Nthanda Times

Brenda Sanudi

  • Chakwera says superstitions, colonial occupation delaying Africa’s development

    Malawi President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has highlighted superstitions, colonial occupation, oppressive regimes and wars as some of the major contributing factors to underdevelopment in most of African countries.

    Chakwera made the sentiments at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe on Wednesday during the opening of the sixth Transform Africa Summit.

    The Malawi leader observed that efforts by the African countries to lift themselves out of poverty have suffered setback due to what he termed as ‘a new scramble for Africa between the West and the East.

    Chakwera stated that the West and East are both seeking to dominate the industries of tomorrow using Africa’s rich minerals and metals in collaboration with corrupt governments that are willing to sell their nation’s birth right to development and economic sovereignty for a song’.

    “The result of all these delays is that Africa has been left behind. We have been left behind in agricultural production, in standards of education, in tourism, in mining, in health, in security, in infrastructure development, in trade, and many other sectors. In fact, I submit to you that we have been left behind so much that we will never catch up if our approach is to take the same path as those nations that are hundreds of years ahead of us in development,” he said.

    Chakwera therefore challenged the African Union (AU) member states to use utilize available resources to develop themselves without waiting for the West and East to help.

    Chakwera speaking in Zimbabwe

    “In any race, if you are too far behind your competitors who started the race long before you, the only way to have a fighting chance is to abandon the racing track and take a short cut. And so when it comes to the socio-economic development of Africa, the only way for us to catch up is to take a short cut, and the only short cut available to us now are technologies that allow us to go digital in every sector of our economy,” said Chakwera, stressing that digitzation is one of the shortcuts African countries can use to overcome their challenges.

    He said his presence at the summit signifies his commitment to developing the ICT sector in order to achieve the digital economy.

    At this point, the Malawi Head of State commended his Rwandan counterpart, President Kagame, for his leadership in the pursuit

    “I also want to thank His Excellency President Mnangagwa for hosting this important summit that is key to enabling us to leapfrog decades of development stages and catch up with the rest of the world. As far as I am concerned, there should be more Heads of State here, because if we are going to rise as a continent and leapfrog into the 4th Industrial Revolution powered by digitization, then we must rise through technology, we must rise together, and we must rise now,” said Chakwera.

  • HRDC resuscitates presidential age limit debate: APM risks being barred from seeking re-election

    Former president and opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, risks being barred from seeking re-election in 2025 should the campaign Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has embarked on materialize.

    HRDC Northern Region Chapter has embarked on a move aimed at rallying political players to stop grandparents aged 75 and above to stand for political office.

    Northern Region HRDC Coordinator Walita Moir Mkandawire has told local media that they are planning to court members of Parliament (MPs) on the issue.

    “We want the members of Parliament to help in amending one of the sections in the Republican Constitution so that those who are above 75 years cannot contest for political office,” Mkandawire said.

    Their proposal has since received support from People’s Party MP for Mzimba South East, Ackson Kalaile Banda, who said critical positions like that of the president need fresh, serious, and mature people.

    “It’s a good development. A crucial job must have a cut-off point to safeguard the interests of the people,” Banda said.

    UTM MP for Mzimba Luwerezi Sam Chirwa shared similar views, saying Malawians no longer needs “sign post-presidency”.

    “Let’s accept that and give a chance to others to take over when we are tired of old age. There are a lot of things to do after retirement age,” Chirwa said.

    Adding on, Karonga Central Malawi Congress Party MP Leonard Mwalwanda said the age limit should also be extended to MPs.

    “This is a good idea, but why are they leaving MPs behind? If retirement is now at 60, why should someone be an MP in his or her 70s and 80s? How would the President or MP make good plans for the youth when he or she is over 75 years old?” Mwalwanda said.

    Currently, the Malawi Constitution only prescribes 35 years as the minimum age for a presidential candidate but is silent on the maximum age limit for presidential hopefuls.

    Sometime in 2018, former Nsanje South West MP Joseph Chidanti Malunga moved a motion in Parliament on the age limit for presidential aspirants, pegging the maximum age at 65.

    He sought to do so by seeking an amendment to Section 80(7) of the Constitution.

    “We are saying we cannot have very old people holding such a big position [of president]. We already have a 35-year age limit, which restricts some youths below the said age from contesting for the presidency.

