The Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Smea) has described 2015 as a mixed bag for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which had great opportunities, but some disappointments mainly due to the ailing economy.

“The year 2015 gave hope to SMEs mainly because we saw and appreciated government’s efforts to engage the sector in most issues related to SME development. For example, Smea sits in several technical working groups initiated by the government such as manufacturers, access to finance, skills development, Malawi Bureau of Standards committees and the Buy Malawi Campaign,” said Smea president James Chiutsi in an interview on Sunday.

He added that they were encouraged by the validation of the SME policy, which, if implemented, would have a significant positive impact on the SME sector.

“We just urge the government not to allow the policy to gather dust as has been the case with other similar initiatives,” he said.

However, Chiutsi bemoaned the business climate as punitive for SMEs.

“Rising bank rates, the fall of the kwacha leading to the rise in the cost of production, the unfavourable tax regime for SMEs, frequent power outages have all negatively affected SMEs productivity and several SMEs have been forced to close shop,” he said.

Chiutsi also bemoaned the lack of financing avenues, arguing that apart for a few institutions, most financial institutions have not been able to bring forth creative products for SMEs.

“It’s a surprise that with Malawi being an agro-based economy, banks do not support loans to several agricultural activities, especially farming. If commercial banks find this sector risky, it is the government’s responsibility to come in and help, otherwise one cannot envisage how the economy will develop.

“The country’s agricultural productivity must improve through proper support systems otherwise relying on subsistence farming to develop the country is not realistic,” he said.

Meanwhile, Smea says it will embark on a number of projects to avoid suffocating more SMEs in the year ahead.

“Smea maintains the view that in order to develop SMEs, the Department of SMEs in the Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to be fully capacitated. This will ensure that issues affecting SMEs are not dwarfed by large players who also demand the attention of the ministry.

“Smea wants to develop visionary SMEs that can help the country to stop importing merchandise that can be locally produced, at the same time be able to export them,” he said.

Ministry of Industry and Trade spokesperson Wiskes Nkombezi said government has put in place policies and initiatives that aim at promoting and developing a vibrant SME sector.

“We have developed a number of initiatives like the Business Linkages Fund to ensure the sector has access to finance which is currently progressing well. We know the role that SMEs play in our economy, hence the need for collaboration between government and all the stakeholders in the drive towards SMEs growth,” he said.

The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) Business Climate Survey Report 2015 has, however, predicted a gloomy year ahead for the business community following what it says is a weaker and inconsistent implementation of relevant policy interventions that have a bearing on the private sector due to financial gaps in the 2016/16 National Budget which has little hopes for donor’s support.

Malawi recently registered an improvement on the World Bank Doing Business Report (2016) by jumping three steps to 141 from last year’s 144 despite slipping three steps on the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index to 135 out of 145 economies.n

The Reserve Bank of Bank of Malawi (RBM) resources grew by 19 percent to K599.8 billion (about $945.1million) during the third quarter of 2015 from K503.9 billion (about $794million) during the second quarter of 2015, a recent report has indicated.

The RBM’s Financial and Economic Report has attributed the expansion to unsectored liabilities which grew by K53 billion (about $84.9 million) due to open market operations.

The report said that official sector deposits also grew by K31.4 billion (about $49.4million) due to receipts of grants and project funds whereas external sector resources increased by K26.4 billion as a result of currency depreciation during the quarter.

According to the central bank, currency in circulation rose by K6.9 billion during the period under review, mainly reflecting price developments in the country.

RBM said it utilised its resources by investing K57 billion (about $90.4million) in the foreign sector and extended K47.5 billion (about $74.8million) as Ways and Means advances to government.

“The development in the external sector were characterised by purchases of foreign exchange from the market and receipts of project funds.

“The RBM used some of its funds to lend to government following shortfalls in its underlying fiscal operations and to redeem maturing securities,” said the report.

Similarly, commercial banks’ resources also grew by K87.5 billion to K904.5 billion during the third quarter of 2015.

According to the monetary authority, private sector deposits amounting to K73.3 billion accounted for 83.7 percent of the resources as they increased largely on the account of capital inflows for projects coupled with revaluation gains on foreign currency deposits following depreciation of the kwacha during the quarter.

Mid this year, RBM noted that despite a relatively healthy foreign reserves position in 2015 compared to last year, the kwacha depreciated sharply between July and August due to excess demand, speculative behaviour by market agents and an appreciating dollar.

However, the accumulation of term deposits for precautionary purposes also increased private sector deposits which was followed by capital accounts which rose by K8 billion as a result of an increase in commercial banks’ income during the period.

On the other hand, liabilities to non-residents also increased by K7.8 billion and official sector deposits went up by K6.5 billion but in contrast, un-sectored liabilities dropped by K8 billion on the back of reduced liabilities to the RBM.n

Woyendetsa ntchito za ulangizi ndi njira zamakono za ulimi muunduna wa zamalimidwe, Wilfred Lipita, wati alimi akuyenera kutengerapo phunziro pa zomwe zidaoneka muulimi wa chaka chatha ndi kusankha mwanzeru mbewu zolima chaka chino.

Polankhula ndi Uchikumbe paulangizi, Lipita adati masiku ano n’kovuta kutchera kuti mvula iyamba lero ndipo idzatha mawa mmalo mwake njira yabwino n’kusankha mbewu zocha msanga.

“Upangiri wa zanyengo ndi umenewo komanso payekha mlimi ayenera kukhala wozindikira kumwamba kukhoza kusintha nthawi iliyonse malingana n’kusintha kwa nyengoku,” adatero Lipita.

Iye adati kunjaku kuli mbewu zocha msanga zomwe mvula itati yadulira panjira, mlimi akhoza kupeza popumira kusiyana n’kukakamira mbewu zokhalitsa m’munda chifukwa izi ndizo zingalowetse njala.

Mkuluyu adatinso pomwe alimi akubzala mbewu zachizolowezi monga chimanga, nyemba, fodya ndi zina ayeneranso kulingalira za mbewu zina zopirira kuchilala monga chinangwa ndi mbatata.

Mu ulangizi wake, Lipita adati alimi ena chaka chino apulumukira chinangwa ndi mbatata kupatula ulimi wa mthirira malingana nkuti ulimi chaka chatha sudayende bwino chifukwa cha mvula yokokolola ndi ng’amba.

“Mbewu ngati chinangwa zili m’gulu la mbewu zomwe timati zachitetezo chifukwa ngakhale mvula idule, izo zimaberekabe. Palibe kanthu kuti mitsitsi yake ndi yaikulu kapena yochepa bwanji koma nkhani ndi yakuti mbewu zina zitakanika, mlimi amakhala ndi pogwira,” adatero Lipita.

M’madera ambiri chimanga chidatuluka ndipo mlangizi wamkuluyu adati imeneyi si nkhani yokhazikika pansi koma kulimbikira ntchito za m’munda monga kupalira kuti mbewu zisamalimbirane chakudya ndi udzu.

Iye adati mbewu zokulira m’tchire zimanyozoloka ndipo sizibereka bwino ngakhale mlimi ataononga ndalama zambiri kugulira feteleza.

