As the two-week ultimatum which Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) gave government to respond to teachers’ demand for Covid-19 risk allowances elapsed on Saturday, Capital Hill has now promised to provide answers by end of this week.

TUM secretary general Charles Kumchenga in an interview yesterday said when they inquired from the Ministry of Education on Saturday, they were told that an answer will be provided this week.

He remained hopeful that they will get answers, warning the teachers will take drastic action if the new promise is also broken.

Said Kumchenga: “We contacted the Ministry of Education through the Principal Secretary Chikondano Mussa. We were told the ministry has been consulting on the matter and there is assurance that we will get answers by end of this week.

“For us, our parent ministry is that of Education and that is where we demand answers from.”

Ministry of Education spokesperson Chikondi Chimala said the matter was still under discussion at central level, adding Treasury, the Presidential Taskf Force on Covid-19 and Human Resource Department were better-placed to speak on the matter.

But Secretary to Treasury Chancy Simwaka claimed his office was not party to the discussion, saying: “We are not party to that discussion, so I don’t have an answer to that.”

On his part, Principal Secretary for Human Resource Blessings Chilabade said communication on the issue will be made through TUM and Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) which are holding the discussions with government.

Earlier, Mussa also said the matter was beyond the ministry’s capacity, adding they were waiting for guidance from central government.

Malawi-United Kingdom (UK) Business Group has challenged government to lobby for an improved business environment for Malawian businesses in the UK.

The group’s newly elected chairperson Edgar Chibaka, who is based in Leeds in the UK, has taken over the mantle from Sanjay Taylor, who led it since its inception in 2017.

Chibaka and vice-chairperson David Smith are expected to provide strategic leadership to the organisation and help open up trade opportunities for locals.

Speaking in a telephone interview, Chibaka pledged that he would soon be lobbying the British Government to reconsider its business legislation to accommodate Malawian businesses.

He said: “We need the UK Government to remove some tariffs and legislation that disfavours Malawian businesses.

“This is important to facilitate entrepreneurial spirit in young people between these two countries so that free trade can benefit all parties involved.”

Chibaka called on the Malawi Government to increase the uptake of technologies and work on policies that stifle investment.

“We will continue assisting the Malawi Government to improve strategies for doing business through the removal of bureaucracy and the introduction of innovative technologies to speed up processes,” he said, adding that red tape pushes away investors.

On his part, Smith said they are looking forward to tapping into the potential of 9 000 plus Malawian professionals based in the UK to complement government’s push for sustainable wealth and job creation as well as skills development.

The Malawi-UK Business Group offers the opportunity to sell Malawi as a business destination, but also gives entrepreneurs a leeway to exploit business opportunities outside Malawi.

The  group was launched  in 2017 to spur business investment opportunities between the UK and Malawi.

Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority has challenged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to get organised to reap benefits from government’s policy of awarding 60 percent of public procurement to black indigenous Malawians.

The authority made the call was made on Saturday in Lilongwe during the first ever annual general meeting of the Chamber for Small and Medium Businesses Association.

Section 44 of Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act stipulates that 60 percent of contracts under the national competitive bidding should be awarded to indigenous black Malawians and the rest to others.

The authority’s director general Elias Hausi said apart from the capacity to deliver the goods and services on time, government also looks at quality of the goods and services.

He said: “The message is that if SMEs want to participate fully, this is the time to position themselves.

“Time for going it alone is gone because to do business with government or parastatals requires adequate capital and expertise.”

Hausi said the authority is there to build capacity of SMEs to succeed in public procurements.

On her part, Chamber for Small and Medium Businesses Association vice-president Barbara Banda commended Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority for challenging SMEs to be ready for business opportunities ahead.

Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary Dickson Chunga said SMEs are key to the government’s agenda of the creation of one million jobs in a year.

“Government is keen to link organised SMEs with financiers to solve capital requirement issues which remain a challenge to majority of them,” he said.

A policy brief from Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (Apra) has faulted Malawi’s investment model in agribusiness, stating that limited access to finance and poor information on available funding sources constrain agro-investment.

Apra has since urged government to support the creation of a tailor-made financial institution or enable an existing institution to introduce a tailored service that would ease access to business finance for investments in agriculture and agribusiness.

The policy brief titled Inducing Agribusiness Investment in Malawi: Insights from Investors, was jointly  compiled by governance and policy expert Henry Chingaipe, Joseph Thombozi and Horace Chingaipe.

It suggests that the administration of incentives needs streamlining, particularly processes, clarity of entitlements and eligibility criteria and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework that supports evidence-based incentive schemes.

Reads in part the policy brief: “Government investment policy should address structural factors, rules and policies that negatively affect the business environment to make the climate for investment in agriculture and agribusiness  generally conducive and enabling instead of providing largely ineffective fiscal incentives.”

The brief says to spearhead transformational agricultural commercialisation, the Malawi Government should streamline its business incentives to encourage private sector enterprises to adopt inclusive business models that connect a large number of smallholder farmers to reliable markets that pay decent prices.

On a positive note, the brief says incentives that support inclusive business models and the creation or provision of access to structured farm produce markets for smallholder farmers were more transformative and economically empowering for smallholder farmers.

