MANAonline
Project intensifies labour related rights for employees and employers
By Memory Kutengule Chatonda
Blantyre, June 10, Mana: A situation analysis conducted by the European Union Funded Project-Zantchito revealed a serious knowledge gap among employees and employers in understanding various provisions of labour laws in Malawi.
Zantchito Project Occupational Safety and Health Expert, Johanes Mandowa said this in Blantyre on Tuesday during a Decent Work Awareness Campaign with workers at Bakhresa Malawi Limited.
"When we are talking about the promotion of decent work, one of the important pillars of decent work is social dialogue.
"So we expect employers and employees to be able to sit down. For them to be able to effectively sit down and iron out the differences that could be there, they need to be able to do that from a point of understanding and a point of knowledge as far as what is provided for in the various labour laws," he said.
The campaign saw Ministry of Labour officials equipping the employees at Bakhresa with knowledge on Employment Act, Industrial Relations as well as Occupation Safety and Welfare Act.
Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Labour, Ofwa Alide, said the month of June is designated as 'Labour Awareness Month' to raise awareness on labour related laws in the workforce.
"Through this initiative, we hope to bridge the knowledge gap that is there, as far as the promotion of decent work is concerned. Knowledge is power and knowledge really induces self-compliance.
"So even after this exercise is done at the end of June, people can still walk in and out of our offices to find out about labour rights and will be able to assist them," she said.
Head of Human Resource and Compliance at Bakhresa, Richard Tchereko said the awareness campaign has ensured that employees are aware of their rights and responsibilities.
"This will make the work of the human resource practitioners easy and also the company will enhance its production because there will not be misunderstanding and unnecessary complaints," said Tchereko.
The awareness campaign was held under the theme: 'promoting decent work: safeguarding workers freedom, equity, security and dignity' and similar activities were done in Mzuzu and Lilongwe.
Elderly people smile after graduating from SCTP in Rumphi
By Manasse Nyirenda
Rumphi, June 10, Mana: Elderly residents of Rumphi who recently graduated from the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), funded by the World Bank and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, have praised the initiative for improving their quality of life in old age.
One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Dekapose Mkandawire, 83, of Magawa Village in the area of Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe, said on Monday that he now has an iron sheet thatched house.
He said that he was living in a grass thatched house before he was enrolled into the programme.
“I was in the programme for five years. To fully utilize the opportunity, I joined a village savings and loans group to save some money.
“Five years later, I have nine pigs, an iron sheet thatched house, piped water at my door step among other things which I have acquired through the programme,” said Mkandawire.
He added that he will maintain his membership in the village savings group to help grow the income his family earns from their local beer-selling business.
Another graduate of the program, Trytis Chirwa, 86, said she used part of the money to support her orphaned grandchildren with school necessities
She also built a house and brought running water to her home with the support her daughter who was managing her receipts before she graduated from the programme in the first quarter of 2025.
Desk Officer for the SCTP in Rumphi, Abel Ndlovu said that most beneficiaries of the initiative who have since graduated from the programme have built decent homes, established small scale businesses to sustain their livelihoods.
There are currently 5,062 SCTP beneficiaries in Rumphi.
Kasungu farmers get goats for livelihood resilience
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, June 10, Mana: Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development has supported farmers in Nkanalumo Village, Sub-Traditional Suza, in Kasungu District, with goats in a drive to diversify sources of income and build resilience for vulnerable communities.
Presenting the goats on Tuesday, the faith-based organization’s Field Project Officer, Felister Neddie, said the initiative targets the most vulnerable households to shield them from the effects of climate change by building and enhancing their resilience with diversified farming approaches.
“This is a livestock pass-on scheme that will ensure that the vulnerable farmers venture into livestock production as a source of livelihood to improve their income levels.
“The programme is also promoting livestock production, thereby increasing the contribution of livestock towards climate change mitigation and resilience, and ensuring availability of locally produced livestock products within the impact areas,” Neddie said.
She said the scheme, which is part of the larger Tasintha Mlimi Project, has targeted to distribute 50 goats to 10 households, with each family receiving five goats, to enhance the households’ adaptive capacities.
Agriculture Extension and Development Coordinator for Chipala Extension and Planning Area, Albert Kumwenda, said apart from improving the communities’ nutritional status, the goats will promote climate-smart agriculture practices through harvesting of manure.