“Omwe chimanga chawo chatuluka, ino ndiye nthawi yoyamba kulingalira kupalira ndipo chikafika m’mawondo ndi nthawi yothira feteleza wina ndi kubandira kuti chinyamuke ndi mphamvu,” adatero Lipita.

Iye adati chimanga chikanyamuka ndi mphamvu maberekedwe ake amakhala osiririka ndipo mbewu yake ikakhala yabwinonso, phesi limodzi limabereka chiwiri kapena chitatu podzakolola nkudzakhala ngati minda iwiri pomwe udali umodzi.

Kagwedwe kenikeni ka mvula ya chaka chino sikadadziwike chifukwa ngakhale m’madera ena mbewu zamera, ena mukadali mouma moti alimi sadabzalebe mbewu. Izi zikutsimikiza malangizo a mlangizi wamkuluyu kuti nzeru n’kukhala ndi machawi.n

Katswiri wa zamadyedwe m’dziko muno, Chrispine Jedegwa, akupanga ndi kugulitsa ufa wa mbatata ya kholowa yamakolo yotchedwa zondeni yomwe akuti ili ndi ufa wapamwamba wopatsa thanzi.

Anthu ambiri adazolowera kuti ufa umapangidwa kuchokera kuchimanga ndi chinangwa basi koma katswiriyu wati phindu lochokera m’mbatata limachuluka mbatatayo ikagayidwa n’kugulitsa ufa wake.

“Alimi ambiri sakonda kulima mbatata ya zondeni chifukwa sibereka kwambiri koma chomwe sadziwa n’chakuti mbatatayi ili ndi mphamvu ya mankhwala ndipo muli ndalama zochuluka,” adatero Jedegwa.

Iye adati mbatatayi ikacha ndipo mukaimuka bwinobwino mukaigaya mukhoza kupanga ufa wophikira phala kapena chakudya china chilichonse ndipo munthu akadya phalalo thupi lake limakulupala.

Mkuluyu adati alimi alime mbatata ya mtunduwu kwambiri powatsimikizira kuti msika wake ulipo wosayamba.

“Pakalipano mbatatayi ikulimidwa kwambiri ndi alimi a ku Thyolo, Phalombe, Kasungu ndi Mchnji koma sakukwanitsa pomwe ife timafuna moti alimi omwe akufuna kupha makwacha alime mbatata yamtunduwu ndipo tikulonjeza kuti tidzawagula,” adatero Jedegwa.

Iye adatinso alimi atafuna mbewu ya mbatatayi yobereka kwambiri akhoza kukumana ndi akuluakulu a kampani ya C & NF omwe akupanga ufawu chifukwa mbewuyi alinayo yambiri.

Alimi ambiri amadandaula kuti amalephera kulima mbewu zina polingalira nkhani ya msika koma Jedegwa watsimikiza kuti kampani yawo njokonzeka kugula mbatata yonse ya zondeni yomwe alimi angalime.

Jedegwa adati kupatula kuti ndi chakudya, ufa wa mbatata ya zondeni ndi mankhwala othandiza kumatenda osiyanasiyana monga mtima, kuthamanga kwa magazi, shuga, zilonda zam’mimba ndi kuphwanya kwa minofu.

Iyi ndi mbewu ina yomwe msika wake wapezekeratu kuwonjezera pa mbewu zamtundu wa nyemba zomwe kampani ya Auction Holdings Commodities Exchange idalimbikitsa alimi kuti abzale poti msika wake ulipo kale. n

Newly-appointed executive director of Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Board (HESLGB), CHRIS CHISONI, speaks to our news analyst, ARCHIBALD KASAKURA, on the board’s plans and activities.

Q

What is the status of the board regarding the commencement of operations?

A

The board was put in place through a Parliamentary Act of February 2015 and it has been in operation since August 2015. However, the secretariat for the board is being put in place and I have been hired as an executive director to facilitate the processes that would lead very soon into the establishment of a fully-fledged secretariat for HESLGB. As of now, the Malawi University Development Programme (Mudep) secretariat has been temporarily hosting the operations of HESLGB. We are, therefore, envisaging that within the first two months of 2016, HESLGB will be in full operation with all key secretariat staff positions filled and working.

Q

What mandate has the Ministry of Education Science and Technology on the operations of HELGB?

A

The MOEST is the overall parent ministry responsible for the policy, operational and strategic directions of HESLB. Our board is contributing to the efforts of Malawi government through MOEST in increasing access to tertiary education by supporting needy students in an inclusive manner. Our mandate as a board, therefore, derives from the Malawi Government education plans, vision, leadership and strategic focus as put in place by MOEST. We are answerable to MOEST and directly accountable to the Directorate of Higher Education within MOEST.

Q

Can you describe the board in terms of its operational independence?

A

The HESLGB is independent in as far as its statutory operations are concerned. Its regulating Act is very clear on roles and responsibilities and levels of answerability both vertically and horizontally. However, such independence is only on its operations processes yet the board must subscribe and implement the vision, plans, dreams and strategic directions of the parent ministry, MOEST. In this context, therefore, the board has a balanced notion of independence needed for its effectiveness and timely delivery of its mandated operations.

Q

We understand that MoEST handed over a list of 13 000 defaulters to Credit Data Reference Bureau; how will your body enforce compliance on those defaulters on the list?

A

Currently, we are establishing a secretariat that will include key personnel dealing, for example, with loans and grants disbursement and collection. We ask for patience from Malawians that we should be allowed some space to get established and put systems, procedures and administrative structures in place. Within the first quarter of 2016, we will be in a proper position to make known all our strategies and operational processes to the general public using different engagement processes for a diverse of stakeholders.

Q

Some former beneficiaries of the public universities loan scheme are alleging that they are failing to clear their bills with HELGB so that they can proceed with their lives uninterrupted, what is your readiness as at now?

A

As already alluded to above, the establishment of the HESLGB—and now its secretariat—is an important milestone in the strategic direction of MOEST as it seeks better and institutionalised means of disbursing and collecting loans to and from students. A little patience again here is needed as we, shortly, will be in a position to provide details as to how former benefiting students can access information on the status of their loans and through which means they can repay their loans. This lack of clarity and perceived lack of systems and procedures will be things of the past shortly.

Q

Does the HESLGB have a ready bank account for those who want to remit the funds to use?

A

Yes, the HESLGB has bank accounts for almost all of its operations and soon we will provide this information to the public for those who need to pay back their loans. However, we are putting systems and procedures in place and it’s a matter of time as we need the remitted funds from former students to assist the current increasing numbers of needy university students.

Q

From which year are you going to start the efforts to claim the loans?

A

The Act guiding and regulating our operations allows us to go back to 1985/86 academic year.

Q

What are the board’s plans towards a sustainable and manageable revolving fund for public universities from a background of non-repayment over the past years?

A

We are in the process of putting up an investment and sustainability strategy. This will take care of various opportunities available in generating income for the board. We will also vigorously, as guided by the Act, work towards improving repayment. Much of non-repayment, in our view, was based on the absence of clearly defined and established systems and procedures. Now that the board is in place, Malawians should rest be assured that, those that got loans for their higher education, unless they are dead, will pay back to government and those needy students that have been registered in accredited institutions of higher learning, and upon proper application for loans, the board will tirelessly work towards supporting them. It’s a national duty that every employee of this board will be committed to fulfil. n

There is something pathological about how the Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) administration attracts controversy it does not need—it’s like the way utaka has this irritating habit of attracting flies right in the middle of a sumptuous meal in which the very same utaka is the delicacy of the day.