    “Therefore, if we can also have a limit up there we will not be wrong. The country needs fresh-minded leaders who can make the right decisions on their own,” Mkandawire said.

  • Govt unveils first-ever Malaria Communication Strategy

    The Government of Malawi has unveiled the first-ever Malaria Communication Strategy in its drive to triple efforts to eliminate the killer disease, which claims hundreds of productive lives annually.

    Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud, speaking at the official unveiling ceremony held at Kabudula ADMARC Group in the outskirts of Lilongwe City, disclosed that the strategy is designed to help in making followups on how the districts are responding to the fight and prevention of the disease.

    Malaria is one of the countries in Sub-Saharan countries grappling with malaria.

    The development of the strategy is therefore aimed at enhancing the country’s fight against the disease that is robbing developing countries of their much-needed human resource to develop.

    Daud took advantage of the ceremony to call on stakeholders to work together towards eliminating the disease, adding that the Malawi Government is keen on ensuring that the country attains a malaria-free status by 2030.

    “As a country we are doing better in eliminating malaria as today we have awarded some of the districts that have responded well in the fight against this disease since last year when the President launched the zero malaria campaign. So, I can say there is progress,” she said.

    Daud: We still need more efforts to eliminate this disease in Malawi

    World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative for Malawi, Neema Kimambo, said malaria remains a significant public health and development challenge, not just in Malawi, but the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Kimambo therefore called for the scaling up of efforts to eliminate the disease.

    “A lot of efforts are being put in place, but we are not yet there that is why we need to continue these efforts to make sure that we reduce these numbers Malawi is contributing to that part of 95 percent0, which is in Sub Saharan Africa, so that we can indeed reach zero malaria,” she said.

    The World Malaria Day falls on 25 April every year. Malawi commemorated the day with a call to invest, innovate and implement more in eliminating the disease.

    The theme for this year’s World Malaria Day was: TIME TO DELIVER ZERO MALARIA, INVEST, INNOVATE, IMPLEMENT, TOGETHER WE BUILD A FREE MALARIA WORLD.

    Meanwhile, Kasungu has been awarded as the most outstanding district in the response to the elimination of the disease since the malaria zero campaign commenced last year.

  • Malawi takes steps to rescue its citizens living in war-torn Sudan

    The Malawi Government has taken steps to rescue its citizens currently pursuing various studies in the Republic of Sudan where war is currently raging.

    The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has issued a statement in which it is advising the students in Sudan to register with the Malawi Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

    “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform members of the public that, in view of the ongoing war in the Republic of Sudan, the ministry is reminding all Malawians who are currently in that country to ensure they are registered with the Malawi Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, which is accredited to Khartoum on a non-residential basis. In this respect, the ministry further wishes to call on friends and families of Malawians who are currently in the Sudan to convey this message to them,” reads the statement released on Thursday.

    The ministry urges the students to register through Dr. Shoab Mzoma, Deputy Head of Mission, Malawi Embassy, Cairo. Email: malawiembcairo@gmail.com, WhatsApp: +201067506995.

    The students are further asked to provide their names, gender, location in Sudan, phone/whatsapp number, name of institution, and expected date of return to Malawi, among others.

  • Governance, political commentators worried with regionalistic sentiments from DPP

    Governance and political experts have expressed disappointment with regionalistic sentiments from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

    They have since called for deregistration of the party, fearing it could create divisions among Malawians.

    The call follows sentiments by DPP zealots from the Southern Region that southerners are the legitimate owners of the party.

    “Anzathu akumpoto anayankhula, Central Region inayankhula, ndiye timati iyayi….eni chipani ndi ndani? Ndife kumwera kuno. Ndiye ife tikunena kuti: Wina afune, kaya wina asafune, APM ayime!” declared one of the party followers in the clip.

    But Malawi’s renowned governance and political commentators have spoken strongly against the sentiments, stressing that they have the potential to divide the country along regional lines.

    In an interview on Friday, Victor Chipofya Junior said the statements from DPP followers in the Southern Region symbolizes how regionalistic the party is.