It also notes that when agribusinesses attempt to take up incentives, many find their administration to be cumbersome because different institutions are involved.

It adds: “The government should undertake reforms to increase certainty and predictability in the administration of business incentives by reducing the latitude of discretion of bureaucratic and political executives in the granting of incentives.

“Monitoring and review of the uptake and effectiveness of incentives is also almost non-existent, meaning that there is little potential for learning or for improving policy impact.”

In his 2020/21 National Budget Statement, Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu said government will continue with reforms to facilitate an enabling environment for investment.

He said: “In terms of investment promotion and private sector development, during the 2020/2021 financial year, government plans to develop the National Investment Policy through the Agriculture Commercialisation Project.

During engagement with Vice-President Saulos Chilima on reforms last week, Ministry of Industry officials proposed new reforms aimed at creating an enabling environment for enhanced productivity and competitiveness.

The reforms are also expected to spur the growth of small and medium enterprises, cooperatives and industries as well as the establishment of an Industrial Research and Innovation Centre to spur industry-related development.

Agriculture is the bedrock of the country’s development strategy, absorbing more than 80 percent of the labour force and contributing about 30 percent to gross domestic product.

Different situations, including negativity, have inspired creativity among artists the world over. Local singer-cum-producer Janta has become the latest to ride on his prevailing emotions.

Smarting from a highly publicised fall out with his wife, the multi-talented artist has poured his heart out in his new single Chisoni, which is basically reflecting on his personal issues.

The Lilongwe-based artist has admitted that the inspiration behind the song stems from the ordeal he has recently endured.

In an interview Janta said: “I am heartbroken. The lady I loved so much and that I thought I would spend my whole life with has disappointed me. I even contemplated suicide but I told myself that there are other options in life and I should move on.”

The Divorce star has been in the public gaze from late last week when he shared on the social media the status of his relationship with his now estranged wife.

Janta said during one of his so many sleepless nights he found himself in the studio and Chisoni was born. 

The song takes the form of a letter to his mother. It goes in part: “Okondedwa mayi anga, ndimafuna ndidziphe, ndimafuna ndidzikhweze. Koma ndaganiza ana anga kuti akhala a masiye. I have been trying to be in love. Pretending yi sindingakwanitse. Nane ndimafuna kumakondedwa, nane ndimafuna kusamalidwa…”

The artist said in the song he has spoken on behalf of so many men who are silently enduring depression because of relationship-related issues and resort to destructive lifestyles such as excessive consumption of alcohol and drug abuse.

Janta said: “After I released the song, I felt some relief. The song took some things off my chest. At first I thought people will mock me for crying over a woman but instead I have received huge support from a lot of people. They have identified with my story.”

Since its release on Saturday, Chisoni has been one of the most trending and sought-after songs on a number of local online music stores. The singer said the video of the song will be ready this coming Friday.

Janta said he hopes the song will help him reorganise himself and get on with life: “As an artist I have been very affected. I have been under serious stress and I couldn’t work.”

He wrote the song, produced and mixed it on his own at his U S Records Studio in Lilongwe. 

At Lengwe National Park in Chikwawa, game ranger Shaibu Kadewere nostalgically recalls truckloads of tourists coming to see a diversity of animals before the coronavirus pandemic.

The park used to host hundreds of tourists every day before the closure of borders and sky routes to contain the spread of the virus discovered in China last December, he says.

Now the tourists from within Malawi and abroad rarely come to marvel at buffalos, bushbucks, warthogs, impalas and other stunning animals in the park.

The astonishing conservation area near the cane fields of Nchalo looks deserted.

“I usually manage the gate and we used to receive visitors every day, not just during weekends,” says the parks and wildlife assistant.

Not any longer.

Since April when coronavirus was first detected in Malawi, most tourists have stopped travelling due to stay-at-home measures to reduce coronavirus spread.

The virus had already grounded flights and slammed borders shut in the US and Europe, the main source of tourists, when it arrived in Malawi.

Kadewere says: “Nowadays, a week passes without receiving any visitor. Covid-19 has taken almost 90 percent of our business because travellers are afraid of catching the virus.”

Even price reductions have come short of luring the tourists. The arrivals are few even though the park management has removed gate fees.

“As long as you are spending a night here, you don’t pay anything at the gate where locals used to pay K1 000 while foreign visitors paid $5 [about K3 750]. However, this has not made the desired difference.”

Everyone entering the park is supposed to follow coronavirus precautions, including wearing face masks, regularly washing hands with soap and social distancing.

 Shared experience

The situation at Lengwe replicates itself at the nearby Majete Wildlife Reserve, run by African Parks under the public private partnership.

“Since May, Majete has had no international tourists. The only tourists coming are Malawians and residents,” says park manager John Adendorff.

The monthly revenue generated by the country’s sole home of the Big Five is falling.

According to Adendorff, the wildlife reserve generated just about $25 000 (about K18.7 million) in July, almost half of the $50 000 it recorded in the same month for the previous two years.

Majete Wildlife Reserve field and operations manager Gervaz Thamala says most Malawian tourists are day-timers who only pay gate and game viewing fees.

Some use personal vehicles to tour the park instead of paying game-viewing fees.