Think about it.

On his return from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)—which had attracted a bunch of flies because of the 100-plus toxic entourage that travelled to New York—on the public purse, the President decided to hold a press conference to talk about his exploits in the USA.

The agenda was great, but the outcome was messy. Presidential press secretary Gerald Viola launched the first salvo, denouncing the media for its exposure of the hundreds of millions of kwacha spent on hangers-on to the UN.

Viola, a broadcaster by profession, threw the folks he has brushed shoulders with for decades under the proverbial political bus just to look good to his boss.

Taking a cue from his top media adviser, Mutharika went to town on journalists for no apparent reason. The fallout was so bad that the President came out of it heavily bruised.

I mean, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is notorious for its well-documented hatred for the media, but people thought that maybe—just maybe—APM would turn the page. How naïve they seem to have been!

Now, if you thought that red-eyed stare at the media was a one-off whim, think again. This week, State House barred privately-owned Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) from covering a press conference on the President’s recent trips to Malta for the Commonwealth meetings, London and South Africa.

ZBS journalists were literally thrown out, yet they have a job—both as taxpayers and journalists—to listen to their Head of State on how beneficial those taxpayer-funded trips were to Malawians.

I mean, why would anyone in his or right mind shut out probably the most influential broadcast media house in the country where the President’s message would have reached and impacted so many millions of people nationwide?

Doesn’t anyone at State House or the government information communication machinery read monitoring reports by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) that have consistently shown that ZBS has the highest audience ratings in the country, blanketing even the taxpayer funded and ruling party mouthpiece, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)?

Let’s assume that the ZBS crew came uninvited, the question is: why weren’t they invited in the first place? Is it because they are bold enough to grab a microphone when everyone is being polite and ask tough questions that the President stammers on?

Are these presidential handlers trying to give the impression that Mutharika hates, nay, fears, ZBS? Come on!

Then there is the mother of all embarrassments and government confusion. After the Malawi Government stood on the mountain top and told international human rights institutions, including the United Nations (UN), that there was a moratorium on arrests, detention and prosecution of people alleged to have engaged in homosexual practices, the Malawi Police Service (MPS) proceeded to arrest two men for allegedly having sex at one of the lovers’ home.

Now, I do not claim to understand why a man would want to have sex with another man. I will leave that to my friends Gift Trapence of the Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) and Timothy Mtambo of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR).

These gentlemen have done research in these things and are better qualified to articulate them. But I really don’t care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom.

I also get it that our Penal Code as it stands now criminalises the act of men having sex with other men. But a functioning government should stick to its word.

Capital Hill promised a moratorium on homosexuality-related arrests. It must honour that commitment otherwise, as the United States Embassy in Lilongwe said this week; it is Malawi’s international reputation that is on the knife, ready to be sliced into small meaningless pieces.

If government signed up to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees the right to privacy and the right to non-discrimination of all people, we must live up to that.

But when you commit so wholeheartedly at the highest level of government and the police proceed to ignore that which the leadership has told the world it will not do, the question is: where does someone get the courage to raise the middle finger at the leadership that made the decisions on behalf of the country?

More importantly, how does someone who embarrasses the country in such a manner and draws in the President in a controversy he does not need get away with this?

If it is the utaka, please take it off the State House and Capital Hill menu. It’s certainly bad for the President’s health.n

The Executive arm of government should not be too excited about the one-stop investment agency as if it is the magic wand that will make prospective investors come running to Malawi.

Granted, the facility is a good thing to have. But if truth be told, it should have been here yesterday. The agency is just one of the many things a country with its sight set on growing foreign direct investment ought to have. The other equally important thing that government needs to do to make the country attractive as an investment destination is to keep operating costs such as transport low.

There can be no debate that low operating expenses such as on transport is the beginning of improving revenue streams for any organisation on the move. And fuel, in particular diesel, constitutes a huge percentage of transport costs for many organisations.

So, government is shooting itself in the foot by making diesel very expensive through the many huge levies on the fuel. This is more so for a country where power outages are the order of the day. Raising the price of diesel to the roof at a time there are long power outages—thanks to the reduced power generation to 66 percent by the Electricity Corporation of Malawi (Escom)—is actually taking away all the incentives for potential investors.

In July this year, driven by its bid to raise revenue, government increased the levy rate on diesel from K32 per litre to K74.82—a whopping 133 percent—jumping that of petrol by 70 percent. My gut feeling was that the reasoning for raising diesel above that of petrol is that most machines and big vehicles are diesel powered. But that is precisely the downside of the decision because the manufacturing sector is largely run on diesel. Naturally, the sector would push the higher diesel costs to the consumer. In short, high fuel prices are inflationary because of their ripple effect.

And to return to the prospective foreign direct investors the government is trying to woo. Investors look at various incentives before making the all-important decision about where and whether or not to take their money to a certain country. The ease of doing business is one. Then there is the profitability rating. If transport costs are more expensive in Malawi than in Zambia or Mozambique or Tanzania, investors will opt to go to the neighbours where operating costs are cheaper. Mind you every country is wooing investors.

For example, the retail price for diesel in Zambia as of December 9 2015 was $0.78 litre, Tanzania ($0.80 litre), Mozambique ($0.82 litre ), South Africa ($0.69 litre). Compare that with Malawi’s diesel at $1.18 litre. It is only cheaper than Zimbabwe’s ($1.30 litre), Mauritania ($1.26 litre) and Somalia ($1.51 litre).

Surely, we should not pride in being better off than war-ravaged Somalia. As for Zimbabwe, it is a more appealing destination in many aspects—better road network, power supply, its proximity to the continent’s economic giant South Africa whose economic advantages rub off on that country, to name but a few. These more than make up for its higher diesel prices. So when considering investment destinations, Malawi is already disadvantaged when compared to all its neighbours in all other aspects.

The only advantage we have—the unexploited tourism sector because of the lake—as a potential investment sector has lately been a victim of incessant armed robberies. And talking about armed robberies in the lakeshore areas, that is a story for another day.

As I have said above, the country’s hydro-power system is already down on its knees having reduced generation capacity to 66 percent during peak hours. This has been blamed on the low water levels in the Shire.

But my worry is not investors. Malawi already lost out in this sector. We will always feed on crumbs when compared with neighbours. My real worry is the general public’s muted reaction to the hike after the misdemeanour came to light thanks to a Nation story last week. Somehow Malawians seem to be resigned to the problem. Since the publication of that story in The Nation, there has only been one other time that anyone has talked about the high fuel levy on diesel. That was in last week’s ‘Cut the Chaff’ in this paper by Ephraim Munthali. Everybody else is quiet. Consumer rights activists who are supposed to take the lead in speaking against such decisions have been conspicuous by their silence on the matter. We seem to be resigned to government’s irrational reasoning that every time the Malawi Revenue Authority under collects fuel should make up for the deficit. Government is hitting itself below the belt. n

Hon Folks, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), to whom APM entrusted the task of following the calls for federalism and even cessation to their logical conclusion, has announced the outcome of consultative process.

