Southern Region Chess League (SRCL) has identified 60 players to represent the region at Presidential Initiative on Sports (PIS) National Championship.
The players were outstanding during the qualifiers held on Sunday at St Patrick’s Academy in Blantyre which attracted 118 participants from 20 schools.
Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) schools coordinator Magret Ngugama said top-10 players from each category have made it to the national finals scheduled for May 26 at Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC).
Bayisikolo (L) delivers checkmate to her opponent
The qualifiers competed in Under-12, Under-16 and Open categories for boys and girls. The Under-16 category had the highest number of contestants; 38 boys and 28 girls.
“It was great to note a good turnout and high level of competition displayed by the pupils on the day. It was for these reasons that the SRCL has decided to send 10 ambassadors from each of the six sections,” she said.
St Columba Primary School pupil Yewo Sanga, who won the best junior sports person accolade during the inaugural Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) Awards, will lead the Under-12 boys’ category after finishing top with five points from five-straight wins while Daisy Huwa of Alipo Private School emerged top in the girls’ section after winning all her seven games.
In the Under-16 boys’ category, Blessings Kamanga of Kalibu Academy reigned supreme with five-straight wins whereas Joyce Banda Foundation’s (JBF) Faith Gondwe did the same in the girls’ division with 4.5 points.
The open boys’ category saw Songwe Steven of Kalibu Academy taking the ultimate glory with five-straight wins. However, the tightest battle for the top slot was in the open girls’ section where Janet Bayisikolo relied a Buccholz tie-breaking system to pip Olivia Kamphale of Jacaranda Primary School and top the ladder with 4.5 points.
There were murmurs of disapproval during the funeral service of football legend Jack Chamangwana on Tuesday after President Peter Mutharika delegated a Cabinet minister to speak on his behalf despite the presence of Vice-President Saulos Chilima.
The murmurs were heard at Kamuzu Stadium upper ground in Blantyre, venue of the service, when director of ceremonies Hope Chisanu and Malawi National Council of Sports board chairperson James Chuma said Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila will speak on behalf of the President who was not present.
However, all the speakers duly recognised the presence of Chilima at the funeral service. The President did not attend the ceremony at Kamuzu Stadium upper ground, but had earlier paid his last respects to the fallen football legend at his residence in Nyambadwe
The President and Vice-President at the funeral in Nyambadwe
The mourners, most of whom were overheard murmuring over the arranged protocol, said the anticipation was that Chilima would represent his boss.
When contacted to explain the arrangement, Chuma, while referring the matter to the Office of the Vice-President, said: “People should not just be blowing issues. Ask the Office of the Vice- President.
They know and will tell you why. The Vice-President came to the funeral like any other mourner. There is no sinister motive about that.”
Efforts to speak to spokesperson for the Office of the Vice-President, Pilirani Phiri, proved futile as he was reportedly travelling to Lilongwe after the funeral and his phone was out of reach.
But a retired top-ranking official told Nation Online it was not strange for the President to delegate his minister or any other top official to an event and speak on his behalf even in the presence of the Vice- President.
Reacting to Tuesday’s developments, University of Livingstonia political analyst George Phiri said he was not sure of the procedures and what necessitated the arrangement but he felt proper protocol would have been for Chilima to represent Mutharika and speak on his behalf.
He said: “I don’t know what was agreed, but while it was proper for the line minister to speak at the funeral… with the
presence of Chilima the proper procedure was him representing and speaking on behalf of the President then Kasaila should have spoken as the minister responsible. But I may not be give a competent opinion as I said I am not sure of the procedures.”
The development came amid divisions in the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) where a faction calling itself Chilima Movement is canvassing for the presidential candidacy of the Vice-President in the 2019 Tripartite Elections. Mutharika has declared he will lead DPP in the elections.
On Tuesday, the party’s secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey warned people against printing and distribution of materials bearing faces other than Mutharika’s and that of the party’s founder Bingu.
The statement followed the emergence of T-shirts, caps and cloth, among others, bearing Chilima’s portrait and a caption that he is the presidential candidate.