“With Covid-19, we are depending on local tourism. Although 80 percent of visitors at Majete are Malawians, they don’t spend the night here,” he says.

Thamala encourages Malawians to visit and lodge at Majete and other tourist attractions at risk of collapsing.

Domestic tourism maybe?

Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture Michael Usi says the global coronavirus outbreak has exposed that most Malawians leave tourism to international visitors or expatriates.

He states: “The pandemic has been very catastrophic to the tourism industry and the gloomy picture is out there for all to see.

However, it has also shown us where we have been getting this wrong all along. It appears that Malawians don’t like appreciating the beautiful sights they have.”

Usi says currently government is looking at measures to promote domestic tourism and welcome back international tourists when travel restrictions are lifted globally.

“We have a lot of work to do while the pandemic is still on rampage. Robust marketing strategies will be put in place for Malawians to know what we have so that they can visit and spend nights at tourist attraction places such as Lengwe and Majete,” he says.

On July 24, the Malawi Tourism Council (MTC) wrote Usi to seek government’s help to bailout the industry, which has lost over 60 percent of its business.

The letter shows the rising number of coronavirus cases in Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, Europe and United States spells more doom for the sector.

“This cocktail means that we expect the crisis in our tourism sector to continue until a vaccine against Covid-19 is on the market,” said MTC chairperson Tim van der Linden.

MTC projects that the tourism sector will keep grappling until “a big part of 2021”.

Civil Society Nutrition Alliance (Csona) wants Parliament to fast-track the tabling and passing of the Nutrition Bill that seeks to be a legislative guide to get rid of malnutrition challenges in the country.

Csona national coordinator Bessie Ndovi in an interview said among other challenges, the country is still grappling with the burden of malnutrition such as child stunting (at 37 percent), wasting (at three percent) and underweight (at 11.7 percent).

She said Csona believes that  although there is an increase in the budgetary allocation to nutrition interventions in the 2020/21 National Budget, passing of the Bill is key to solving some of the challenges.

Said Ndovi: “Nutrition is a global challenge which has for many years been neglected and wrongly perceived as only a health issue. There is compelling evidence generated economically which shows that eliminating malnutrition can have huge economic gains.

“Malawi made a commitment to enact a Nutrition Act by 2016 at the London Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2013, the Bill is still in draft form and yet to go to Parliament for  consideration. We urge Parliament to fast-track and pass the Bill.”

According to the cost of hunger study for Malawi, poor nutrition in early life results in low cognitive ability, low education attainment, poor immunity to infections, elevated risk of acute  and chronic diseases as well as increased healthcare costs.

Responding to some of the issues, chairperson for HIV, Aids and Nutrition Cluster Committee Deus Gumba acknowledged that the country is still facing challenges in the nutrition sector.

He pledged that he will ensure his committee pushes for passing of the Bill into law.

Said Gumba: “As a committee,  our role will be to track the Bill. We understand that it is still at Cabinet level and as I am speaking, the Bill is ready to come to the floor and it will be passed.”

In his State of the Nation Address, President Lazarus Chakwera recognised the importance of enacting the Bill, which was drafted four years ago.

The  Bill seeks to fulfill Malawi’s international commitment to promote the right to food by prescribing what people should eat in public institutions such as hospitals and prisons, among others.

It also reinforces the Gebo Masangano judgement on minimum dietary requirements for inmates.

South Africa-based Malawian forward Khuda Muyaba’s wife has sparked a row on the local football scene following her rants against the Flames technical panel for dropping her husband from the 32-member squad.

Enelecio Mhango, a national women’s football team striker, took her frustrations to her WhatsApp status on Sunday to blast the Flames technical panel for leaving out her husband from the squad, accusing it of forcing players to pay bribes to be considered for call-ups.

However, her outbursts did not go down well with some Flames supporters, who accused the couple of lacking discipline after Mhango’s status was posted on Timveni Sports Desk Facebook Page.

Mhango, who was part of the Scorchers’ squad in the Olympics campaign, wrote on her status: “Nkhanza mukupangazi musaiwale nanu muli ndi ana. Zidzawaonekera hehehe agalu inu mxiew! Tomorrow don’t claim that he is from Malawi, tizakulodzani apusi inu. Nsanje ngati amadya kwanu. Kapena ndi m’bale wanu? Zautsilu.

“Nde mwatengazo ndi zakhalidwe? Paja mumakonda chinyengo, mumafuna kuhongedwa. Iyaa sangayipereketu ndalama yake. Thukuta lake adye wina? Kupusa basi. Ndipo kwatsala tikutchulani maina muonekera ng’amba akadzidzi inu.”

In another status, Mhango went personal, showering insults at Flames coach Meck Mwase.

“Meck Mwase ndiwe galu, chitsiru ndi panel yako yonse simutha mpira and sizampirayi. Ndiye mwatengazo ndizabwino zoti zingapose iyeyo? Mukupanga zachimidzi apusi inu. Mukupangira chidani or what? Mudzafa ngati udzudzu mukupanda kusamala,” the status reads.

But one of the fans, Dalitso Kika Taulo commented: “Azimayi obakira amuna awo ndi zopusa zomwe aliponso? [Do women that defend their husbands even in silly issues exist?]”