Only five of the 14 stakeholder groups and “opinion leaders” representing Malawians in various sectors were for the adoption of a federal system of government, according to The Daily Times of Friday, 11th December.

This means nine—or more than 64 percent—were against the federal system. The total silence on cessation could be construed to mean the consultations regarded this as a non-issue, otherwise there should also have been a vote on this one.

The narrative for the change has been informed more by frustration with the current first-past-the-post system of presidential election and the glaring elements of nepotism than anything else.

Those that objectively tried to highlight the merits of the federal system easily discovered that there were demerits in equal measure, if not more. What drives calls for change is alienation, a strong sense of being disenfranchised.

Since PAC was tasked by APM to handle the debate on the federal system, it’s now up to the President to make use of the respite to champion a shift from the prevailing divisive system to a more inclusive system.

In our case, this may mean a change from the first-past-the-post system to 50+1 system for electing the President. That way, we may avert the frustrations of the current scenario where a candidate who garnered 36 percent of the votes—which is another way of saying a candidate rejected by the majority 64 percent of the electorate—assumes power in the name of democracy which, ironically, implies the rule of the majority.

Obviously, if APM embraces the 50+1 system, it’s his own stronghold that may feel betrayed by the game-changer. The tribal/regional factor which constitutes the DNA of political parties and ultimately explains the predictability of election outcomes will no longer be sufficient.

The winner will have to sweat a bit to garner a majority vote and that will at times necessitate political alliances which, if properly negotiated, entail some trade-offs on policy and campaign pledges.

The advantage of that system is that the president will have the mandate of the majority of the electorate. To secure that, the president will, at least as a matter of principle, have to take into consideration the interests of the majority of Malawians.

History has taught us that where a president draws mandate from a small, privileged clique, autocracy, like a cancerous tumour, grows on democracy then spread with time.

When Kamuzu Banda fought against change to multiparty politics, he argued vehemently that the system wasn’t good for Malawi as it would only divide the country along regional and tribal lines. The call for cessation or federal system, in a way, proves that the old man’s fears have come to pass.

More and more Malawians no longer consider belonging together as one nation under one President a satisfactory functional unit. Instead, they want to associate more with a smaller functional unit in the name of federal system.

We have to accept that the mediocrity that has characterised the multiparty system from 1994 to-date is a reason for the mess we are in. Presidents worry more about longevity of tenure than serving the larger good.

We’ve seen loyalty replacing merit; what’s-in-it-for-us replacing what’s good for the nation and many other examples where people in power try to squeeze juice from political vices. The result is our failure to move an inch forward on poverty reduction in the past 21 years of multiparty democracy.

You only have to stash scones in your mouth to see merit in such a failed system. The message once again is: do something, Mr. President, before he growing number of frustrated Malawians demand the change. n

It was a great Friday afternoon without nurses and rumours. The provinces of his body had not revolted. The squares of his mind were still strong and filled. Our usual noise and chaos was still order in the suburbs.

We went on our daily ways until skies, in a flash, darkened with fury and poet W.H Auden invoked memories of a fallen poet, W.B Yeats, in our hard hearts:

He disappeared in the dead of winter:

The brooks were frozen, the airports almost deserted,

And snow disfigured the public statues;

The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day.

What instruments we have agree

The day of his death was a dark cold day.

Indeed, the day Professor Steve Bernard Miles Chimombo died was a dark cold Friday. Like all revered poets, critics, teachers and authors before him, Chimombo kept his death away from his poem. It came as napolo and stirred chords of shock in us all including George, his closest nephew.

His death has been very sudden to us, George told Weekend Nation on Friday last week, adding: “he went there [Mwaiwathu Private Hospital in Blantyre] just to have a medical check-up.”

But death, George, is a necessary end; it shall come when it shall, so challenged the iconic Julius Caesar in that famous eponymous William Shakespeare tragedy.

But for Steve—who is now ‘wholly given over to unfamiliar affections’, seeking ‘his happiness in another kind of wood’—his death, to his family and friends, won’t be a necessary end.

They still wanted their son home, for he was their “pillar, a great figure who flew the Chimombo flag”. Even Mpalivye Msiska—him who was with Steve at the Writers Workshop in their tender intellectual years at Chancellor College during the darker Kamuzu Banda days—is sure “that there might have been things that Steve still wanted to accomplish”.

But Msiska, now a professor of English, is quick to accept ways of death for Steve has “left with a definite sense of self-fulfilment”.

“He was one of the brightest stars in our cultural firmament and his absence will be noticeable for a long, long time, but he will shine on in his magical and incandescent work,” he says.

Definitely, there could never be a better way to describe Steve’s work beyond Professor Msiska’s “magical and incandescent”.

His literary journey, like most of his peers, took off in the terror and darker years of Kamuzu Banda’s paranoid censorship and repressive dictatorship.

This repression deeply affected the free creation of literature and the arts, reasons Mufunanji Magalasi, professor of performing arts at Chancellor College, in an article titled ‘Landscape and national memory in Steve Chimombo’s Napolo Poems’.

“However, often through subtle means, these deep tensions in social and political life crept into the artistic output of this period,” continues Magalasi, adding: “Steve Chimombo’s Napolo Poems, first published in Malawi in 1987, is one such manifestation of artistic effort during a time of repression.”

Nurtured as a writer in Malawi, England, Canada and America, Steve formed part of a Malawian creative writing movement which used literary methods that frequently outwitted Banda and his ever vigilant formal and informal censors.

Using oral forms, new metaphors from Malawi’s indigenous languages, suggestive words, puns, and certain popular phrases, they managed to camouflage some of the critical literature for circulation without reprisal.

At times, even Professor Msiska agrees, Steve’s style of writing was ‘Greek’ to thousands.

“Most of us found it difficult to understand what he was attempting to do: the syntax was complex and also there were lots of neologisms that one had great difficulty comprehending. There were words like ‘Chaosis’ which one could decipher, but still feel that one had not quiet nailed down their meanings firmly,” he says.

But it is in understanding his ‘Greek’ where his true genius lied. In fact, those who have risen to professorial apex knew better the giant that was Steve in literal circles.

Professor Felix Mnthali wasn’t in the stars to declare Steve ‘one of Malawi’s most distinguished writers’.

“He was a poet with deep appreciation of the culture of his people; a writer with a unique ability to navigate his talent through our turbulent history by using myths and historical events like the sinking of the MV Viphya in 1946,” he says.

Magalasi, actually, could not hesitate to dub Steve as the “only one who came up with a theory for appreciating Malawian arts where he used the myth of Napolo to depict the suffering of Malawians during the Kamuzu Banda regime”.

But even the younger ones, who have drunk deeper from the well of Steve’s wisdom, remain indebted to their fallen hero.

Journalist Frederick Ndala—who decorates Steve as ‘my teacher, mentor, and hero’—took to Facebook with John Donne’s gun denouncing “Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so”.

There was, again, an outpouring of grief from the chest of Stanley Onjezani Kenani, a young literal icon, who saw Steve’s death as a ‘loss to the nation’.

But Professor Msiska, in mourning his friend, had a word for young writers itching to soar to Steve’s height.