“This time we are promoting manure-making not only because of the rising costs of farm inputs, but also because of the effects of climate change since organic manure helps with moisture retention.
“This is a pass-on scheme so all we want to see is that the goats must be taken care of so that other families should also benefit and become independent,” Kumwenda said.
One of the recipients Ellah Nyirenda expressed excitement with the support, describing it as a timely intervention that will help boost her farming activities through manure harvesting and be able to support the education of her children.
She also advised the other beneficiaries not to sell the goats so that they could pass them on to other families.
Two arrested for theft, murder of 3 in Mzimba
By Lesnat Kenan
Lilongwe June 10, mana: Police at Jenda in Mzimba, have arrested two young men on suspicion of being connected to the deaths of three individuals, Matrida Kalua, Linda Gondwe and Felix Makatanje, who were killed between May 17-21 2025, along the Malawi-Zambia border.
The suspects have been identified as Simon Ndawandawa aged 23, and Chisomo Ndawandawa aged 20.
According to Jenda Police Station Public Relations Officer, Sub Inspector Macfarlen Mseteka, the arrest that was made on June 5, 2025, at Kapopo along the Malawi-Zambia border, follows intensive and intelligence-driven investigations initiated by Jenda Police after relatives reported missing persons.
"It has been established that the two suspects, along with a Zambian national (the third suspect) who is at large, were targeting farm produce buyers by deceiving them into believing they were selling maize and soya beans;” explained the police spokesperson.
“Once these buyers were taken to quiet places, they were attacked with an axe and their money were stolen,” he added.
Mseteka further said the arrest of the suspects led to the revelations that there was a third dead body of Felix Makatanje, who was killed by the same suspects on May 17,2025, and the suspects led the police to the forest on the Zambian side where they partially buried the victim.
"The suspects admitted to have killed Felix Makatanje after robbing him of K500,000 and his phone, before murdering the two women and steal K1.6 million from them,” explained Mseteka.
He said Jenda Police will continue the investigations to determine whether the suspects committed any other murders of a similar nature.
He said the first suspect, Simon Ndawandawa, is also on court bail for the suspected murder of his grandfather in 2024.
Meanwhile, Jenda Police Station, in collaboration with the community, is committed to holding all offenders accountable to their deeds to reduce the fear of crime, and provide security to people conducting their businesses.
The two suspects will appear before the court soon to answer charges of murder, a criminal offence contrary to section 209 of the Penal Code.
Both suspects hail from Mkondowanjovu Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) M’mbelwa, in Mzimba district.
REIAMA takes Clean Energy Solutions exhibition to Mzuzu
By Busiso Kaunda
Mzuzu, June 10, Mana: Renewable Energy Industries Association of Malawi (REIAMA) has called on the public to consider generating and utilizing renewable energy amidst limited power supply in the country.
REIAMA Programs Coordinator, Charles Dakalira, made the remarks recently in Mzuzu at the close of an exhibition of renewable energy technologies, an event which brought together various players in the said field of technology from the north.
Dakalira said the event, which run from June 4 to 8, aimed at creating awareness on the availability of affordable and reliable energy options, apart from relying on Escom’s power supply.
“This is the first time we are conducting such an event in Mzuzu and we turned the outside area of Mzuzu Shoprite Mall into a busy clean energy solutions hub for the days we have been,” said Dakalira.
He went on: “Through this event, we hope to educate communities, support local innovations and connect people to energy solutions that work.”
Among the exhibiting companies was H and F Solar Solutions and the company’s exhibitions include invertors, solar panels, fans, and pump controllers, among others.
“We brought all of these tools which look simple but they are life-changing and the idea is to woo people who patronized the event to switch from using candles, charcoal and fuel wood, to solar power which is clean,” said Nathaniel Nyirenda, founder of the company.
Other exhibiting companies included Moto Rhino Malawi with modern solar transportation facilities such as electric boats and motorcycles; Sunny Money, with affordable solar lighting focusing on schools, health facilities, and women, with a vision of reaching out to as many people as possible.
A lecturer in Renewable Energy Systems Engineering at Mzuzu University, Dorica Chima, said the event provided a viable learning, information and knowledge sharing space.
“This event is more than just an exhibition, it is a bridge between theory and practice as our students have witnessed practical and real innovations that have motivated the students to become part of clean energy solutions,” said Chima.
REIAMA was established in 1999 to be promoting renewable energy technologies’ sustainability.
