cooperatives into successful enterprises.

NYCOM Executive Director, Rex Chapota, thanked government for the support provided to the Council saying it will transform small-scale groups who are already working in the agriculture sector.

“It is the vision of the Council that is in line with the Malawi 2063. The Council should help and support youth from rural areas to contribute to the economic development through entrepreneurship. So, the grant will boost local youth,” said Chapota.

He highlighted the need for more support to the youth as they constitute 70 percent of people in the country hence the need for collaboration between government and the private sector to support the youth development.

One of the beneficiaries of the grant, Francis Chirambo who is into fish farming said the grant is a milestone to their group as it will help them innovate some fish ponds.

Chirambo’s group aims to have a tin fish factory.

18 youth are roups are set to benefit from the grant as it is designed to provide essential funding and technical support to youth-led projects in the agriculture sector.

By Hope Chimwala

Blantyre, November 9, Mana: Kabaza Motorcycle operators have complained that individuals have been posing as officials from Kabaza Union demanding money from them at roundabouts in Blantyre, claiming they were enforcing road regulations without proper documentation.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Monday, Kabaza Chairperson for Blantyre, Kenneth Masamba confirmed the incident and said that these people were claiming to be working with the association and Police but they did not have any official documents from them and City Council.

“When we confronted them as to why they were stopping and collecting money from motorcycle operators without any Police officers or any document from the City Council, they failed to provide relevant answers and they were taken to Soche Police Station,” he said.

Masamba added that another thing that surprised them was that before the operation started, they were not warned as it has always been done in the past and after they have paid the demanded fine, the operators were not receiving any receipt from these impostors.

“When Police and City Council officials are to conduct such an operation, they notify us and give us time to have all the safety materials that qualify us to do our business but this was not done and no receipts were being issued after paying the fine,” he added.

Blantyre Police Officer-in-charge, Assistant Commissioner, Aubrey Kawale told MANA that two men were taken into custody at Soche Police Station on November 5, 2024 before being transferred to Chichiri Police Station on the allegations that they have been demanding money from Kabaza operators without official documents.

 While the allegations that these people were stopping Kabaza operators without official documents are true, Kawale stated that claims of money being solicited could not be proved.

“We announced yesterday that anyone who has paid the money which is being claimed should come and report at the police station, from Thursday until now, not even a single person has shown up to provide evidence for the allegations being made,” he said.

One of the suspects was severely injured and was rushed to the hospital for treatment, the other person is still in custody because of other crimes he committed in Mulanje rather than the allegations which were being made. 

By Alexander Tchongwe

Mzimba, December 9, Mana: M’mbelwa District Council Gender Officer, Naomi Mwale has urged men in the district to report cases of injustice they face, emphasizing that breaking the silence was key to addressing Gender Based Violence (GBV) against men. 

She made the remarks on Friday during a mobile awareness campaign which targeted marketplaces and rural communities across Mzimba District.

Mwale highlighted that the campaign aimed to reach areas where GBV cases are most common. 

“This year, we are taking the campaign to rural areas, directly engaging people in their communities. Men, as victims or witnesses, must come forward and speak up. Their silence only protects the perpetrators.

“We want everyone, especially men, to report cases and contribute to building safe and just communities,” she said at Luviri Trading Centre. 

Programme Manager for Coalition for the Empowerment of women and girls (CEWAG), Priscilla Mkwapatila called on men to play a leading role in ending GBV, particularly in areas surrounding construction sites near Jenda Trading Centre where UNIK workers are rehabilitating the M1 Road.

“There have been incidents where some men use the money they earn to exploit young girls and married women. To address this, we have set up Grievance Redress Mechanism Committees in areas like Luviri, Mapanjira, Msegede, and Jenda.

“These committees will help people, including men, to report GBV cases. We also encourage workers on this project to be role models in the community by rejecting such behaviors and speaking out against them,” she said.

Speaking at Emfeni, Research Coordinator for Jenda Police Station Inspector, Adams Namtapa assured the public of the police's support and encouraged men to report GBV cases.

“Men often choose silence when they face violence or witness it. This silence only allows the problem to persist. We have Victim Support Units (VSU) ready to assist anyone, including men. Reporting such cases helps us address the issue and ensures the safety of the entire community,” he said.

Namtapa encouraged men to understand that reporting violence is a step toward justice and not a sign of weakness.

The Mobile awareness campaign, which ran from Monday to Friday, reached multiple markets in Mzimba, aiming to end GBV and empower men to speak out when their rights are violated.