“The greatest lesson from Chimombo’s work and life for younger writers is that they should read the work of very good writers and learn from them: Chimombo’s early poetry does show his apprenticeship and his admiration for poets such TS Eliot.

“Having done that, however, they should work out seriously what their style should be. What Chimombo has shown in the huge effort he put in developing a distinct aesthetic is that style is not just something that happens while you are writing, but that you have to think about and perhaps practice it too before you begin to get your work in the public domain,” he says.

Now scattered far beyond the blue, there is an agreement, even in grief, that Steve 70-year journey epitomises greatness. Malawi has lost its greatest literal icon and so too has George, his nephew, and Moira, his dear wife, who have lost a pillar of their family.

As his remains descended to his home, thousands that came to witness, the stars said, could not help but admire Naizi Village for, on that Tuesday of his burial, it had received an honoured guest, Professor Steve Chimombo. Today, Malawi’s vessel lies empty of verse, of its Napolo.

In the aftermath of Napolo,

I emerge from the chaosis

and march down … n

Scores of men in Group Village Head Mpita in Traditional Authority (T/A) Katuli’s area in Mangochi last week plucked up courage to admit they have or know someone who has suffered abuse at the hands of their wives.

The event was an open-day by Youth Net and Counselling (Yoneco) at Mpita 2 Primary School which was organised to raise awareness on, among others, gender-based violence, education and health in order to build vigilant communities.

One of the men, Adam Jawadi, 25, from Matola Village testified that men in the area are facing abuses from their wives.

He claimed to have knowledge of a man who faced abuse from his wife last year.

“The whole issue boiled down to jealousy. His wife pulled his private parts as one way of preventing him from taking a second wife. He fainted and after gaining consciousness, he divorced her there and then, but it was never reported to police,” explained Jawadi, who is married and has three children.

Another man, who did not want to be mentioned, said men seldom report cases of spousal abuse to authorities and prefer to suffer in silence, a situation which some women take advantage of.

An official from Mangochi Police victim support unit, Tumalire Kamtweya, encouraged everyone to report to police incidences of gender-based violence, as it has the effect of tearing families apart.

On her part, Yoneco field officer for Tithandizane Helpline, Mercy Makondetsa, outlined her organisation’s efforts aimed to address issues affecting people in rural communities.

“We will continue coming up with programmes that would teach people in the communities on the rights they have and how to report when they are abused,” she outlined.n

Christmas Day is supposed to be a period of quiet reflection—when Christians gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in prayer and food parties.

Christians have used the period to renew their commitment to their faith by, among others, performing philanthropic activities such as cheering the sick and the elderly.

But things have changed.

Hedonism has become the byword for modern-day Christmas celebrations. Street carnivals, beer parties, shopping promotions and workplaces parties, you name it, it’s there—few, if any, of which have a remote resemblance to Christian values.

While some people believe these make Christmas more appealing, the police are always on alert as this period is usually associated with an upsurge in criminal activities such as robbery, rape and, of course, road traffic accidents mostly due to drunken driving.

Stella Sibanda, a resident of Chibanja in Mzuzu, sees nothing wrong in the way people celebrate Christmas.

“People work very hard in their various endeavours the whole year and Christmas gives them an opportunity to let off steam. I don’t see any problem with how the festivity is celebrated. It offers a chance for people to buy things cheaper. At the same time, the economy also benefits as people spend a little bit more than they normally do,” Sibanda said.

But Stephen Mawira, a resident of Chemusa in Blantyre, feels modern day Christmas celebrations in Malawi have been modified to foreign standards.

“The Malawian way of celebrating Christmas was attending a church service in the morning and having small parties in the neighbourhood with friends and relatives. But current trends show a deviation from that tradition where we see people travelling, spending nights out, an increase of shopping volumes and drunken revelries,” he says.

Mawira believes a lot of people are confused about the meaning of Christmas and how they can celebrate it.

“Christmas is a Christian festival and it is supposed to be celebrated in that context. But with the current trends, this period has become a dangerous time for many people, including those who don’t put their lives in harm’s way,” he observes.

Mawira’s sentiments are supported by alerts from police who release safety tips warning of a rise in crime and road traffic carnages.

But another Blantyre resident Frank Chiyepa blames the State for all that is bad about Christmas because of the status it is accorded.

“While Christmas is supposed to be a Christian celebration, we should always be aware that it is declared a public holiday by the State. This means anyone can do whatever they want. As such, Christmas has lost its meaning as the reflection and celebration of God’s given salvation to mankind. Hence, not many people can even explain what they are celebrating during Christmas,” states Chiyepa.

Chiyepa’s point of view on the decadence of Christmas finds support from some members of the clergy such as Apostle Enesia Chitheka of Hope of Glory Ministries.

“Christmas was originally meant for people of the world to remember the great and immeasurable love that has been bestowed upon the human race; the gift of Christ Jesus. This is the time God reveals himself to people that he loves and this is a holy kind of love which is called ‘agape love’ or unconditional love. But all this definition has lost its significance as people are only concentrating on enjoyment, which unfortunately goes against the grain of God’s will,” she says.

On a different note, however, Reverend Masauko Mbolembole of St. Michael and All Angels CCAP congregation in Blantyre, paints a different picture in terms of the understanding of people towards the meaning of Christmas.

“I would say that many people understand what Christmas stands for, that it is not a mere celebration. But the problem comes from the fact that people define celebrations differently. As Presbyterians, for example, we believe in making ourselves presentable when approaching our king, Jesus Christ. This augurs well with the traditional way of celebrating Christmas where people strive to look presentable.

“But as a church, our stand is that while we celebrate Christmas we should not lose our Christian values, hence the services that we conduct over Christmas,” he says.

On the other hand, Bishop Brighton Malasa of the Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire warns of careless spending during the festive period.

“It is unfortunate that Christmas over the years has become just like any other holiday. It is not meant to be a merry-making holiday as it is being celebrated today. People spend lots of money in drinking, good food, clothing, travelling and all that the world is offering. I guess the devil is also clever that he capitalises on the Christian celebration so that people do not get the necessary meaning of Christmas,” laments Malasa.

The cleric advises: “We should stick to what the church teaches. We should be Christ-like as we claim by confessing with our conduct that we are Christians.”n

CHACHACHA MUNTHALI engaged Public Affairs Committee (PAC) executive director ROBERT PHIRI on a matter related to federalism which were covered in the recently issued report.

Q1

PAC recently issued a report which concluded that people in the country are not prepared for federalism, can you elaborate?

A1

It’s true that PAC issued a report on federalism and inclusivity. What the report provides are findings based on consultations from national to regional level. PAC has not gone to district level. Therefore, the findings and analysis are based purely on the national and regional consultations. So too the report is not meant to stop any grouping or individual to discuss the issue. What PAC has done is to share its findings up to regional level. After all, stakeholders wanted to know what are the findings from consultations on federalism, and we have shared. It must also be appreciated that these findings were analysed from the flip charts which the delegates themselves presented to the consultants during conferences.

Q2

A suggestion has been that PAC ought to have conducted civic education to let respondents provide an informed opinion on the matter. Would you agree with that observation?