In the statement, Jeffrey said the printing and distribution of the materials was an offence and political provocation as the messages were wrong as such the party would bring to book whoever is behind the same.
But commenting on the issue, Phiri faulted the party arguing there was no offence for DPP members to come up with the clothing materials with faces and messages of other people.
The 50:50 Campaign Management Agency has condemned the fracas and attack o f Mulanje West legislator Patricia Kaliati (Democratic Progressive Pa r t y- DPP) on the sidelines of the Third Meeting of the 47th Session of Parliament last Friday.
The agency has since asked the office of the Speaker of Parliament and police to investigate the matter and ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
In a statement released on Monday and co-signed by the 50:50 Campaign team leader Viwemi Chavula and ActionAid executive director Grace Malera, the agency says the attack poses a threat to the country’s democracy as the development could deter Malawian women’s participation in politics.
Reads the statement in part: “The Agency has noted with concern
Was attacked: Kaliati
incidents of violence that occurred at Parliament during the occasion of the opening of the Third Meeting of the 47th Session of Parliament on 4th May 2018. The Agency is particularly concerned and saddened with the barbaric incidents that took the form of physical and verbal attacks on Mulanje West Member of Parliament honourable P a t r i c i a K a l i a t i . This development is retrogressive, constitutes violence against women in politics and elections is a serious threat to Malawi’s democracy”.
The agency stressed the need for a conducive political environment for women as the country draws close to next year’s tripartite elections.
Kaliati, who is a former minister of Information and Communications Technology, was attacked at Parliament on Friday alongside other DPP legislators by suspected DPP youth cadets who were brave enough to disturb the proceedings of the House as President Peter Mutharika delivered the 2018 State of the Nation Address.
But in a statement released on Saturday signed by DPP publicity secretary Francis Kasaila, the ruling party disassociated itself from the violence saying the party does not condone violence in any form and called the police to thoroughly investigate the act and bring the culprits to book.
Embattled Malawi Congress Party (MCP) secretary general Gustave Kaliwo has obtained a court order stopping the opposition party from holding a convention reportedly scheduled for this Friday in Lilongwe.
The order that Nation Online has seen is signed by High Court judge Michael Tembo and dated May 7 2018.
In the order, the judge said MCP is not supposed to hold a convention until matters relating to the suspension of Kaliwo and three others— first vice-president Richard Msowoya, treasurer general Tony Kandiero and deputy secretary general James Chatonda Kaunda—and the firing of publicity secretary Jessie Kabwila are resolved.
Reads the order in part: “This order restrains you or any other persons from inviting the claimants to disciplinary inquiries and from suspending them also from convening a convention of the party until trial of the action or until further order of the court.”
The fresh injunction comes against a background of the High Court in Blantyre on Monday ruling in favour of MCP after Kaliwo and others had obtained an order stopping the party’s national executive committee (NEC) from implementing some of its decisions which also affected the convention it was organising.
Obtained injunction: Kaliwo
The convention, which was scheduled for April 29 this year, failed to take place in the face of the restraint.
Meanwhile, MCP has called for an emergency NEC meeting today at the party’s national headquarters in Lilongwe, according to an internal memo Nation Online has seen, dated May 7 2018 and signed by the party’s administrative secretary Wikiford Sulamoyo.
However , the communication did not state the agenda of the meeting only indicating that people will know the agenda right at the meeting.
But MCP sources confided in the Nation Online that, among other issues, the meeting has been called to discuss dates of the convention.
Both the party’s spokesperson Ezekiel Ching’oma and deputy s e c r e t a r y g e n e r a l Eisenhower Mkaka refused to disclose the date of the planned convention or the agenda of the emergency general meeting, saying they will grant media interviews after NEC has met.
Said Mkaka: “Wait until tomorrow [today]10am, I cannot tell you anything now on that subject. The NEC will meet and we will brief the media later.”
Analysts have described the misunderstandings and legal battles going on in MCP as an indication that the party is not following its constitution on how to deal with internal matters.