    “DPP should be deregistered for advancing regionalism. Because if they are saying ‘we, the southerners, are the owners of the party’, it means they don’t value and appreciate the votes from other regions. And this is very sad because DPP cannot win a presidential election with the south only because the rules have now changed. We now have 50+1, and with this kind of regionalism in the party, they can’t attain power,” argued Chipofya Junior.

    He added, “Those people that were saying all those things, they don’t say that by themselves. Most of the times, they are sent by senior party officials. And those are ritually just the pawns that are moved to make such statements so that the public can now start looking at it as if senior leaders in the party are not involved. That’s a sad point of view.”

    Chipofya wondered how regionalistic the party will be if given another go at the State House.

    “If they are being regionalistic even within themselves, what more if they are given the government machinery? How much more regionalistic will they be at the national level in terms of distribution of resources? How can we trust DPP if they are allowing their members to speak like that to say chipani ichi ndi chakumwera? We don’t need that kind of division from DPP and that should come out strongly,” he emphasized.

    In his reaction, Dr. George Chaima said the scenario with DPP is common with political parties whose appetite is to cling to power by force and by all means despite the will of the people.

    Chaima said this practice is undemocratic, uncivilized, retrogressive and does not align itself with tenets of democracy.

    “If you can look at where the party is coming from, you will realize that politics of imposition was created by the late Bingu wa Mutharika, who recruited chiefs and party loyalists to support his succession plan by glooming and elevation of his brother – Peter. Today, tribulations in the party never end. Such kind of politics always end up in chaos and eventually dies a natural death. We have seen political parties, which have lost people’s trust, direction and popularity because of politics of imposition. Today, such parties are not as strong as they were before. Good examples are AFORD and UDF,” he said.

  • Paramount Holdings Limited, employees contribute towards cyclone response

    Paramount Holdings Limited has become the latest corporate entity to mobilize resources for responding to the needs of the survivors of Tropical Cyclone Freddy in response to the call by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera to companies and organizations to complement efforts by this government.

    Apart from using its own coffers, the company also encouraged its employees to contribute any amount they could manage to go towards the survivors.

    This saw Paramount Holdings Limited mobilizing 900 packs of assorted food items to assist families living in evacuation centres in the Southern Region. The donated items included maize flour, cooking oil, soya pieces, Phala Kings, rice and salt, which they donated to the survivors in the Southern Region.

    DoDMA official Fyaupi Mwafongo receiving the donation on behalf of the Malawi Government

    Speaking when handed over the donation recently, Paramount Holdings Limited representative, Chimwemwe Malidadi, said the company was equally concerned with the challenges the survivors are facing outside their normal lives.

    Malidadi said this is why the company decided to set aside K25 million for the procurement of the foodstuffs for distribution to the survivors.

    “Cyclone Freddy is a national disaster and as a responsible business, we are concerned with the loss of lives and devastation and damage caused to both public and private property,” he said.

    Malidadi added that the donation is part of components in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of the company.

    “I wish to assure you that Paramount Holdings Limited will continue complementing government efforts aimed at alleviating suffering and pain among the survivors,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the company’s Group Chairman Prakash Ghedia has thanked his employees for demonstrating solidarity with the survivors by contributing towards the purchase of the foodstuffs.

    Tropical Cyclone Freddy has claimed 676 lives while over 500 people are still missing, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA).

  • League of Transformation Foundation donates to cyclone survivors in Bangwe

    League of Transformation Foundation (LOT) on Sunday afternoon donated food items to survivors of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Bangwe, Blantyre, with a call to the residents to protect the environment.

    LOT is a Malawian charitable organization established in 2020 to spearhead socio-economic and environmental transformation for sustainable human and natural resources development in Malawi.

    It also exists to enhance access of rural population to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and build the resilience of rural communities to cope with, recover from natural disasters and effects of climate change and improve food security and livelihood.

    Speaking during the presentation of the donation to the cyclone survivors in Bangwe, LOT founder Timothy Mtambo said the storm that hit some districts in the Southern Region is a clear indication that climate change causes warmer oceans and heat energy from the waters’ surfaces is fueling stronger storms.

    Mtambo presents a bag of maize flour to one of the cyclone survivors in Bangwe

    Mtambo stated that his foundation is determined to unite the nation in addressing the effects of climate change.