A2

First, our view is that the demands for or against federalism implied that to a certain extent the concerned parties understood the federal system of government. That is why our objective was partly to enhance a common understanding on the issue, and conflict prevention so that we develop a common roadmap. Second, we were reliably informed that groups were undertaking civic education at district level. Third, having gone through the list of participants I note there was representation from the districts. In fact, we paid transport refunds to those who came from districts. This demonstrates that the groups might have reached these participants who were identified by the same groups. Fourth, during conferences the consultant shared some conceptual ideas on the federal system of government. However, it has become clear that there has been a mismatch of our goal and other stakeholders’ objectives. Following this development, civic education is required because it means it was not adequate.

Q3

What do you make of allegations by some federalism proponents who have accused PAC of lacking impartiality and that its findings were deliberately skewed in government’s favour?

A3

First of all, let us be clear here. What PAC undertook was a consultation process at national and regional level. The responses in the flip charts we have were not filled by the government officials. Participants themselves provided information. As PAC there was no way we could shave somebody’s hair without his/her presence. We invited all interested groups under one roof. So where does impartiality arise?

Q4

As PAC, what do you think is the best system that would truly represent the aspirations of the people without anyone feeling left out?

A4

Both systems—unitary and federal—may give you true representation. It depends on the tools of governance you put in place to avoid abuse of power. At the same time any system has its own advantages and disadvantages. By stating so, I am not saying we should therefore change or maintain the system. The decision rests in the hands of Malawians.

Q5

Some people have argued that a federalist state would ensure that the nation develops exponentially, what was your finding in that aspect during your research?

A5

Our consultation process did not go into this question. It will be interesting to examine this question because it would guide what system of government can work better.

Q6

Obviously, the people agitating for federalism have been left unimpressed with the unitary system we have now, what would you suggest be done to appease them?

A6

Regrettable though it stands, PAC could not doctor responses from the consultations. We had to respect various views. Nor has the report closed the debate. At the same time, it is difficult to follow an appeasement policy on such issues that have a bearing on the whole country. In its conclusion, the report has window for further discussions on the issue. It reads as follows: “The issuance of the report formally concludes the consultation process but it is not intended to gag any other person or groups of persons debating the question of federalism and inclusivity in Malawi.” In the above quotation, the phrase “consultation process” should be understood as a process up to regional level. From a programmatic point of view, this is what we know. As a way forward, dialogue with higher authorities would help. It seems that underneath federalism, there are issues that the State machinery and the nation as a whole should deal with. n

Achewa ali ndi njira zosiyanasiyana zoperekera malango pakati pawo. Njira zina ndi monga nthano, magule, ndakatulo, chinamwali ndi miyambi ndi zining’a. Lero nkhani yathu yagona pa miyambi ndipo tifukula mwambi wakuti ‘nkhuku yoweta sagula pamsika’. STEVEN PEMABMOYO adacheza ndi mfumu yaikulu Njewa ya ku Lilongwe, yomwe ikutambasula za mwambiwu.

Choyamba, mfumu, tafotokozani za momwe nkhani ya chikhalidwe cha makolo ilili kuno.

Kwathu kuno ndi dera limodzi lomwe anthu sataya chikhalidwe cha makolo ndipo kuti mukhale pakati pathu kwa masiku angapo mukhoza kuona kusintha poyerekeza ndi zomwe mudazolowera kuona. Anthu a kuno adamva mwambo ndipo adausunga.

Tsono mukati adamva mwambo mukufuna kunena kuti adaumva bwanji?

Pakati pa Achewa, mwambo ndi chuma chosiyirana. Makolo kalero adasiyira ana awo omwe adasiyiranso ana awo chonchoo mpakana lero timangosiyirana kuti mpakana kalekale mtundu wathu usadzasokonekere ayi.

Ndikufuna kudziwa kusiyiranako mumachita kupatsana pamanja?

Ayi, mwambo si chithu choti mungachione kapena kuchigwira. Imakwana nthawi yoti makolo amadziwa kuti mwana uyu akufunika kudziwa zakuti ndiye amakonza njira yomupatsira mwambo womwe ukufunikawo. Pali njira zingapo monga kutengera mwana kutsimba, kudambwe, kumuitanira anamkungwi kapena kudzera m’miyambi yomwe amatolamo tanthauzo.

Eya pamenepo, pali mwambi uja amati nkhuku yoweta sagula pamsika. Mwambi umenewu uli ndi tanthauzo ndithu?

Kwabasi, mwambi umene uja uli ndi tanthauzo lozama kwambiri ndipo mwachita bwino kusankha mwambi umenewu chifukwa umakhudzana ndi moyo wa munthu, makamaka akakula, kuti akukalowa m’banja n’kukayamba moyo wina.

Ndikufuna mumasule bwinobwino kuti nkhuku ikubweramo bwanji.

Chabwino, ndiyambe ndi kumasulira motere: munthu ukafuna nkhuku yoti uwete, supita pamsika chifukwa akhoza kukugulitsa yodzimwera mazira kapena yoti idatopa kale kuikira ndiye kuti palibe chomwe wachitapo. Pokagula nkhuku yoweta umafika pakhomo pomwe pali khola ndipo umafunsa

umboni woti nkhukuyo ikadaikira kapena isadayambe nkomwe ndipo kuti mtundu wake umaikira motani. Apa zimatanthauza kuti munthu akafuna banja sangangopita pamsewu nkutengana ndi mkazi kapena mwamuna osadziwa mbiri yake, komwe amachokera ndi mtima wake.

Koma amayenera kutani?

Munthu wanzeru amayenera kupita kwa makolo kapena abale a munthu yemwe wamukonda kukaonako ndi kuphunzira khalidwe lawo. Akhozanso kufufuza kudzera kwa anthu adera omwe amakhala kufupi ndi munthuyo, akakhutira akhoza kuyambapo dongosolo. Izi ndi zomwe makolo amatanthauza m’mwambiwu.

Paliso pena pomwe mwambiwu ungagwire ntchito?

Kwinako zikhoza kutengera kuti pali nkhani yanji koma bola tanthauzo lake likhale loti pakufunika kusamala, makamaka kuchita kafukufuku osangophwanyirira pochita zinthu. Koma gwero lenileni makolowo poyambitsa mwambiwu adayambitsira nkhani ya maukwati.

Koma mukuona kuti zimathandizadi kuti achinyamata amatsatira?

Umboni umenewo ndiye ndili nawo wambiri chifukwa maukwati akamachitika kwathu kuno mafumu amadziwitsidwa ndipo timaona kuti asankhana bwanji mpaka makolo amaitanidwa n’kufunsidwa ngatidi akhutira ndipo ambiri amavomera kuti akhutira kusonyeza kuti anawo ali ndi mwambo, adamvera makolo sadasankhe molakwika.n

As we approach Christmas, I find it important to remind ourselves what this season is all about. I am, therefore, dedicating this article to the birth of the most important person in our lives, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you know that Christmas is prophetic—-announcing the coming of the Saviour! Jesus was born for a purpose, to be a Saviour and the King of Universe. The conversation between Pilate and Jesus in John 18:37 attests to this fact. ‘When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a King, Jesus answered ‘You say rightly that I am King. For this reason, I was born that I should bear witness to the truth!’ So Jesus is not just a little baby born in a manger, He IS King of Kings – may you and I never forget this. So, what does a Saviour do? He saves and delivers – literally! No other leader has the power and capacity to save our souls. My mother cannot save me. Neither can my pastor etc. In fact ALL Leaders, no matter how much authority they wield, cannot save my soul. Only Jesus can. Christmas is a manifestation of the Saviour’s authority and therefore so special to me.