University of Livingstonia political analyst George Phiri said in an interview that the party needs to follow its constitution or else the legal battles will not end.
He said: “This means that the issue was supposed to be resolved within the party. Every party has a constitution and its constitution has a provision to deal with conflict within party members are failing to resolve their disagreements on their own. That is why there is one injunction after another.” it; so, here it shows that the
Phiri also faulted the party officials for not following a court ruling which advised them to reinstate the suspended officials, saying if it followed the orders the issues could not have reached this far.
He said: “It is obvious that they needed to reinstate the positions, according to one ruling of the courts. The party’s constitution provides that the SG [the secretary general] is the one who is supposed to call for the convention.
“So, it is difficult for the party to hold the convention with their SG suspended, as the ones holding the positions in the party are legally not binding. The legally acceptable person to call for the convention is Gustave Kaliwo.”
Kaliwo, Msowoya and others fell out with party president Lazarus Chakwera after they questioned, in a letter to Chakwera, his commitment to following the MCP constitution. They expressed their d i s a g r e e m e n t w i t h their boss’ handling of appointments for leadership positions in the party.
B u t w h i l e t h e disagreements in the party may have become a prominent issue now because of the high profile protests, the problems in MCP have festered for at least two years, even reaching courts of law.
ActionAid Malawi (AAM) says poverty remains stubbornly pervasive in most communities in the country.
Speaking in Lilongwe on Monday when the organisation courted donors, partners and individuals of goodwill to partner with in responding to factors that fuel poverty, AAM executive director Grace Malera said the situation is undermining citizens’ rights, including the right to human dignity.
She said this is why Malawi and the world formulate policies such as the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS III) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to allow non-State actors to respond by aligning their interventions to both the domestic and global aspirations.
Malera: Poverty levels are still high
Said Malera: “AAM is now finalising the development of a Country Strategy Paper (CSP) V, Action for Social Justice that builds onto the previous ones while contributing to the targets enshrined in both the SDGs and MGDS III.”
She also bemoaned “weak mechanisms” for transparency, accountability and inclusivity in public finance management which, she said, are worsening the education and health situation in the country.
In her remarks, AAM head of fundraising and communications Tiwonge Kumwenda Simkonda said they have achieved and registered numerous things with financial support from donors, leading to progress in the fight against poverty and injustice.
“We have one of the most robust financial systems to ensure that donor resources reach the intended purpose,” she said.
Since 1991, AAM has worked with various donor partners such as the Global Fund, Roger Federer Foundation, Norad, Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), European Union (EU), Unicef, Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), Tilitonse Fund, World Food Programme(WFP) and some individual sponsors.
The organisation is now seeking partners with whom it can work with for the next five years (2018-2023). n
Malawi is on course to reduce some key nutrition indicators, including stunting levels, a new survey has shown.
According to the Department of Nutrition, HIV and Aids director Felix Pensulo, an unpublished national end-line survey of 2018 indicates that the country has scaled down stunting to 36.4 percent.
He said: “This is a further drop from the 37.1 percent registered in the 2016 Malawi Demographic Health Survey (MDHS) report; which was a 10 percent drop from a decade earlier. This is all because of our collective efforts, which we need to enhance further to beat our targets.”
A woman feeds her baby porridge
Pensulo was speaking in Lilongwe last week during a World Food Programme (WFP) supported prevention of stunting lessons and evaluation results dissemination me
eting at the Bingu International Convention Centre (Bicc).
Other key nutrition indicators which Malawi has improved on include Vitamin A deficiency which has dropped from 22 percent in 2009 to four percent in 2016 and severe wasting which is now at one percent.
The findings also coincide with news that the pilot phase of the WFP supported project aimed at scaling up nutrition in Ntchisi was a success as it had reached 50 000 children aged between six and 23 months as the project wound up last month.
In his remarks, WFP country manager Benoit Thiry appealed to all relevant stakeholders to build on the successes and continue supporting the government to scale-up nutrition interventions.