Man arrested for murder in Mzuzu
By Santos Zefania
Lilongwe, June 10, Mana: Police in Mzuzu are keeping in custody a 27-year-old man, Austin Chipeta, in connection with the of murdering a sex worker, Rosina Hara, in Luwinga Township in the city on Monday.
According to Mzuzu Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Sub Inspector Cecilia Mfune, Hara was found dead in her room on May 21, 2025, by fellow sex workers, who broke into her room after noticing that she hadn’t come out since the previous day.
"Police officers discovered Hara’s body with two cuts on the face, and on her private parts,” said Mfune, adding: “Postmortem at Mzuzu Central Hospital, later, confirmed her death resulted from head injuries caused by a blunt object."
Police investigators found Chipeta’s national ID, ATM card, and SIM cards at the scene, and this gave the police leads to the man as suspect and he was arrested on June 9, 2025, according to Mfune.
Chipeta, who admitted to having sex with Hara the night before her death, will appear in court soon to answer a murder charge under Section 209 of the Penal Code.
President Chakwera to Lead Memorial Service for Plane Crash Victims at Lunjika Turn-Off
By Innocent Manda and Patience Kapinda
Lilongwe, June 10, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera will lead a memorial service honoring Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, and seven others who died in a plane crash on June 10, 2024, at Nthungwa in Nkhata Bay district.
The memorial will be held at Lunjika Turn-Off in Mzimba, near where the aircraft crashed, and the event will mark a moment of national reflection on the nine departed souls across Malawi.
The military plane carrying the Vice President and the rest went missing on the radar end route to Mzuzu from Lilongwe, calling for a search by the country’s security agencies until it was later found in Nthungwa Forest, with all the nine passengers, including government and security personnel, dead.
Malawians from all corners are paying their tribute via various platforms, expressing fond memories of the Vice President and the other eight, wishing their souls eternal peaceful rest.
Poet Robert Chiwamba has described Chilima as a “beacon of hope and a true icon”.
"He gave us hope, the youth and the nation. May his soul continue to rest in peace. He was a true icon,” Chiwamba wrote on his social media page.
Malawians continue to mourn Vice President Chilima, remembering him for his leadership, dedication to youth, and his push for public sector reform and modernization in government systems.
Malawians also continue to mourn Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, who was, at one time, the country’s First Lady and she became a key figure in HIV/AIDS awareness, championing prevention and breaking societal stigma during her public service.
Dzimbiri’s Foundation donated medicine and equipment to poor communities, and she is also remembered for her hands-on commitment to helping vulnerable groups through grassroots initiatives.
As MP for Balaka West (2014–2019), she advocated for a National Planning Commission, seeking to improve governance by depoliticizing development agenda and promoting long-term planning.
The memorial service at Lunjika Turn-Off serves as a national moment of reflection, offering Malawians an opportunity to remember and honor the lives lost in the tragic plane crash of June 10, 2024.
Two arrested for robbery
By Santos Zefania
Lilongwe, June 9, Mana: Police at Gateway Mall in Lilongwe have arrested two men for attacking and robbing a woman of a hand bag at Michiru Junction in Area 9, on Friday.
According to Lilongwe Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Khumbo Sanyiwa, the suspects have been identified as Victor Tsikani, 24, and Daud Banda, 20.
The suspects attacked the victim who was walking home after knocking off from work at around 17:00 hours.
He said the victim's handbag contained National Identification card, National Examination Board Identification Card, sun glasses and K20,000 cash.
"Gateway Mall Police rushed to the scene to rescue the first suspect (Tsikani) when angry mob wanted to burn him alive.
"Upon interrogation the suspect disclosed the identity of his accomplice (Banda) who escaped the scene with the stolen bag," Kunyiwa explained.
Police later arrested Banda and successfully recovered the stolen bag.
It has been established that the two suspects are part of gangs who have been terrorizing people during the night at Michiru Road Junction and African Bible College (ABC) areas.
Tsikani hails from Mchitakupha Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Chadza in Lilongwe, while Banda comes from Jahito Village, TA Liwonde in Machinga.
The suspects will appear in court soon to answer robbery charges.
