Lilongwe Police Public Relations Officer, Hastings Chigalu, said the incident happened on Friday, March 3, 2023, at Kaweche Village in T/A Masumbankhunda in the outskirst of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
Chimphanje was caught by Katete Forest Rangers who were patrolling around Dzalanyama Forest Reserve.
“They found the suspect cutting down the poles using an axe, five had already been taken down by this time,” he said.
One of the poles that Chimphanje vandalized
Chigalu said the police rushed to the scene to collect the suspect after receipt of the report on the same.
Investigations are underway to trace and recover the conductor wires, he said.
Chigalu said Chimphanje will appear in court soon to answer applicable charges.
Chimphanje hails from Kaweche Village Traditional Authority (T/A) Masumbankhunda in Lilongwe.
Delivering his endnote, President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has challenged leaders in the LDC bloc to work collectively towards lifting each other out of poverty.
He said: “Our path to responsible development in this new world involves working together, leaving no one behind”
President Chakwera indicated that LDCs will tirelessly work hard to make sure that they graduate from the bloc. He said if all things were equal countries should not have found themselves in the LDC group but they willingly do so in order to find solutions together on how to uplift each other on their way to achieving middle-income status.
“The LDC is the only body of nations none of us want to belong to indefinitely. The LDC is the only body all of us are working to escape and graduate from,” said Chakwera.
Chakwera: leaders in the LDC bloc to work collectively towards lifting each other out of poverty
The Malawi leader then exited the stage with a word of promise to continue helping the incoming leader of LDC to ensure that the Doha Programme of Action which is geared towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), becomes a reality.
Malawi gracefully exited the stage as the Chair of LDC having led this bloc of 46 countries for the past four years.
Police in Mchinji have arrested three men for allegedly trading medical drugs without a license.
According to Limbani Mpinganjira, Mchinji Police Public Relations Officer, the three men were arrested during a joint raid exercise conducted by detectives from Mchinji Police Station and Kamwendo Police Post on medical shops.
Mpinganjira said the suspects were identified as Patrick Kapinya, Nefutale Zombo, and Kamfosi Kalirani, all of them are residents of Matutu Village under Traditional Authority M’duwa in Mchinji.
One of the suspects pointing at the medical drugs he was selling
During the operation, the police discovered that the suspects were selling medical drugs without a license. When asked to produce documents, the trio failed to do so, prompting the police to take them into custody.
“The suspects were found selling medical drugs without a license, and upon questioning, they couldn’t produce any documents to show they were authorized to do so. We, therefore, arrested them and seized the drugs they had in their possession pending analysis and examination report by medical drug experts,” said Mpinganjira.
Mpinganjira: the suspects were arrested for selling medical drugs without permit
The police have meanwhile urged the public to be cautious when buying medical drugs and ensure that they are purchasing them from licensed dealers.
“We want to warn the public that they should always be careful when buying medical drugs. They should ensure that they are buying from licensed medical shops. We will continue to conduct such operations to rid our district of criminals and bring sanity to our communities,” added Mpinganjira.
The suspects are expected to appear in court soon to answer charges of being found in possession of medical drugs without a license.
Mangochi Police Station spokesperson, Amina Tepani Daudi, confirmed the development, adding that Baison comes from Chawanje Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Ganya in Ntcheu district.
According to Daudi, the suspect pitched a business offer whose commodity was his own sister on March 1, 2023.
Daudi: Baison offered his sister for sale
“It is alleged that on March 1, 2023, the suspect approached one of the community policing members under T/A Mtonda in Mangochi and pitched a business offer whose commodity was his own sister,” said Daudi.
Daudi added that the community policing member tricked the suspect and took him to the chief of the area and alerted the police.
Baison was arrested after he offered his sister for sale
According to Daudi, Baison has confessed to having wanted to sell his sister, telling the police that he was forced into the act by poverty.
He will appear before the court after completion of paperwork to answer the charge of buying or disposing of any person as a slave contrary to Section 267 of the Penal Code which attracts a maximum penalty of 7 years imprisonment.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency on Wednesday at Parliament Chaponda said vendors flooding the streets is leading to insecurity issues.
He said these days one cannot move with their bag freely in the cities someone will steal from them and it’s difficult to trace because the cities are crowded with people ever.
“This is not acceptable as such I’m pleading to them that they have to do something,” said Chaponda.
During the time of DPP we managed to remove the vendors in the streets and there was order in the streets.