“I applaud Malawi for the strides it has made in addressing nutrition issues in the previous years. The valuable lessons from this pilot project which are shared here today will help us influence future programming and research, and ultimately improve nutrition interventions for Malawi,” he said.
Thiry also tipped the upcoming National Nutrition Multi-Sectoral policy to be a springboard for ensuring continued support and cooperation when addressing nutrition issues in the country.
WFP partners with government to support food and nutrition policies and strategies, including the National School Health and Nutrition Policy, which is a framework for sustainable, coordinated and comprehensive health and nutrition programmes in Malawi’s schools. n
After pouncing on institutions that owed Mzuzu City Council (MCC) part of its K700million city rates bill, the council is strategising on how it can recover its the same from individuals.
In March this year, the council launched a campaign to collect outstanding city rates arrears from all defaulters in the city. The campaign first targeted institutions and involved sealing premises of defaulters.
In an interview on Tuesday, the council’s lawyer Victor Gondwe said he reminded city developers to pay their rates by next week or risk closure of their business premises.
Mkandawire: Many operations have been crippled
He said the council recovered a bigger part of the money but it is now targeting individuals.
Gondwe said MCC will use the same strategy of sealing buildings.
“The major defaulters were mostly institutions and the council has managed to collect 70 percent of the money. We now intend to embark on phase two of the exercise which will target individuals,” he said.
The council has for years been struggling financially and has been failing to carry out various operations. Collecting money from the defaulters will help the council run a number of activities including settling debts.
Mzuzu City mayor William Mkandawire said the situation has crippled some of the council’s operations such as paying workers’ monthly salaries, and maintaining its vehicles. n
Salvation Army has donated chlorine worth K2.5 million to Karonga District Hospital to promote sanitation and hygiene in the district.
Speaking after presenting the donation on Monday, the group’s programme manager Matthews Tulombolombo said even though the district has registered zero cases of cholera for about a month, sanitation and hygiene practices need scaling up.
Tulombolombo (L) presenting chlorine containers to Tukula
He said as one of the water and sanitation hygiene (Wash) players in the district, their duty is to complement government’s efforts in the fight against communicable diseases such as cholera.
“As Wash players, we are not just supposed to react during an outbreak. This is the right time to take precautionary measures,” said Tulombolombo.
Karonga district environmental health officer Lewis Tukula said the donation is timely as some people displaced by floods and currently living in camps need treated water.
“We use chlorine to clean toilets and utensils. We also use it to treat people affected by cholera to kill the germs that transmit the disease,” he said.
Tukula said about 58 000 people will benefit from the 40 drums of chlorine for about two months.
Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian Church and an international charity organisation. n
African Parks has said a herd of seven elephants last weekend strayed from Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and destroyed gardens in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nthondo in Ntchisi District.
African Parks extension officer Maria Munkhuntha said the elephants, which destroyed a three-quarter acre of maize and groundnuts, have now been relocated to the wildlife reserve.
Elephants destroyed three-quarter of an acre in Ntchisi
“The company had to use a helicopter to trace the elephants to get them back to the reserve,” she said.
African Parks community extension manager Obedi Mkandawire said such incidents are regarded as natural disasters and it is the responsibility of the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) to determine whether the affected families should get relief assistance.
But Ntchisi district commissioner James Manyetera said his office is yet to get a report on the matter before it can contact Dodma.n
Salima Agricultural Development Division (ADD) has advised rice farmers to embrace the use of improved seed to boost productivity.
The ADD’s acting programme manager Richard Mgomezulu said this on Friday in Nkhotakota during a field day at Mphonde Extension Planning Erea (EPA)organised by Lifuwu Research Station.
With financial assistance from the World Bank Group, Lifuwu Research Station is involved in rice seed multiplication at Bua Irrigation Scheme involving 710 farmers.
A rice farm in Nkhotakota
Mgomezulu observed that using certified seed with good field management is cost-effective as farmers are assured of higher yield and better market prices.
Lifuwu Research Station seed inspector Kondwani Ngoka encouraged the farmers to adopt the practice.