Another fan, Moses Manda chipped in: “Khalidwe ndilofunika. [This] is not good at all. Mr. and Mrs. Muyaba tamakulani… [Discipline is important. This is not good at all. Mr. and Mrs. Muyaba please grow up…].”

Mhango’s rantings come after Muyaba, through his Facebook page, lashed out at the Mwase-led technical panel for not including him in the Flames squad that started camp training in Blantyre on Sunday in preparation for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the  Cosafa Cup.

“I scored 21 goals to take the [TNM Super League] golden boot. Now I am a professional, but you have dropped me again why? “he wrote.

On his part, Mwase said he could not comment on the rants and accusations to avoid blowing the issue out of proportion.

“I will respond to this matter at an appropriate time,” he said.

Football Association of Malawi licensing and compliance manager Casper Jangale said the two players risk being banned as their rantings are against national football team players code of conduct, which among others, prohibits them from making statements against fellow players and officials through social media platforms.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says four Flames members, including two players, have tested positive for Covid-19, but the national football team’s training camp will go ahead.

The four were supposed to be part of the Malawi national football team squad which regrouped at Mpira Village in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre on Sunday in preparation for the Cosafa Cup and 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.

A statement issued by the association yesterday, states that the identity of the four will not be disclosed for the sake of their privacy.

Reads part of the statement: “Further to this development, we wish to report that all the four cases were asymptomatic. They are currently in isolation being monitored by our medical team and [they] are recovering very well.

“It is expected that they will report for national duty once they test negative 10 days from the day when they tested positive in line with the Ministry of Health guidelines on Covid-19.

“As we embark on this critical journey of football restart, we wish to advise that safety of all concerned is our utmost priority and we will do everything possible to enforce strict health and sanity measures during football gatherings.”  

FAM competitions and communication director Gomezgani Zakazaka yesterday said the development will not affect the Flames camping as the tests were done before the team went into camp.

He said after getting the greenlight from the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to proceed with the Flames’ camping,  FAM undertook a precautionary measure to test all the selected local players, officials and secretariat members of staff that are directly involved in providing support service to the national team before the actual camping.

Meanwhile, Flames coach Meck Mwase yesterday said they will only be in a position to determine whether to call additional players once training starts.

“Today [yesterday] is about housekeeping issues such as medical tests and so on, but we should start our preparations in earnest tomorrow,” he said.

The Flames gaffer also said except for the two players that tested positive for Covid-19, the only player who was yet to report as of yesterday was midfielder Mecium Mhone.

“He has some issues to sort out at his home in Nkhata Bay, but we expect him to join us probably tomorrow or the other day,” said Mwase.

The Flames will face Burkina Faso’s Stallions back-to-back in November.

Mwase has included 11 foreign-based players in the squad.

China-based women’s football stars Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are set for a rematch when their teams Jiangsu Suning and Wuhan, respectively, clash in the Chinese championship opener next Monday.

According to goal.com, this follows a draw held on Sunday in which four teams will battle for the league title on round robin format.

In the other opening fixture, leading scorer Zambian Babra Banda’s Shanghai will take on Beijing Phoenix.

Temwa provided an assist in Wuhan’s 3-0 triumph over Tabitha’s Jiangsu—who are the reigning champions— in the sisters’ first-ever clash in August.

Reacting to the draw, Tabitha, who is the reigning Chinese Women’s Football Player of the Year, said she is looking forward to another tight contest against her sister.

She said: “Temwa’s team was outstanding in the first phase, but this is a different stage altogether and we are determined to do well in all our matches to retain the title.

“The plan is not just about Wuhan, but the two other games that we will play as well.”

On her part, Temwa said: “It’s interesting that we’ll start the second phase against Tabitha’s team, but all the matches in the second phase will be crucial. We have to fight for a top-two finish to qualify for the final.”

In the first round, Temwa scored six goals in nine matches to lead Wuhan to a top-four finish while Tabitha netted seven times in eight outings to inspire Jiangsu Suning to the last four.

Wuhan must subdue the reigning champions in a bid to boost their hopes for the title after they finished the first round on top of the Chinese log table without defeat.

Elsewhere, Banda will aim to lead Shanghai to continue her fine form when they face giant-killers Beijing Phoenix.

She has enjoyed a huge breakthrough in her debut season in China, scoring 12 goals in nine matches for Shanghai as they finished the stanza as  runners-up.

The three African lethal strikers will set their sights on propelling their Chinese sides to domestic glory in the second phase.

The top two teams with most points at the end of the three rounds of matches are expected to meet in the final on October 11.

Mzimba District Environmental Health Office on Saturday urged community health workers in the country to concentrate on contact tracing as a strategy in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mzimba district environmental health officer Kurtz Somaliland said this on Saturday when he closed a two-day workshop for disease control surveillance assistants (DCSA) held at Malangazi Community Day Secondary School  in the district.

The training was aimed at equiping community health workers with knowledge and skills to conduct contact tracing for Covid-19 patients.

Somaliland said contact tracing—the process of identifying, controlling and managing suspected cases of Covid-19—has the potential to eliminate the further transmission and  spread of the disease since it engages a systematic follow-up during the 14 days after the date of last contact.