Celebrating Christ’s birth is more than seeing Santa Claus with his sledges singing ho! ho! It’s more than cards, presents, tree-decorating and ‘happy holidays’. It is about celebrating my deliverance.

Where is Jesus in your Christmas plans? Would your family describe Christmas in terms of presents, alcohol-led parties, late nights and going to the lake? There will be ‘Christmas’ events, ‘Christmas’ parties, ‘Christmas’ bashes, – but sadly, if we were to ask where Jesus is in all this, we find that He has just been sidelined on the bench or is outside knocking that He may come in. May you have quiet reflective moments and proudly hail Jesus as the reason for the season.

So whether you are planning this season, give honour to whom honour is due and exalt Him amidst all your ‘enjoyments’! May He be the esteemed guest of Honour at every ‘do’ you have.

Have a Jesus festive season! May you allow your life to become a ‘Bethlehem’ for the Son of God.

(The Network Towards Equity in Health executive director Marita Wathaine has resuscitated the call to declare government bankrupt initially filed by Finance Minister Gado Gandall which the People’s Tribunal declined. Judge Mbadwa has asked Wathaine to make her case)

Marita Wathaine: My Lord, the Finance Minister Honourable Gado Gandall asked this court to allow government to file for bankruptcy as one way of protecting the Mapuya-led government from the embarrassment of losing most of its property to creditors.

My Lord, Honourable Gandall, as grounds for filing for bankruptcy, cited among others, failure to hire civil servants; failure to restock public hospitals with drugs and the general dwindling of government revenue which means that they cannot fund most of their critical services and operations. He argued that the country’s economy was in dire straits.

Unfortunately, this tribunal found the arguments the minister advanced wanting because as you stipulated my Lord then, the financial mess this administration finds itself in was created by its insatiable appetite for spending on non-essentials and luxuries.

Mbadwa: Your argument madam Wathaine?

Wathaine: My Lord, in refusing government’s application to file for bankruptcy, you asked the minister of finance to put his house in order and tame needless expenditure. But my Lord they have failed to mop their own mess and the situation has gone from bad to worse.

We have a country that is forced to critically reduce funding to the health sector so much that patients are being starved, yet patients are encouraged not to take medicine on an empty stomach if the drugs are to work. But it is as if authorities know that there are no drugs in hospitals; hence, no need to give them food. The Network Towards Equity Health is concerned about this situation.

My Lord, if a government is being forced to starve its patients, fails to run an ambulance system, cannot buy medicine and cannot pay utility services bills and has to appeal to the mercy of suppliers such as water boards not to disconnect public health facilities to avoid being embarrassed, what is remaining of the economy of that country? When you hear an elected government deciding to privatise public hospitals because it cannot afford to run them know that the economic situation is so terrible. This government has become so poor that it is moving about in tattered clothes, displaying its nakedness for all to see. It is for this reason that I ask this court to consider declaring it bankrupt.

Mbadwa: I agree this government is so broke that it is walking about naked. But it is the poverty that comes about because, instead of buying clothes, one chose to spend money on women and beer. We would not have been experiencing these kind of problems had the Mapuya administration tamed its appetite for spending taxpayers’ money on useless things. I once again refuse to declare it bankrupt. If it were Magufuli, the guy across the Songwe border, he would have sold some State Houses, reduced the Cabinet, reduced the presidential convoy and banned external travel to save money for essential services. This government has not tried enough. All it knows is raising tax and increasing charges fees to fleece the poor. I throw out this application once again. n

Approximately half of our population in Malawi is pursuing some studies. We know that half our population is below the age of 20 years and ordinarily every person under 20 years of age is supposed to be still in school or college. Of course in Malawi we have many people dropping out of school as early as at primary and secondary school levels. We are offsetting those with those aged above 20 who are in colleges and other tertiary institutions. And nowadays many people in industry are upgrading their qualifications even those in their middle age in the 40s and even 50s.

As you pursue your studies, you may reach a stage where you are struggling academically. Today, we want to spend some time discussing how you can turn around your academic performance. First, let us address basic fundamentals. You need to be sure that you are pursuing the right programme of study. At lower stages of education, your choices are limited. For example, in primary school, everyone takes all the subjects on offer. In secondary school, the bulk of subjects are compulsory with limited room for choice. At tertiary level, you basically choose what to study by choosing the profession that you want to pursue and at very advanced levels like masters and PhD levels you actually choose the specialised area you want to deepen your knowledge or to create knowledge in, respectively.

Basically, we are saying that as a number one fundamental principle, you first need to make the right choice for your study programme. Do not embark on a course of study simply because it is popular or simply because you think you will make more money through that way. Go for a course of study along the lines of your passion and talent. What do you like, enjoy and what are you good a—these are the questions to guide you on your choice.

Granted that you are in the right programme of study and yet your performance is not up to standard, you need a turn-around plan. First, identify the particular courses or subjects or topics that are huddles to you. Once you isolate the problem areas, you now need to do three things. First, allocate more time for the problem areas for a time bound period like two weeks or one or two months during which period you want to gain control over the problem area. During that period, make sure that you gather all the required learning material that you will use. You need to study like a crazy person. Get to minute detail of everything.

Secondly, identify people who are good at the areas you struggle. Even if they are in distant places or other schools, find ways to reach out to them. You can even make arrangements to get their help during weekends or holidays. There is nothing easier or better than learning from someone like you but doing better. Let those who are good at subjects or topics that you struggle with not just teach you the content but they must also tell you what tricks they use to be good at the subjects or topics in question. Customise those tricks to your situation.

The final major step you can take is to engage your teachers, lecturers or professors directly. If you have money, you can engage them for special top up classes but that is not necessary. Most teachers and lecturers are happy to help for free with topics or subjects where you struggle. Do not abuse this but do get some specific help to supplement your own hard-work and help that you get from your peers.

If you engage this three legged approach to turning around your academic performance, you will be delighted to see the amazing results that you will achieve in no time. This is the approach I used each time I met a huddle in my academic journey right from primary, through secondary to university and even at postgraduate levels. Each time I engaged this improvement plan, the results were very positive. I am sure that you too will turn around your situation. Good luck!n

I have always debated with myself on naming national assets after politicians deemed to have been behind those assets. I found thoughts by Tulipo Mwenelupembe insightful and I could not help share them with you.

In May 2015, there was a heated debate in Parliament on the naming of the Chinese-funded stadium in Lilongwe. The People’s Party (PP) insisted since the construction works of the stadium commenced in their era, the stadium should be called Joyce Banda National Stadium while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government advised the opposition that the late Bingu wa Mutharika “originally founded” the project, therefore, it should be named Bingu National Stadium.