    The once-upon-a-time victim of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician Isaac Jomo Osman, Mtambo said this is why he decided to donate to Bwangwe residents where Osman is a ward councilor.

    “Tropical Cyclone Freddy is the biggest lesson for us all gathered here that the very intense and exceptionally long-lived, powerful and deadly weapon against this dark moment in time is the light of wisdom and love. As the League of Transformation Foundation, we are eager to wake up our beloved nation of Malawi from the slumber of outdated hatred to the shine of motherly love. In times of these disasters, let us know what we are hopeful for. Let us remind ourselves that Freddy is not forever. Let us look ahead to post-Freddy times. Let us control what we can. Let us turn to faith and spirituality. Let us combat our negative thoughts,” he said.

    Mtambo commended State President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and his government, organisations, companies, churches, mosques, financial institutions, neighbouring countries, development partners and artists for all the efforts channeled towards the welfare of the survivors.

    He appealed for a long term emotional comeback, infrastructure resurgence and systematic transferring of these victims to safer places.

    “On the same note, the League of Transformation Foundation expresses a humble appeal to the entire humanity to take care of the living space. Let us not just be thinking of money and today. Let us also think of our life and future. Let us plant trees in both new and bare places. Deforestation is a mother cause of natural disasters. It is within the framework of the League of Transformation Foundation to wheel the nation towards Malawi 2063 attainment partly enabled on environmental sustainability,” said Mtambo.

    Osman thanked LOT for the assistance rendered to his people.

    Mtambo said the motto of LOT is ‘Touching lives-leaving no one behind’ while its vision is ‘Transformed communities in which people are free from poverty, have access to basic social services and lead a dignified life within a sustainable friendly environment’.

    On the other hand, the mission of the foundation is to implement an innovative sustainable development model that addresses existential challenges of poverty and inequalities through sustainable rural development, wealth creation, provision of basic social services and enhanced access to livelihood resources.

  • Dausi demands level playing field for DPP presidential candidates

    Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) National Publicity Secretary Nicholas Harry Dausi has warned that party leader, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM), that he risks facing revolt if he does not stop his dictatorial style of leadership.

    Dausi – giving an exclusive interview with Times Television on Friday – revealed that APM is firing every National Governing Council (NGC) member who does not support his 2025 presidential bid.

    The Mwanza Central legislator feared Mutharika’s tight grip on party presidency and his dictatorship style of leadership could divide the party further should the contesting candidates choose to dissociate with his leadership.

    “Malawians love DPP very much. But they don’t like what is happening in the party and the earlier APM realizes this, the better!” said Dausi.

    The bombastic-speaking MP further dared Mutharika to ‘stop living in denial that DPP lost because of him’.

    “He must realize that there’s no life presidency in the DPP. Party presidency is not chieftainship that belongs to one clan only. So, he must give other candidates the chance to campaign as well,” stressed Dausi.

    In a related development, founder of the Freedom of Worship and Economic Liberation (FOWEL), Prophet David Mbewe, has described as wayward the endorsements some party followers are making in favour of the frail Mutharika to run for the presidential election in 2025.

    In a statement issued on Friday, Mbewe said those endorsing APM are a cabal of trialists ‘who would want to prolong the Lhomwe grip on the DPP without any sort of justification for doing so’.

    “Some party members think by sticking to the old man who is 82 and in 2025 he will be 84 they may continue to plunder public resources as was the case between 2005 to 2012 under late Professor Bingu wa Mutharika and from 2014 to 2020 under Peter Mutharika,” alleged the prophet who also aspires to stand for the party in the 2025 presidential poll.

    “It is of the view that this approach to the intraparty electoral process defeats the spirit of democracy believing that every aspiring candidate in the party including Prophet Mbewe must be given equal opportunity to sell their ideas to the delegates ahead of a Convention whose date remains unknown. ’FOWEL will continue observing events taking place in the party and make its stand when the right time comes,” he added.

    Meanwhile, dozens of DPP members of Parliament (MPs) have joined hands in their attempts to stop the endorsement of Mutharika as 2025 presidential elections candidate.

    This was after DPP Northern and Central Region committees endorsed Mutharika as their candidate, while the Eastern Region has vowed that peace will return only if APM is given another torchbearer’s mantle again.