He said plans are underway to reach out to more farmers with improved seed varieties to improve productivity.
One of the farmers, Joseph Nyirenda, said he has had bumper yield from the improved seed and encouraged fellow farmers to use the same. n
Roads Authority (RA) has warned communities in Nsanje District against vandalising road signs saying it loses between K50 million and K60 million per year to replace them.
The authority said this on Monday in Senior Chief Tengani’s area during a handover ceremony of 100 reflector jackets for community policing members.
Kajanga (R) hands over jackets to Makwinja
RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga asked the people to ensure that they protect the road and its signs which she said, enhance safety.
“Our duty as Roads Authority is to construct roads. With good roads people are able to go to hospitals and transportation is easy. Today we have donated these reflector jackets to community policing members to enhance security in the villages and on the road to protect the signs,” she said.
Nsanje district commissioner (DC) Reinghard Chavula commended RA for the donation saying it will boost security in the district.
Nsanje Police Station officer-in-charge Maurice Makwinja also thanked RA for the donation saying, theft was rampant in the district.
Senior Chief Tengani, who requested the jackets, said he expected community members to take security matters seriously. n
As the campaign for increased women participation in politics is gaining momentum, the Anglican Church in Mwanza has encouraged women to take an active role in politics.
The Diocese Upper Shire bishop, the Right Reverend Brighton Vita Malasa, made the appeal to members of St. Monica guild in Mwanza on Sunday.
Bishop Malasa addressing the gathering
The members came from the country’s eight districts of Mwanza, Machinga, Balaka, Mangochi, Zomba, Dedza, Ntcheu and Neno, for an annual general assembly where they were drilled in a number of areas affecting both human and spiritual life.
Malasa asked the women to start looking at best ways to serve the nation, rather than just dancing at political rallies or casting votes.
“It begins with you contesting in the forthcoming 2019 tripartite elections. Do not be spactators all the time,” he said.
The bishop further challenged the women to stand up and speak against any ills happening in society.
Yasinta Mtambo, who is in charge of all guilds in the Upper Shire Anglican Diocese, thanked the Bishop for encouraging the women while the guild’s President Ellen Mtengula encouraged the women to fully participate in church and national issues. n
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) followers marched to the district commissioner’s (DC) offices yesterday and presented a petition to President Peter Mutharika for the removal of Mulanje South legislator Bon Kalindo (DPP).
The estimated 300 people peacefully marched, under close watch of the police, for about two kilometres from Chitakale Trading Centre to the DC’s office to hand over their two-paged petition.
Protesters seen with placards in Mulanje on Wednesday
During their march, they carried placards denouncing Kalindo, widely known by his stage name Winiko, while chanting, among others, “Winiko achoke! Winiko achoke! Waipitsa pogonera pake!” for purportedly acting against the party procedures by pushing for the candidature of Vice-President Saulos Chilima as DPP torchbearer in the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
The people have petitioned Mutharika, DPP regional governor for the South Charles Mchacha, Mulanje DC Charles Makanga, Mulanje Police Station officer-in-charge and the parliamentarian himself.
The petition was received by Mulanje District Council chief administration officer Grey Mkwanda.
The petitioners, some of whom were seen being ferried to Chitakale on trucks, were led by DPP governor for Mulanje Urban, Saizi Muonekereni. The march was attended by several chiefs from the constituency.
In their petition, the people expressed their disapproval with Kalindo, saying they no longer want him for the “hurt and pain” he had inflicted on them since his election as member of Parliament (MP) in 2014.
Kalindo: I am not moved
They claimed everything the legislator was telling the nation did not come from the people of Mulanje South as he had never conducted a meeting to solicit their views.
They gave DPP politburo three days to remove Kalindo from the party and provide them with a shadow parliamentarian for the constituents to work with.
Reads in part the petition: “Following what Bon Kalindo had been doing to condemn Mutharika and the DPP, the people of Mulanje South Constituency in conjunction with all the chiefs are saying he is no longer our MP.”