The naming of national assets in honour of people who played a part in the development of the country is essential in remembering the efforts they made in fighting for democracy, peace, infrastructure development, education and so on. A number of national assets have been named after influential Malawians, politicians and freedom fighters. We are proud of these amazing Malawians and the contributions they made to the development of Malawi. But, moving deep into the 21st Century, other countries and organisations have started commercialising their assets by selling naming rights. Malawi can learn from these countries and organisations to rake in additional revenue to government departments responsible for maintaining these assets.

As per the definition from Wikipedia, ”naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility or event, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three to 20 years. Longer terms are more common for higher profile venues such as a professional sports facility.”

In some countries, this practice is common and it has led to the generation of millions of United States dollars for governments and organisations. In Europe, Emirates Airline signed a deal worth millions of dollars with Arsenal Football Club to secure naming rights of Arsenal’s stadium, now called the Emirates Stadium. Other deals in Europe include the Etihad Stadium, home to Manchester City Football Club and the Macron Stadium, home to Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

In the US, naming rights are also common in event facilities and public assets. For example, American Airlines arena (a multi-purpose indoor arena), Gillette Stadium (football stadium), Honda Centre (multi-purpose indoor arena) etc.

In Africa, the best example is in Johannesburg South Africa, where the Soccer City Stadium is named the FNB Stadium. FNB secured the rights to Soccer City, nicknamed “The Calabash”. Soccer City hosted the opening and final games of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Another famous venue is the Coca-Cola dome (a multi-purpose indoor arena) in Johannesburg. A range of events such as international music acts, plays and award shows are hosted at this arena.

Back to Malawi, why not us? The government owns assets such as BAT ground and Kamuzu Stadium which are in a dilapidated state due to lack of funds to maintain them. BAT ground was allocated about K20 million of tax payers’ money for maintenance but the funds disappeared and the facility is in a sorry state. Instead of using tax payers’ money for maintaining some of these assets, proceeds from naming rights would do the trick.

The giant Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe is a modern structure which means a lot of maintenance costs will be involved. Government through the Ministry of Sports should consider selling naming rights to corporate citizens in the country. I believe these can pay between K15 million and K25 million per annum on a three to five year contract to secure rights of this magnificent facility. I noticed the roof of the stadium is painted plain but visible to pedestrians and drivers passing through the Area 18 Area 49 road can therefore be painted with the brand colours of the rights holder.

The same arrangement can be done for the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) indoor arena and other facilities.

Probably someone is thinking I do not appreciate the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s legacy or DPP government’s development efforts since my two examples have Bingu’s name. Well, you are wrong. I appreciate what Bingu did for this nation. The Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must), the national stadium, Umodzi Park, Lilongwe Bypass Road, and so on and so forth are some of his ideas. He had a great vision for this country and I am thankful of his contributions. However, let us name some infrastructure which we cannot sell the naming rights after our dear late president—the VVIP stand at the national stadium can be named after him.

What do you think? n

Last week, we started looking at issues concerning climate change, which is currently synonymously called ‘global warming’ since the current change has seen a rise in global temperatures, reportedly with 2°C.

In the previous edition I gave a glimpse of some of the general known causes of global warming—biological processes, variations in solar radiation received by the earth, plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions and most importantly human activities.

If you look at these causes clearly, you will notice that they can be divided into two—natural and artificial causes. And the only artificial cause is ‘human activity’. Human activities which contribute to global warming are also known as anthropogenic causes.

Now it can be seen why almost the whole world had to spend resources meeting in France, recently, to discuss measures to curb anthropogenic causes of global warming. First and foremost, they are preventable and, secondly, and most importantly, they are the most common cause of the current global warming.

I am saying the current global warming because there is a group of scientists which argue that this global warming is not the first in the history of the earth and funny enough this group of scientists further argues that global warming is natural and cyclic. Anyway, I just wanted to give a synopsis of why I said next time we will finally look at how pragmatic these strategies are in curbing global warming, bearing in mind that there are these so-called mercenary scientists and economists.

Anyway, looking at anthropogenic causes of global warming, the principle cause involves emission of gases into the atmosphere, which leads to rise in global temperatures. Some of the notable global warming gases are carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide and methane. These gases are also known as green house gases.

These gases usually absorb radiation energy from the sun and emit it to the environment as heat thereby increasing the surrounding temperatures. This process is normal as these are the same gases that make our surrounding reach the room temperatures. If they were not there then the earth would be frozen cold.

However, an increase in these gases beyond naturally expected levels, leads to increased temperatures beyond expected normal temperatures, because there are too many molecules absorbing radiation and emitting it as heat.

The following are how some activities help in emitting these gases and cause global warming: burning fossil fuels; burning of fossil fuels (oils and gas) for energy, for example, for electricity and transport, is said to contribute most green house gases:

Deforestation; all plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen thereby removing excess carbon dioxide, which is why they are sometimes referred to as carbon “sinks”. When land is cleared and trees or vegetation removed or burnt, the stored carbon is converted back into carbon dioxide:

Farming: Animals particularly sheep and cattle produce large amounts of methane and some fertilisers also release nitrous oxide:

Waste break down; Carbon dioxide and methane are released during the decay of food, vegetation and paper dumped in landfills. The same thing occurs when sewage wastes break down:

Industries; Many industrial processes, such as cement production, liquid natural gas production and coal mining, produce or emit a variety of greenhouse gases.

Looking at the above most common causes of global warming, one would think of current exponential increase in these activities in the world. For example, just consider the number of new vehicles entering Malawi, and compare that with some 20 years ago. How many forests have been brought to its knees and worse still replaced by farms. Increase in industries? n

Malawi’s only netball export Mwawi Kumwenda was on Friday named the Innovative Sports Personality of the Year.

The award was presented by Minister of Sports ad Culture Grace Chiumia at Innovations Awards Gala held at College of Medicine Sports Complex in Blantyre.

She recieved a trophy, K500 000 and a paid for one month trips to Egypt and China.

The Queens and Tactix shooter beat South Africa-based boxer Isaac Chilemba who was also nominated for the award.

Elated Mwawi said the award came as a surprise.

“I never expected to be voted the Best Innovative Sports Personality of the Year,” said Kumwenda.

“It has come as a surprise because I didn’t know the person I was competing against.”

The former Escom Sisters player said the award has motivated her to work harder.

“The recognition has given me strength to continue working hard so that I win more of such awards.

“I dedicate the award to my family, friends and my fans,” she said.

Kumwenda’s professional career took off in 2012 after an impressive performance at the 2012 Fast5 Netball Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.

In 2013 she became the first African netball player to sign for Tactix.

In 2014, she was named Best New Talent for ANZ Championship.

Kumwenda was recently named Player of the Tournament at 2015 Netball World Cup. nv

One had to go. Epac FC yesterday survived by the skin of their teeth after coming from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Dedza Young Soccer Saints in a temperamental TNM Super League encounter at Civo Stadium.

The result effectively condemned the rookies back to the Chipiku League.

Epac needed to win at all cost for them to leapfrog Dedza and they did just that.

The result means Epac have finished the season with 30 points while coach Milias Pofela’s Dedza face the guillotine with 29 points.

Dedza scored first through Fletcher Bandawe but Epac replied through Ranken Mwale before Mphatso Zongololo brought Epac back into the Super League in 67th minute. n