  • UN appeals for more support towards cyclone survivors in Malawi

    The United Nations in Malawi (UN) has appealed for more support towards survivors of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, observing that tens of thousands of people are still without adequate shelter and other requirements to survive.

    UN Resident Coordinator Rebecca Adda-Dontoh made the appeal in a statement issued after her visit to some camps in the disaster-hit districts of the Southern Region.

    In a statement issued on Friday, Adda-Dontoh says one month after the passage of Tropical Cyclone Freddy—which swept through 15 districts in southern Malawi, destroying lives, livelihoods and homes—communities ravaged by the storm still require urgent assistance and support as they strive to survive the aftermath of the devastating floods and mudslides.

    “In the weeks since this tragedy struck, I have been absolutely inspired by the many people who have helped their neighbours and fellow Malawians impacted by Tropical Cyclone Freddy,” said Adda-Dontoh.

    “In support of these incredible communities and the government-led response, 60 UN agencies and non-governmental organizations have provided life-saving assistance to people affected by the disaster. However, much more remains to be done.”

    Malawi is one of the countries that have been hardest-hit by the increased rainfall accompanying tropical cyclones in Southern Africa as a result of human-induced climate change.

    Since 12 March 2023, close to 230,000 people have been reached with vital assistance and support, including food for the most vulnerable people, safe water and sanitation facilities and hygiene services, access to health care, including sexual and reproductive health, and emergency shelter, such as tents and tarpaulin.

    This has included the airlifting of relief, especially food, to areas that remain cut off or difficult to reach by road. However, with humanitarian partners’ Flash Appeal for Malawi less than 11 percent funded, there are critical gaps in the response and additional contributions are urgently required for humanitarian partners to scale-up assistance, in support of the government-led response.

    TCF Survivors at Mthawira Parish Camp, Machinjiri, Blantyre

    Adda Dontoh says in the statement that humanitarian partners in Malawi are committed to a response that places people at the centre and have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse.

    She, however, discloses that despite their best efforts, tens of thousands of people are still without adequate shelter.

    “We also need to step-up the provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene, especially in light of the cholera outbreak. And we need to ensure that women and children, in particular, are protected from violence, exploitation and abuse, given the many risks generated by this crisis,” said Ms. Adda-Dontoh.

    “Our response in the first 30 days was made possible by the support of the international community, who have so far generously contributed US$7.6 million. I am today calling on donors to redouble their support to fill the critical shortfalls in funding so that we can do even more in the month ahead.”

    Malawi is one of the countries that have been hardest-hit by the increased rainfall accompanying tropical cyclones in Southern Africa as a result of human-induced climate change, according to a recent research. Yet, the country contributes just 0.04 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

    Tropical Cyclone Freddy—which killed over 1,000 people—is a devastating reminder of the human cost of the global climate crisis.

  • Paramount Holdings Limited provides K3m donation towards renovation of Area 25 Health Centre

    Paramount Holdings Limited – leading construction company, medical equipment supplier agro-producers and farm inputs suppliers of farm inputs in Malawi – has expressed commitment to complementing government efforts in improving service delivery in the health sector in Malawi.

    The company made the commitment on March 10, 2023, when it donated assorted medical equipment and cash to Area 25 Health Centre in Lilongwe.

    The donation, which was valued at K3 million, was in response to the call by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera to the corporate world to help in the renovation of the clinic, which was vandalized by the angry Mgona residents early this year.

    Paramount Holdings Limited officials handing over the equipment to hospital personnel

    The facility, which was vandalized by residents from Mgona (Area 28) over a disagreement with health workers early this year, serves Areas 28, 25, 26 and Chatata, among others.

    In his remarks, Paramount Holdings Limited Operations Director, Nixon Nkhata, described Area 25 Health Centre as a strategic health facility, which not only serves their employees, but also some of the managers at the company.

    “After the vandalism, the State President visited this facility and he wanted it to be renovated, so there have been assessments to determine the extent of the damage but also how we can collectively bring it to its full functionality. It was difficult for our partners to do it on their own so we came in because we also manufacture and supply some medical items,” said Nkhata.

    Director of Health and Social Services for Lilongwe District Health Office, Wilson Chingani, commended the company for what he described as ‘timely donation towards the full recovery of the health centre’.