He said: “While we promote  use of prevention measures in households and communities, we believe engaging health workers in contact tracing could also help in fighting Covid-19; hence, the training.”

However, Somaliland urged the participants to observe communication skills when engaging clients.

One of the senior disease control surveillance assistants, John Mwandira, thanked Mzimba health office for the training, saying it was an eye opener.

On his part, the training coordinator, Edward Gondwe, while thanking Jhpiego for bankrolling the workshop, urged the participants to read the training packages, saying  the nature of their job requires one to have broader knowledge if they are to succeed in defeating Covid-19.

National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has rolled out voter registration campaign in Phalombe North to contribute to a successful by-election in the constituency.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is holding by-elections in five constituencies and one ward following court rulings that annulled four May 21 parliamentary election results and the death of Karonga Central legislator and a Makhuwira South ward councillor in Chikwawa.

In an interview on Sunday after rolling out the campaign, Phalombe Nice civic education officer James Chimpeni said they want to improve voter turnout during the election day.

He said: “Successful and credible elections begin with successful voter registration.

“There is need for civic educators to assume roles that persuade people to embark on the exercise.”

Chimpeni said they are engaged in door-to-door campaign, using chiefs and religious leaders, distributing leaflets and loud-hailing to reach out to everyone.

A volunteer, Mphatso Chikwatu, pledged to intensify efforts, saying they want to ensure that every one is reached with voter registration messages.

The registration exercise runs from September 14 to 27.

The constituencies where by-elections will be held are Mangochi North East, Mangochi West, Phalombe North, Karonga Central, Lilongwe North West and Makhuwira South Ward in Chikwawa East.

Inspector General (IG) of Police George Kainja has urged communities in Thyolo to treat police officers as partners in the fight against crime.

The IG said this in an interview on Sunday after he officially opened Khonjeni Police Unit in Thyolo.

Kainja also asked police officers posted to the new unit to co-exist with members of the community.

He said the construction of Khonjeni Police Unit, funded by Thyolo Central legislator Ben Phiri, will serve the community that was relying on Luchenza Police Station, located about 10 kilometres away.

Kainja said resources permitting, Malawi Police Service would have loved to have police formation, in every constituency or in every traditional authority.

He thanked Phiri for prioritising the security of people in his constituency.

In an interview, Phiri said the project cost K24 million.

He said before being elected, he assessed the needs of the people in the constituency.

The legislator said he was happy that people will no longer have to walk long distances to access police services.

He said: “You can never have development if you don’t have security. People in this constituency will now do their businesses freely.

“I urge them to cooperate with our police to fight crime.”

During the event, the IG, Phiri and other dignitaries joined a police band as it marched from the newly-built police unit to a nearby ground at Khonjeni Health Centre.

National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust in Salima yesterday engaged stakeholders in the education sector to assess progress and identify gaps in the fight against Covid-19.

Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), Nice Trust assistant district civic education officer Pilirani Chaguza said the meeting was important because it provided an opportunity to stakeholders to compare notes and help each other identify gaps and best ways of dealing with them.

He said the meeting was important, considering that learners will be going back to school next month, joining others that have already started attending classes; hence, the need for stakeholders to meet and identify gaps.

“Schools have opened and others are yet to join next month.

“We are geared towards working with the district education office in the dissemination of Covid-19 messages to communities so that parents should prepare on how best to protect their children,” said Chaguza.

Commenting on the matter, Kanongola Zone primary education adviser Saulos Mzuwala said  the ministry already had meetings with all relevant authorities such as teachers, school committees, mother groups, group village heads, among others, to sensitise them to how they can prepare and help learners prevent the pandemic.

 “Parents should make sure that their children are adhering to all preventive measures so that they are able to protect themselves and other learners from the pandemic as they go,” he said.

In a separate interview, Chimweta Primary School committee chairperson Shadreck Amisi Chiwaula said school committees were also equipped by the Ministry of Education which invited them for a meeting on Covid-19.

For most children, life is about watching cartoons and playing videos games as opposed to outdoor fun. An Xbox is a must-have for them to join millions of other game lovers, including adults experiencing the new generation of games and entertainment.

But eight-year old Monte-Alain Msosa is going beyond the experience of just playing existing video games.

He is among young geniuses in the world of animation who are diligently creating games that both the young and the old can ultimately enjoy.

No wonder, he is currently trending on YouTube where he has over 15 700 followers who watch his animation videos. The videos include games which he designs or redesigns, coming up with cities, among others, using applications on his laptop or already designed canvases.

“My YouTube channel was opened in February 2020. I post games by other people which I have edited by putting my narration where I am mostly telling people how to play.

“I consider myself as a gamer and animator. I also add text to explain a game as a way of helping those playing or wishing to play,” said Monte in an interview in the presence of his father, Alan.

He uses Roblox, an online game platform and game creation system that allows users to programme and play games created by other users and another video game, Minecraft.

How does he discover these games or applications?

“I search what I want from the Internet. Nobody tells me what and how to do it. I also learn how to use some applications through YouTube tutorials,” said Monte.

What drives Monte is the zeal bigger than his stature to not just perfect his skill but the final product.