Phalombe magistrate engages learners in career talk
By Blessings Sabiti and Yankho Kalulu
Phalombe, Jun 8, Mana: First-Grade Magistrate Court in Phalombe hosted Ufa Primary School learners in a career talk as His Worship, Leonard Mtosa, encouraged the visiting learners to concentrate on their education to become productive and law-abiding citizens
First Grade Magistrate Mtosa made the call recently when learners travelled from Mlomba area, Phalombe to see him at Phalombe Court where he told the learners to also refrain from behaviours that would easily compromise their dreams of achieving life goals, citing child marriage as one of the factors that affect child education, health and general wellbeing.
First Grade Magistrate Mtosa, however, acknowledged increased child abuse in the district, calling for stakeholders’ collective efforts to deal with various forms of child abuse.
“We continue to receive many cases with children as victims, particularly defilement and child marriages, which often lead to school dropouts,” he added during the interface.
Ufa Primary School Head Teacher, Liston Belo, thanked Magistrate Mtosa for hosting the learners, saying the career talk also provided learners with a better understanding of child rights and responsibilities, on top of the magistrate explaining the consequences of children coming into conflict with the law.
“Learners had the opportunity to understand the law so that they could avoid coming into conflict with the law. The career talks also provided learners with awareness on various forms of child abuse, where and how to report in case they are victimised,” he added.
Belo further thanked the First Grade Magistrate for encouraging the learners to remain in school, in addition to providing them with an opportunity to observe how cases are handled in the court of law.
One of the learners, Fyness Napawa, said the career talk was inspiring and informative, such that it helped her to understand the judicial process.
She therefore urged fellow learners to concentrate on education and stay away from criminal activities and other behaviours that could affect their future.
During the career talk, Ufa School learners learnt about court proceedings, the duties of magistrates, the roles of state prosecutors, and defense lawyers.
Above all, the learners had the opportunity to seek clarification on how cases to do with child abuse are handled in a court of law.
The educational visit was organized by the school, where 62 learners heard the career talk.
Cotton Council of Malawi moves to protect farmers, sustain production
By Kondwani Magombo
Lilongwe, June 8, Mana: Cotton Council of Malawi (CCM) has introduced a digital platform called Cotton Information Management System (COTMIS) to support production and marketing of the crop, a move the Council says will protect farmers from potential losses, and sustain production.
CCM Executive Director, Cosmas Lwanda, disclosed this on Saturday at a press briefing held at the Council’s offices in Lilongwe, where the Council announced the official opening of the 2024/2025 cotton marketing season, which is to run up to September 9, 2025.
Lwanda said the changes brought by the newly introduced system include the use of digital registration and seed distribution; use of bank accounts and mobile platforms by farmers for receiving proceeds from cotton sales; pooling of resources for payment of farmers using COTMIS by all off-takers; and use of ADMARC, and other identified structures for permanent market.
“It is worth noting that stakeholders in the sector unanimously invested K2.85bn in production investments to support the Zero Deposit Input Distribution Program (ZEDIDI),” said Lwanda.
He added: “These changes portray a new beginning and emphasis on the security of investments for sustainably increased production of cotton which will attract increased value addition.”
The CCM Executive Director described the 2024/2025 cotton growing season as successful in terms of production, saying over 27,000 hectares were planted to cotton, with 29,000 farmers registered.
He further said over 200 Metric Tons of cotton seed was distributed to farmers in the growing year, and that the country is expecting production of over 20,000 Metric Tons, more than double last year’s production of 8,000 Metric Tons.
The 2024/2025 season has also seen new buyers, including Illovo Sugar Nchalo Limited, joining the industry and, according to Lwanda, there are five certified cotton buyers, including Afrisian Limited of Lunzu, Blantyre; ADMARC Limited of Limbe, Blantyre; Malawi Cotton Company of Mponda, Balaka; and Masapa Cotton Ginners of Kasungu.
The government of Malawi has, since, commended the steps that the CCM has taken to promote the cotton industry, saying the country is now moving towards sustainable production of cotton in high volumes for increased value addition.
Deputy Director of Crop Development Responsible for Field Crops, Osborne Tsoka, said the new system that the industry has adopted will help improve regulation and development of the sector by, among other areas, preventing side buying of the crop.
According to Tsoka, the minimum farm gate price for cotton for the 2024/2025 market season is K1,400 per kilogram, with a possibility to go higher, given the competitive market the industry has attracted this season.
The demand for cotton in Malawi is 300,000 Metric Tons on the domestic scene for local manufacturing and value addition, while the demand for the export Market is more than 200,000 Metric Tons, according to the CCM.
