Nthanda Times

Brenda Sanudi

  • Chakwera’s charity organization donates MK120m and bales of blankets to DoDMA

    Chakwera Presidential Charity – a charity arm of President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera – has donated MK120 million and 20 bales of blankets to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) to enable the agency respond effectively to the needs of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy survivors.

    President Chakwera handed officially handed over the donation in Lilongwe on Monday.

    He said he was honoured to make his personal contribution to Operation Tigwirane Manja through his charity.

    He thanked the private sector players who participated in the charity golf tournament six months ago and made it possible for his charity.

    “I am hopeful that more private sector actors will also participate in this year’s charity golf tournament when the time comes so that we can avail more resources to the millions of Malawians that will continue to need assistance in the months following this Cyclone. This donation from my presidential charity is being made to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs for a reason. In the past, DoDMA was often used as a conduit for fraud and misuse of resources, which damaged its credibility,” said the President.

    Chakwera handing over a dummy cheque

    President Chakwera said it was against this background that he made changes in the leadership of DoDMA and tasked them to report directly to his office in order to restore the department’s credibility as a trusted agency for managing disaster situations that emerge.

    He said he was proud to see that the department is now performing excellently in coordinating the response to the current national disaster, as well as in how quickly it takes action on any reports of people trying to take advantage of the situation for personal gain.

    “I also want to thank all of you in the private sector who have made your donations directly to DoDMA during this operation, because your demonstration of confidence in government institutions is very critical when it comes to the sustainability of disaster management in this country. While we applaud the efforts of international aid agencies and non-governmental organizations in responding to these national disasters, we must never forget that over time and in the long term, our goal and objective must be to strengthen governance institutions and increase their capacity to deal with these matters themselves.

    “We will never develop as a country if we continue perpetuating systems and structures that are well-intended, but whose long-term net effect is the weakening of the capacity and agency of our communities and our institutions,” said the President.

    Chakwera said strengthening governance institutions like DoDMA is not a matter of personal preference, but a guiding policy of his administration.

    Meanwhile, the Malawi leader has thanked SAVENDA Group of Companies, which donated the 20 bales of blankets to his charity.

  • Chakwera stresses need for collaboration in rebuilding Malawi

    President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has stressed the need for collaboration in reconstructing Malawi, which is healing from the devastating effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

    Speaking when his Chakwera Presidential Charity made a donation of assorted items to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in Lilongwe on Monday, President Chakwera stated that the damage the cyclone made is too huge for an economy like Malawi.

    “What Tropical Cyclone Freddy has done to our country is nothing short of devastating. It is so devastating that it will take years to reconstruct what has been damaged. It is so devastating that some of the losses we have suffered may never be recovered. And it is so devastating that any recovery or reconstruction will require that we all work together to move toward a future that is more prepared for the climate shocks we will undoubtedly face going forward,” said the President.

    President Chakwera speaking after making the donation

    He said it is against this background that he launched Operation Tigwirane Manja last month as a mechanism for building a nationwide coalition of organizations, companies, individuals, and government agencies committed to working together to bring relief to those that have been adversely affected by the disaster.

    The Malawi leader disclosed that the number of the affected now stands at over two million, which is one-tenth of the country’s population.

    However, President Chakwera stressed that it is not just the Southern Region that has been affected despite it remaining the epicenter of the devastation.

    “Presently, there is also climate change devastation unfolding in Karonga, and I myself will be going there next week to inspect the drought and flooding that has affected Malawians there as part of the response we are coordinating. No matter where the climate change events are taking place, the urgent need of the hour is for all of us to work together in bringing relief to all of those affected according to their immediate needs, while we continue preparing our national recovery and reconstruction plan for rollout in the near future,” said Chakwera.

  • Malawi Govt asks scribes to write more coverage on alternative cooking energies

    The Malawi Government has asked journalists to triple their efforts in raising environmental awareness that could help people realize the pressing need to take immediate action to stop harming the environment and start restoring the damage.

    Energy Officer in the Ministry of Energy Christopher Kachinjika made the appeal in Mponela, Dowa, on Friday during workshop meeting on bridging the gap between alternative cooking suppliers and users, which Community Energy Malawi (CEM).

    Kachinjika said the media has a crucial responsibility to play in educating people on what they can do to contribute towards environmental protection and sustainability and build a healthy environment.

    Kachinjika: There cannot be an action from the people unless there is awareness–Photo by Watipaso Mzungu

    With financial assistance from the Government of Japan through the Government of Malawi and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), CEM is implementing a ‘Kuphikira Moganizira Chilengedwe’ project in Lilongwe and Zomba to improve cooking alternatives in the two cities.

    Kachinjika stated that there cannot be any action unless the media creates awareness.

    “And this action must start from the individual level and spread through the people and organizations we know. That’s why the role of the media will be needed more this time than ever before,” said Kachinjika.

    CEM Executive Director Edgar Bayani said his organization is impressed with the number of households, which are adopting and embracing gas and other alternative energies for cooking away from charcoal.