“I got a laptop as my eighth  birthday present and Xbox for my seventh birthday. For some time, I was watching DVDs on my mum’s laptop and it was just random DVDs plus tutorials on YouTube and downloading some videos for minor editing. I wanted a big computer, but they got me a small one. It works but not professionally,” he said.

According to Msosa, his son was drawn into video games as a child and has never turned back since.

He said: “When he was six, he started using his mum’s computer. His interest was checking videos and a bit of changing them. Then he moved to our phones and that’s when we saw the need to get him one. That gave him the space and time to be doing what he loved.

“However, since his laptop has smaller space, he deletes some of his work periodically.”

As a seven-year-old, Monte was completely drawn into developing the skills of creating video game characters. He now has developed intricate skills to do more in designing and creating ‘worlds’.

“He creates a world, like a city full of buildings, roads, trees in which this character walks around plus birds and airports. He also knows how to, for example, remove trees, rivers to create a flat surface that can be turned into an airport.

“It took him two months to build that world as he could spend at least two to three hours a day, working on his project,” explained Msosa.

Watching some of Monte’s works, one is bound to realise that his precision and flair are as a result of hundreds of hours devoted to his work, bringing forth constant development.

Said Monte’s father: “I was doing my PhD, he was spending more time on my computer than me and that was affecting my research. And on that computer, from the age of six, he was watching YouTube videos about different coding software, downloading and trying them out, and in the process recreating smaller video games, videos and sound effects, among others.”

“He eventually settled for Scratch, which is a coding software for beginners and there is a children’s version as well, which he was recreating some games and storylines, special effects as well as texts accompanying videos.”

The father said eventually Monte found Minecraft and Robrox, which essentially reduce his workload as he no longer has to code as the two are essentially pre-coded stuff that he only has to build without time-consuming computation/calculation.

So far, no serious opportunity has come knocking on Monte’s door, but for Msosa it works to the advantage of his son as he has been perfecting his skill.

“There was a gap in that, initially, I was not paying much attention until recently. He asked me to create a YouTube channel for him and after posting two or three videos, we moved from the UK to here,” he said.

Msosa said after all the work, it is fulfilling to note that since Monte started posting, they got attention.

Msosa believes his son is at a stage where all things available, he can do something big.

“He can create a movie. In essence, what he does and can do, is bigger. He has a project about his life in Lilongwe. In all videos, you will notice that he does not appear as he has agreed that he is not visible.  So, for the upcoming project, we agreed that we will have him in the video.

One of the words that stand out from Monte, is about being “a professional”.

“I love this and want to continue when I grow up,” he says.

Beyond that, Monte harbours the dream of one day turning his passion into a money-spinner.

Lilongwe-based businessperson Ghassan Bakri, who owns Santa Plaza shop in the city, yesterday donated 300 face shields, 500 face masks and 200 bottles of hand sanitisers to the Airport Police Branch at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA).

Speaking after the donation, Ghassan Bakri said he felt sorry to learn that the police at the Airport are always the first contacts; hence, the need to protect them.

“I am always worried to see our police officers exposed. This is not my first time to donate; hence, my decision to come and help all our officers working in the airports,” he said.

Bakri said while passing through KIA terminal building, he noticed that most of the police officers were not fully protected.

“Now that the airport has been re-opened for the passenger flights, we want to help police officers in our airports as they cannot buy  these personal protective equipment (PPE) for themselves and the government alone cannot do it all,” he said.

On his part, director of airport police securities, Charles Kanzingeni, said  airport police officers are dedicated to their work of aviation security but are too exposed to the pandemic; hence, the need for more help.

He, therefore, asked other well-wishers to emulate the good gesture by Santa Plaza.

The donated materials will cater for all airport police officers nationwide.

KIA was reopened for passenger flights on September 1 2020.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM Party are two key partners in the nine-political party Tonse Alliance, having contributed the winning presidential ticket of President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima.

But while the two parties’ leaders—Chakwera for MCP and Chilima for UTM Party—jointly campaigned for the presidency they won in the court-ordered June 23 Fresh Presidential Election, demonstrating unity, albeit of purpose, parliamentary by-elections set for November 10 pose the biggest test to the partners.

Three months after the presidential election that united followers of the two parties, tension has risen between the two camps as heavyweights from both sides woo votes for their respective party candidates.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) will hold by-elections in Mangochi West, Mangochi North East and Phalombe North following the nullification of 2019 parliamentary election results by the courts.

The electoral body will also conduct by-elections in Lilongwe North West Constituency to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Chakwera to fulfill legal requirements to contest in the presidential election. In Karonga Central, the vacancy was necessitated by the death of legislator Cornelius Mwalwanda. There will also be a Local Government by-election in Makhuwira South Ward in Chikwawa where a councillor died.

The race is intense between UTM Party and MCP in the five constituencies, but more pronounced in Karonga Central Constituency.

On Saturday, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Madalitso Kazombo campaigned with fellow party officials at selected areas in the constituency.

Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara, Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda and Cabinet ministers Lobin Lowe (Agriculture) and Timothy Mtambo (Civic Education and National Unity) were among other MCP campaigners in Karonga Central Constituency.

In a written response on Sunday, MCP spokesperson the Reverend Maurice Munthali said his party is running an issue-based campaign and it does not matter who else is contesting.