Addressing the crowd after receiving the petition, Mkwanda assured the people his office would swiftly act on their demands by delivering the petition all the concerned authorities by either yesterday or today.
In an interview later, Muonekeni said the people were no longer interested in Kalindo for insulting the integrity of the party and its leadership.
However, when queried on whether the people had the mandate to remove an incumbent MP from the party, Mkwanda said the DPP “would decide by acting on the people’s demands by using its powers”.
Reacting to the issue, Kalindo said in an interview he was not moved because the people who protested and presented the petition did not come from his constituency. He alleged they were ferried from Thyolo, Phalombe, Chiradzulu and the surrounding constituency.
He said: “I am answerable to my people and not those strangers. That is a sign of panic for the DPP and its leadership, the party does not know what it wants to do. They cannot prevent me from mobilising people to vote for Chilima in 2019.
“So, I am not shaken and those people let them do whatever they want, whether they want to kill me they are welcome and I am ready to die for Chilima.”
But when contacted yesterday, DPP secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey said the party could not comment anything on the issue because they were yet to be served with the petition.
The event saw tens of heavily armed riot police officers as well as plain-clothed most of whom had travelled from Blantyre.
Reports within the district indicated that the officers had also been patrolling residences of Kalindo and that of DPP director of women Patricia Kaliati at Nkando Trading Centre on Tuesday night following intelligence reports that some people had plans to set them on fire. Kaliati is also suspected of being pro-Chilima.
Be Forward Wanderers chairperson Gift Mkandawire says they are aiming at retaining the TNM Super League title to honour their fallen legend and technical director (TD) Jack ‘Africa’ Chamangwana.
Chamangwana, 61, died on Sunday evening at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre after an illness and was laid to rest at Misesa Cemetery on Tuesday.
Manyozo (L) and vice-captain Lucky Malata lay a wreath on Jack’s grave
Said Mkandawire: “The best way to honour him is by retaining the league title and winning two cups and we are confident we will achieve that.”
He also said as TD, Chamangwana was at the hub of the team’s tactical and technical strategy behind the scenes.
The team’s captain Alfred Manyozo Jnr yesterday said although they have already dropped seven points in the five games that they have played, the target is attainable.
“We just have to give out something extra in his honour and I am confident we can do it,” he said.
Last season, the Nomads also lost their former chairperson George Chamangwana, who was Jack’s nephew, and lived to their promise to win the league in his honour.
Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup champions Zimbabwe and hosts South Africa are set to include overseas-based players for the regional showpiece scheduled for May 27 to June 9 in Polokwane, South Africa.
According to www.cosafa.com, Zimbabwe’s Belgium-based captain Knowledge Musona is set to headline one of the strongest squads assembled by the Warriors as they look to stretch their impressive record in the tournament.
Earmarked for Cosafa tourney: Musona
Coach Sunday Chidzambwa wants the Warriors to successfully defend the championship they won for a record fifth time last year and is considering a blend of experienced players and new faces for the competition.
Zimbabwe team manager Wellington Mpandare confirmed to www.cosafa.com on Monday that Musona was definitely in the coach’s plans.
He said the Warriors coach intends to bring Musona and a host of Zimbabwe’s foreign legion for the tournament which the champions will join at the quarter-final stage.
Bafana Bafana mentor Stuart Baxter has also named a preliminary squad of 34 which includes two Europe-based forwards— Luther Singh (SC Braga B‚ Portugal) and Lebo Mothiba (Lille‚ France)—as well as Egypt-based Gift Links (Alassiouty Sport) and Phakamani Mahlambi (Al Ahly).
Flames coach Ronny van Geneugden (RVG) has said the development demonstrates that the other teams are taking the tournament seriously.
“That is why I said we need a blend of experienced and upcoming players. We definitely need to include our key foreign-based players that will be available,” he said.
But Flames captain Limbikani ‘Pupa’ Mzava recently suggested the need to consider only local-based players for the tournament.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is hosting Fifa financial governance workshop at Sunbird Capital in Lilongwe.
The two-day workshop, which concludes today, has targeted directors of finance from member associations from Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia and Malawi.