    Bayani said charcoal use has caused a lot of damage to the environment; hence, the need to drop it now to save the remaining trees.

  • Old Mutual leads in boosting pension awareness levels in Malawi

    Malawi’s leading financial services provider in Malawi, Old Mutual (Malawi), has expressed satisfaction with the strides made in “Kuitsata Pension Yanu” campaign launched in October 2022.

    The campaign spearheaded by Old Mutual Pensions Services Company (OMPSC) and Old Mutual Malawi Life Assurance Company (OMMLAC) was launched with the intention of highlighting the significance of updating beneficiary nomination and pension claims procedures, among other things, and delving into some of the key provisions of the Pensions Act of 2011.

    Speaking in an interview, Old Mutual (Malawi) Limited Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager, Patience Chatsika, expressed gratitude saying the company has become the first in the industry’s history to respond to the rising number of members without valid Beneficiary Nomination forms and observed obvious flaws in the claim processes by both employers and members on pension.

    “As a responsible business that believes in helping individuals and organizations to be their exceptional best, Old Mutual decided to go all the way and run the campaign on TV, Radio, social media, Web, Print as well as Out of Home. The campaign has been a success and welcomed by the public. Some privately owned media stations have also decided to boost the messaging by offering additional media space to benefit Malawians,” she said.

    Chatsika: It has been a successful campaign

    According to Chatsika, the campaign has been extremely successful and insightful as people are now aware of their roles as members.

    “Pensions are crucial because they give people a steady source of income throughout retirement. Despite their significance, a lot of individuals are unaware of all the advantages of pensions. This is the rationale for our initiative,” she said.

    To ensure that every one reached, the campaign has been extended from the initial four months to eight months up to May 2023.

    “We want to see informed customers who are aware of the importance of having current beneficiary nomination forms and aware of pension claim procedures including transfer of pension funds from one administrator to another when one changes jobs,” she said.

    Old Mutual Malawi is also a leader in Financial Education, a programme created to provide individuals and communities with free advice on managing their finances.

    The program covers a wide range of topics, including budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, and retirement planning.

    The program is delivered through a variety of channels, including workshops, webinars, online resources, and most recent podcasts.

    Old Mutual Life Assurance Company is a leader in the Life Insurance business offering both Corporate and Individual life products while Old Mutual Pension Services Company is a leader in the Pension Administration business in Malawi.

  • DPP aspiring MP Prince Mattaka accuses party leaders of misleading APM

    Mulanje South West aspiring member of Parliament, Prince Mattaka, has taken a swipe at senior leaders in the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for what he has termed as ‘misleading of Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) to pick Everton Chimulirenji as running mate in the 2019 presidential election’.

    Describing that advisor as not only bad, but also evil, Mattaka – who will contest on the DPP ticket in the 2025 parliamentary poll, warned the party leaders that they risk the wrath of the youth if they continue influencing Mutharika to stand again in 2025.

    He made the warning on his Facebook page.

    “Whosoever advised APM to pick Chimulirenji as vice president is also influencing him to contest in 2025. That advisor is bad not just bad, but evil. When making decisions you must consider youths and not just youths but generation,” he fumed.

    Mattaka reminds his fellow DPP followers that, in life, a person has three stages, which he termed as the stage when parents or guardians make decisions for you, the stage when you make your own decisions and the last stage when one goes back to a stage of following instructions for your cycle.

    Peter Mutharika, DPP President

    He then accuses DPP politburo for trying to influence APM to stand again in their effort to continue stealing government money.

    “I understand you’re busy influencing the great guy so that you can continue finishing your lodges and hotels pogula cement opanda tax as before which will not be possible this time. I am a loyal member of DPP koma nsimasekerera zopusa olo mutandiikira ndalama patebulo this is about Malawians and youths, generation as well.

    “Let the good man rest and enjoy his retirement muziganizira ali bambo anu muzingowayendesa kuwatukwanisa kwa ana osakhwima pamchombo just for your foolish personal gains,” says Mattaka.

    But Limbani Joseph criticized Mattaka for contradicting himself on his support or no support for APM.

    Joseph notes that two days earlier, the aspiring lawmaker posted a message in which he was asking DPP followers to rally behind APM only to change within days.

    “Two days ago you said amzanu ena akuti muwathandize kupanga post za APM kuti ayimaso and you did that. Lero mukubwera ndimfundo imeneyi mukupereka chithunzi thunzi chanji kwa ma followers anu? Kodi simukuona nokha kuti omwe amakupemphaniwo  ndi omwe akumukakamiza APM?  Bwanji mukufuna kupinda nkhani?” he asked.

    Another social media fan and apparently a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporter, Ronald Shaheed Mambo, attributes the chaos in DPP to greed and selfishness by senior party party leaders.

    Mambo warned that with the current leadership, DPP has cannot dislodge Malawi Congress Party (MCP) in the 2025 presidential election.