He said: “That’s the beauty of democracy. UTM is our brother, just like many others that may wish to contest either within or outside the Tonse Alliance. While serving in the same government and under one President as partners, many parties are free to contest in an election. It speaks volumes of our democratic maturity.”

Munthali added that Tonse Alliance partners are still running the affairs of their respective parties while driving the development agenda of the country under the leadership of Chakwera.

On the by-elections, the MCP spokesperson said his party’s chances of winning in the forthcoming by elections are high, saying at the end of the elections, all the five constituencies and one ward will go to MCP.

But speaking in a separate interview, UTM’s publicity secretary Joseph Chidanti-Malunga said: “Nobody goes to war to lose. What we do with our MPs [members of Parliament] does not affect our presidents. That’s the beauty of Tonse Alliance.”

He also dismissed fears that the campaign could potentially degenerate into politics of vendetta which may compromise the governing relationship between the two parties.

Chidanti-Malunga said MCP and UTM Party have uniquely fused freedom of association at both intra and inter-party levels in Malawi’s coalition politics.

Meanwhile, Mustapha Hussein, a political scientist at Chancellor College—a constituent college of the University of Malawi, said people should not read too much into the intensity of political competition between MCP and UTM Party ahead of the by-elections.

He said: “Tonse Alliance does not mean merging of parties. Each party stands on its own and it is expected that whenever there are such by-elections, the parties will compete and one candidate from a party in the alliance has to win. If the alliance is genuine, whichever candidate wins will be a gain for the alliance.”

Hussein also downplayed conflict of interest assertions over Mtambo’s move to exclusively align himself to the MCP campaign after backing the Tonse Alliance agenda prior to the June 23 polls with his Citizens for Transformation (CFT) movement and after leading pro-opposition protests against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regime in 2019, largely patronised by MCP and UTM supporters.

He said: “This is only political competition. There is need for creating an environment where political competition must be viewed positively and not negatively.”

Political commentator Ernest Thindwa, also from Chancellor College, observed that tension, mainly in Karonga and Mangochi constituencies, will be compounded because some parties that are contesting are in a working relationship which does not prevent  any party from fielding a candidate for parliamentary elections.

He said: “Where you have one constituency where one party is perceived to have a significant number of supporters, you are likely to see a very close electoral contest and that is the case for Karonga Central because MCP and UTM have gained significant ground in the Northern Region in the absence of Aford.”

According to Thindwa, UTM’s Frank Tumpale Mwenifumbo and MCP’s Leonard Mwalwanda, a nephew to former MP the late Cornelius Mwalwanda, have reasonable chances of winning the seat in Karonga Central Constituency based on their individual qualities not party influence.

Cornelius Mwalwanda won the constituency in 2019 with only 91 votes after triumphing over rival Mwenifumbo with 4 907 votes against Mwenifumbo’s 4 816 votes. Mwenifumbo, who has been MP for 15 years, stood on the Alliance for Democracy (Aford) ticket.

On the other hand, Thindwa said MCP might have an edge over other parties in Lilongwe North West Constituency because the area has been its traditional stronghold and its immediate-past MP was Chakwera.

However, he was at pains to project the possible outcomes for Mangochi West and Mangochi North East only saying the race will not be easy for either United Democratic Front (UDF) or DPP who face mounting opposition from UTM Party and MCP.

But Thindwa said DPP and UDF may not do well in Karonga and Lilongwe, adding that Phalombe North may likely go to DPP.

In the annulled 2019 presidential poll, UTM had a slight edge over MCP in terms of overall support base in the North, but it is yet to be seen how the parties will perform in the by-elections. However, MCP outsmarted UTM Party on the parliamentary vote after winning six seats in the region against UTM Party’s two.

Government may have been losing some revenue following reports that some politically connected people have allegedly been collecting rentals for government properties and pocketing the money.

In a letter to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) dated September 21 2020, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has raised the issue, asking the bureau to investigate the matter and recover the lost funds.

The letter, signed by HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence, alleges  that after Malawi Railways Company was dissolved, its successor Central East Africa Railways handed over several properties to government, including some properties in Blantyre near the Clock Tower, behind Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Malawi Revenue Authority  offices, but that the rentals collected are pocketed by some politician.

Reads the letter in part:  “Someone is collecting rentals for these properties and  this person is not acting on behalf of government. Ministry of Lands officials have been failing to take back this land. HRDC would like your office to investigate this case and if indeed rentals were being  collected, we urge that the money should be claimed back.”

In an interview yesterday, Trapence indicated that the organisation is still receiving many tip-offs regarding dubious people collecting rentals on government buildings across the country.

He said government may have been losing billions of kwacha in revenue through such malpractices.

The letter also alleges that two other government properties in Mzimba, a rest house at Ekwendeni and Rumono Estate at Nthungwa in the Chikangawa Forest, were cheaply and dubiously sold to a politician.

ACB director general Reyneck Matemba was not available to comment on the new cases submitted to the bureau for investigations.

But Trapence observed that through its whistleblowing initiative, a number of citizens of goodwill have submitted to HRDC evidence of cases showing that the previous administration tolerated corruption. He said: “My advice to the new administration is that they should institute stringent measures to curb corruption instead of waiting for cases to happen, as is the situation now.”