Christoph Suppiger and Mehmet Dirlik from Zurich and David Fan from South Africa Fifa are facilitating the workshop.
“The purpose of the seminar is to discuss some general principles around financial governance, management and to hear of our member associations on these issues, including their experience and feedback from audit and reporting process,” said Suppiger.
FAM vice-president James Mwenda (C) opening the workshop
The workshop is part of Fifa’s Forward Project (FFP) and is aimed at taking through all member associations on how to access, manage and put to positive productivity of the available funds for various approved football activities.
The FFP caters for specific needs and challenges as identified and presented to Fifa by each association and the world football governing body gives each member association financial support for the specific projects.
FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda said the workshop is crucial as it has given the member associations chance to give feedback on financial issues.
“We are privileged to host this important workshop and we will take advantage of the Fifa envoy’s presence to learn more on how to improve the operation of the association in term of finance governance,” he said.
The FFP support for each association hits $5 million.
Midfielder Blessings Tembo has expressed disappointment over his former club Silver Strikers’ rejection of his request to return to the club after severing ties with Be Forward Wanderers.
Tembo was reacting to a letter the club wrote him on Tuesday informing him that it does not have plans to take him on board.
This is despite the club announcing, a fortnight ago, that it would welcome him back. Tembo, as a free agent, signed for Wanderers in the just-ended transfer window after turning down an offer to renew his deal at Bankers.
Tembo: I am determined to recover from this and move on
In a letter signed by Silver’s chairperson Ralph Tseka dated 8 May 2017, the club said after “extensive consideration “it has decided against recruiting him.
The letter reads: “After a very careful consideration and very extensive consultation with the executive committee, I regret to inform you, on this occasion, that your request to join Silver Strikers Football Club has been rejected.”
Tembo, who confirmed receiving the letter, said he does not hold ill-feelings against the club he captained last season.
“Ofcourse I am disappointed because I expected that I would be signed again. Nonetheless, I am determined to recover from this and move on,” he said.
Tembo admitted that rejoining Silver partly influenced his decision to terminate his deal at Wanderers over the club’s delay to honour a reported K4 million signing-on fee.
He, however, insisted he does not regret leaving Wanderers: “I don’t have any regrets whatsoever. Fate neither wanted me to be at Wanderers nor at Silver. I have to let that sink in.”
The United Nations (UN) has condemned the assault of a Times Group journalist, threats and intimidations of legislators during the opening of the Parliamentary Budget Meeting last Friday, and threats directed to female councillors and civil society activists.
The UN has since called on the police to investigate the matter and ensure that culprits are brought to book.
UN Resident Coordinator for Malawi, Maria Jose Torres Macho
A statement issued yesterday, signed by UN resident coordinator Maria Jose Torres stresses the need for tolerance and respect of the rule of law that enables citizens’ participation and equal representation as a way of promoting credible, free and fair elections next year.
Reads the statement in part: “The UN in Malawi is concerned about several recent incidents taking place at the beginning of the electoral period… We call on authorities to investigate and where relevant, prosecute perpetrators”.
Torres further states that separately there were threats directed at female councillors and civil society activists in the country.
“We call on authorities to investigate and, where relevant, prosecute perpetrators of the incidents,” she says in the statement.
Torres says promoting conditions for holding credible, free and fair elections in 2019 requires a climate of tolerance and respect for the rule of law that enables citizen’s participation and equal representation, including for women.
The UN has since called on all stakeholders, including State institutions, the media, religious, traditional and political leaders to promote peaceful settlements of disputes as contained in existing electoral and peacebuilding legal and policy frameworks.
The storm in the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is far from over with embattled secretary general Gustave Kaliwo stressing that his team will not vacate an injunction stopping the party from holding a convention despite being reinstated.
Kaliwo’s reaction in an interview on Wednesday followed an MCP emergency national executive committee (NEC) resolution to reinstate him, first deputy president Richard Msowoya, first deputy secretary general James Chatonda and director of international relations Tony Kandiero who were suspended from their respective positions. The meeting also reinstated the expelled publicity secretary Jessie Kabwila.