    “The last time I checked, your candidate said, no matter who challenges him ku convention, iyeyo ndi owinawina kale. APM akapanga contest ku convention, kamgwetseleni konko. For your information, MCP isn’t PP. MCP is a big brand. Unfortunately, there are a few souls in DPP who can manage to poke let alone dislodge it, hence the need for APM’s possible contesting.  If he decides not to contest, we will as well honor his decision,” reacted Mambo

  • MHRRC commended for promoting rights of persons with albinism through CEPPAM project

    Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC) – one of the country’s oldest human rights organizations in the country – has been commended for promoting and protecting rights of persons with albinism through its Cultivating an Environment for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (CEPPAM) Project.

    With financial support from European Union (EU) through Christian Blind Mission (CBM), MHRRC is implementing CEPPAM Project in six districts of Dowa, Chiradzulu, Chikwawa, Ntcheu, Mangochi and Lilongwe.

    The overall objective of the project is to promote, protect and defend the fundamental rights of persons with albinisms in Malawi by empowering them with necessary knowledge and skills to understand their rights and to hold duty-bearers to account and eliminate all forms of violence, strengthening policy and legal frameworks to protect, promote and defend their rights.

    And speaking in Dowa at a review meeting organized for traditional leaders, police, Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) members, officials from the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, and journalists, the stakeholders expressed satisfaction with the contribution the project has made in protecting and promoting rights of persons with albinism in the said districts.

    Stakeholders reviewing the inroads CEPPAM Project made in protecting and promoting rights of persons with albinism in Malawi

    Chief Disability Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Joshua Mkwehiwa, thanked MHRRC for initiating the project, which he said has made a lot of progress in promoting rights of persons with albinism in Malawi.

    But Mkwehiwa, who is also responsible for the implementation of the National Action Plan, emphasized the need for a multi-sectoral approach in the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with albinism.

    APAM president Young Muhamba commended MHRRC for effectively implementing CEPPAM project, observing that the project fostered coordination amongst key players.

    Muhamba added that the project also helped persons with albinism and the general public to understand albinism and how best they can promote and protect rights of persons with albinism.

    “APAM is committed to continue working with MHRRC beyond the lifespan of the CEPPAM project,” he said.

    In his remarks, Senior Chief Sultan Chowe of Mangochi district echoed Muhamba, saying the interventions MHRRC implemented under the project helped in respecting rights of persons with albinism in Malawi.

    MHRRC Executive Director Emma Kaliya expressed satisfaction with how the project has been managed.

    Kaliya said, among others, that the project made positive strides in ensuring respect for rights of persons with albinism, advocated for the availability of sunscreen lotions in various health facilities, minimised stigma and reduced killings of persons with albinism.

    She asked the government not to relax, but to continue with interventions as the project is phasing out.

  • UN, humanitarian partners appeal for US$70.6m more financial support in aid of Cyclone Freddy survivors in Malawi

    The United Nations and humanitarian partners in Malawi have appealed for additional US$70.6 million (approximately MK70.6 billion) to assist 1.1 million people affected by the passage of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system in the Southern Region in March 2023.

    UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Rebecca Adda-Dontoh, in a statement issued on Saturday, said this is in support of the Malawi Government-led response.

    “Freddy’s passage has caused death, destruction, displacement and devastation on a horrifying scale at a time when Malawians were already facing high levels of food insecurity and a cholera outbreak,” said the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh. “Humanitarian partners continue to support the Government’s relief efforts following Cyclone Freddy, but the needs are truly enormous, with some Traditional Authorities in Nsanje and Phalombe Districts still unreachable by road,” said Adda-Dontoh added.

    According to the statement, the revised Malawi Flash Appeal outlines the contribution of humanitarian partners to the government-led responses to floods and cholera in Malawi.

    The Flash Appeal aims to  provide an integrated response—including shelter, nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and protection—for those hardest-hit by the crisis, while ensuring communities are at the centre of the response.

    “I visited displaced people in Blantyre and was inspired by their incredible resilience and determination to move forward, despite the tragedy they have endured,” the UN Resident Coordinator said. “Malawians have themselves mobilized to support one another in this time of tremendous need and we must step-up our solidarity as the international community,” the statement quotes Ms. Adda-Dontoh as saying.

    It further states that the passage of Cyclone Freddy left a trail of devastation across 15 districts in southern Malawi. At least 676 people have died, and this figure is expected to rise in the days ahead, while 659,278 people were displaced in 747 camps, according to the Government.

    “The Flash Appeal requirements for the Freddy response come on top of the $45.3 million called for earlier this year by humanitarian partners for the cholera response, bringing the total revised Flash Appeal to $115.9 million. Malawi continues to face its deadliest cholera outbreak in recent history and health concerns are rising following the passage of Cyclone Freddy. The UN and its partners in Malawi urgently call on donors to fund the revised Flash Appeal and enable them to work swiftly in support of the Government-led response to assist communities affected by the passage of Cyclone Freddy and the cholera outbreak,” concludes the statement.