State House says South Africa-based Malawian billionaire businessperson Simbi Phiri will not get preferential treatment in doing business with government despite his connections with President Lazarus Chakwera and Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

Responding to a question during the third session of the newly-introduced State House Press Office weekly briefings at Kamuzu Place in Lilongwe, State Residences director of communication and executive assistant to the President Sean Kampondeni acknowledged Chakwera’s connection with Phiri and that the business mogul supported the President’s  election campaign.

But he said the personal relationship would not mean Phiri getting favours.

He said the controversial multi-billion kwacha Salima-Lilongwe Water Project set to roll out was initiated before Chakwera became President following his triumph in the court-ordered June 23 Fresh Presidential Election.

Said Kampondeni: “You are right in saying that Mr. Simbi-Phiri is on record, publicly, saying that he has financed various campaigns across the country, not just at presidential level. He has also made contributions to parliamentary races and so forth.

“He has made that public and the President has never said anything publicly to contradict him. You also mentioned that one of his contributions to the President’s campaign was a contribution of a motor vehicle and that vehicle was part of declaration of assets published in the local papers which is something no President in this country has ever done to have their assets published in the local newspaper. There is nothing to hide regarding the contribution of that vehicle.”

He said the Salima-Lilongwe Water Project, which seeks to pump water from Lake Malawi over a distance of about 120 kilometres to ease supply challenges in the capital city, is currently under review by a committee of Parliament which will present its independent position.

“All of that demonstrates that the President is living up to his word that in the conduct of State affairs by independent State institutions, he will never interfere.

“He will never cover up anybody nor will he give anybody any favours because ultimately he occupies the office to serve Malawians and not personal interests,” said Kampondeni.

Simbi-Phiri’s firm, Khato Civils, was awarded the contract during the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration led by immediate-past president Peter Mutharika. However, the contract was halted before fully rolling out amid criticism over the manner it was awarded and the financing model.

Simbi-Phiri is on record as having said that he was providing support to MCP and DPP.

He also said Chakwera was his personal friend and that during the 2014 elections campaign, he gave him a gift of a Hummer to facilitate his campaign.

Regarding the uncertainty on the reappointment of General Vincent Nundwe as Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Commander and his deputies, Kampondeni said the President was consulting on the matter. He did not elaborate.

In a special address on September 1 2020, the President announced the reinstatement of Nundwe as MDF Commander. He indicated he would meet the Defence Council on the appointment of Nundwe’s deputies.

Section 161 of the Constitution establishes the Defence Council as a body mandated to appoint and remove senior MDF officers.

Vice-President Saulos Chilima has said it is high time the country eradicated hunger and focused on effecting more socio-economic development in the country.

 He made the remarks yesterday when he presided over the launch of the distribution of free fertiliser and hybrid maize seeds to about 100 000 vulnerable households and prisoners by Yara International and Bayer Malawi, traders in farm inputs.

 Declared Chilima: “We need to end hunger in the country and do other things. 56 years have passed since we gained independence and we cannot just be talking about hunger. We need to eradicate hunger and move on as a country.”

 He saluted the two organisations, saying the initiative is in line with the Tonse Alliance government’s vision to end hunger.

The Vice-President said government’s implementation of the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP), which will benefit 4.2 million small-holder farming families in the country, is proof of the government’s determination to eradicate hunger.

Chilima observed that Yara International and Bayer Malawi’s provision of the free fertiliser and seeds will complement the government’s determination to assist needy people not targeted in the AIP.

He stressed on the need for Malawians to embark on crop diversification that should aim at securing exports.

Said the Vice-President: “It is, therefore, encouraging that this programme gives farmers an opportunity to test new crops, especially crops that can be exported. And more important is the fact that farmers will be trained in good agricultural practices.”

However, the Vice President—who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Reforms— warned of punitive action for anyone who may abuse the pro-poor programmes, saying the inputs need to reach the intended vulnerable beneficiaries in order to lift them from the hunger traps.

 Chilima, who personally drove to the event at  Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFFRM) at Kanengo in Lilongwe, arrived seven minutes before the official 7am starting time of the function. He took pride at having an official event starting as early as 7am, saying work zeal and punctuality should be the way Malawians should be conducting business in order to progress. 

On his part, Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe said his ministry will closely monitor the programme and ensure that it is not abused to improve lives of intended beneficiaries.

Yara International representative in Malawi, Ian Lockington, said the company decided to support farmers in the country and other parts of Africa to cushion them from Covid-19 effects.

He said in Malawi, the programme will provide 5 000 tonnes of fertiliser worth about K1.6 billion, with each farmer accessing one 50-kilogramme bag of fertiliser.

 In his speech, Bayer Malawi chief executive officer Thyphod  Chirwa said upon seeing that farmers were heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, it decided to support some of the vulnerable farmers with 100 metric tonnes of maize seeds worth K150 million.

 According this year’s food assessment and analysis by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment  Committee, about 2.6 million people will be food insecure during the 2020/21 consumption year.

Of the affected population, about two million are from rural areas To support the affected population until the next harvesting season,  government will need 56 744 metric tonnes of maize, which will cost about K14. 2 billion.