Kaliwo: Injunction still stands
“I would like to announce here that NEC resolved to lift the suspensions and dismissal [of the five] to reinstate all of the above into their positions and the party, respectively, with immediate effect in the interest of party cohesion so that the party moves forward in unison towards achieving the bigger objective of providing Malawians with an alternative government with a brighter future,” said MCP second deputy president MacDonald Lombola in announcing the development.
He said MCP understands that the members suspended and dismissed have a desire to work as a team together with the NEC which they are members of.
But in separate interviews on Wednesday , both Kaliwo and Msowoya said they were not aware of the NEC decision as they were yet to be communicated to.
MCP NEC members making the announcement on Wednesday
They also stressed the need to resolve matters first before dancing to the tune of MCP party officials.
Kaliwo said he was not going to lift the injunction his group obtained until outstanding issues are resolved. He said it was hypocritical for MCP to claim to have reinstated them when in actual fact it was the courts which gave them relief.
He said: “To answer your question on the status of the injunction, my answer is ‘NO’. It was proper for the party just to say that they are complying with the injunction that the court gave them and that they are complying with it than saying they have reinstated us in the party. We need to resolve other issues first then we can say we are on the same boat.”
Kaliwo said he was ready for dialogue and that his stand to sustain the injunction on the convention does not mean he was against dialogue. He said he has been calling for dialogue since 2016, but party president Lazarus Chakwera obtained an injunction, a move that worsened matters; leading to their suspension.
Msowoya, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly, reiterated Kaliwo’s position that there is nothing new in the party’s announcement as they were bona fide members elected at a convention.
He said: “The issue at hand is that the party is just following the court orders that told them to follow what is in the constitution of the party. The problem with you journalists is that you are just getting the story midway. If you follow the story correctly you can be able to report correctly on what is happening.
“It is not that we do not want a convention to take place. All of us need the convention to take place. But what we wanted was for the party to follow court orders which said it was good for us to follow our own constitution which provides that any member who was elected from a convention cannot be fired.”
Msowoya said MCP was using an illegitimate NEC other than the one duly elected at its convention.
On Tuesday, the High Court in Blantyre granted an injunction to Kaliwo and four others restraining the party from holding a convention unless the two sides resolved matters that arose due to their suspension.
University of Livingstonia political analyst George Phiri on Wednesday applauded MCP for the bold decision of following the court order by reinstating the members, but said the party needs to strategise on how to resolve the misunderstandings and try to get the side of Kaliwo and others on why they have remained adamant on
Organisers of storytelling sessions have adopted a new format which will see writers from Blantyre and Lilongwe to performing together at the same time.
Previously, the sessions were for writers from the host cities, but with the new format writers from Lilongwe have a chance to showcase their skills in Blantyre and vice-versa. The inaugural event will be held this month in Blantyre.
Ekari Mbvundula
One of the organisers, Ekari Mbvundula, said the new approach will help to create competition among participants and this will improve the quality of their products and create more opportunities for the artists.
She said: “A number of publishers have been expressing interest to publish our work and we are optimistic that this new approach will help some of our writers to publish with reputable publishers. It is our wish to have all quality work published.”
Mbvundula also acknowledged increased turnout during recent events, saying it means people are appreciating the power of storytelling.
“The passion and energy which has flowed from the writers has been unbelievable and that is reflected in the turnout. Our audience continues to grow,” she said.
The new approach will see each of the two participating regions featuring six writers per session.
Lilongwe-based writer Kondwani Munthali thanked the organisers for the sessions, saying it has helped them to create a network of writers and share literary ideas.
Meanwhile, the organisers have called for writers from the Blantyre and Lilongwe to submit their stories.
The most recent storytelling session was held at Jacaranda Cultural Centre in Blantyre and eight story tellers read out their work.
One of the major performances was by Muthi Nhlema, who presented a tribute to South Africa’s freedom fighter, Winnie Mandela, just days after her death.