“In Limbe you could move around and actually kick some goods here and there, in Mzuzu the same thing, but we created alternatives for them, we gave them time and notices for them to get ready at the same time without any harshness.
Chaponda: Government must act on street vendorsA
“We assured them that people will come at their places to buy the things in their locality and we told them that people will be returned but this has not been followed,’’ he said.
He therefore said that government should look at this issues carefully so that people should be secure when moving in the cities of the country.
Vendors have crowded the streets of the cities selling their different products for example along the Lilongwe bridge there are a lot of vendors selling their merchandise.
The party’s Acting National Publicity Hezekiah Ching’oma said in a statement issued on March 2, 2023, argued it would be pointless for Munthali to allege corruption without providing evidence for it.
Rev Maurice Munthali
In his two separate letters of resignation, Munthali cited government challenges and alleged corruption as a basis for his resignation.
“As per His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera’s commitment to fight against corruption, we urge Rev Munthali to bring forward any evidence of the alleged corruption to relevant institutions to fight the vice,” read the statement.
This notwithstanding, Ching’oma said Munthali was an asset and that the party was saddened with the resignation.
Tambala has since appealed to politicians and ordinary citizens to take personal responsibility in protecting both the environment and elderly persons in their respective communities.
He made the remarks in Lilongwe on Wednesday evening during an interface engagement with lawmakers that belong to the Catholic Church.
Archbiship Tambala–We cannot continue on this trajectory–Photo courtesy of ECM
Archbishop Tambala – who also heads the Archdiocese of Lilongwe – said time has come for Malawi to formulate and enact laws that are progressive enough to protect the environment in the spirit of Laudato Si (the second encyclical of Pope Francis, which has the subtitle on care for our common home).
“The world is now fighting plastic pollution, unbearable heat and the burden of diseases such as cholera. We are rolling in a downward spiral and it is our responsibility to bring this to a halt,” he said.
Describing the church and parliament as mercenaries in the fight against environmental degradation, Archbishop Tambala said it was against this background that ECM decided to ‘bring you [MPs] together based on a shared conviction that we need to regroup, brainstorm and align to ensure that we are all pulling I the same direction’.
He called upon the MPs and the church to reflect on a common appeal of their spirituality and patriotism.
He further challenged MPs and the church to reflect on the abuses and suffering of old persons in Malawi, observing that elderly people are one of the segments of the Malawian population who face numerous human rights violations and injustices despite the country having laws and policies in place to protect them.
At this point, Archbishop Tambala appealed to legislators to consider fast-tracking the tabling and enacting of the Older Persons Bill to arrest attacks and killings of older persons based on witchcraft accusations.
“The elderly people continue to be abused by family members, community members, strangers, healthcare providers and caregivers as well as other duty-bearers at all levels. In most cases, we have seen banishing, burning property and killing of older persons as a deplorable state of affairs in this country. We cannot continue on this trajectory where the elderly in our communities are subjected to torture and humiliation,” he emphasized.
During the interface engagement, Malawi Network of Older Persons Organiztaion (MANEPO) Executive Director Andrew Kavala disclosed that 72 older persons have been killed in two years over witchcraft accusations.
But Kavala decried lack of interest by the judiciary to try and conclude cases of suspected murderers of elderly persons.
“To date, none of the 72 cases has been tried and concluded. This is very unfortunate,” he said.
Leader of the Catholic Community in Malawi Parliament, Deus Gumba, assured the church of the commitment by President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera to addressing environmental degradation and protecting the elderly in Malawi.
Gumba stated that President Chakwera, being in his 60s, is equally concerned with the attacks targeting old and frail generation.
“As Catholic MPs, we wish to assure you that we will collaborate with the church in fighting the vices,” he said.
Delivering a homily during Holy Eucharist mass the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) organized for MPs that profess the Catholic faith
Tambala sounded the warning in Lilongwe on Wednesday evening during a Holy Eucharistic mass, which the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) organized for MPs that profess Catholic faith.
It has been a tradition that before the Minister of Finance presents the National Budget in parliament, ECM invites Catholic MPs to a mass and dinner where the Bishops interact and share notes with lawmakers on topical issues.
The men of God have, among others, utilized such interactions to lobby MPs to put the interests of the poor at the forefront of everything in their deliberations in parliament.
In his homily, which was based on readings from Jonah 3: 1-10 and Luke 11-29-32, Archbishop Tambala challenged the Catholic MPs to take the lead in inspiring hope in people.
Go ye and spread the gospel of hope, Archbishop Tambala seems to say–Photo by Watipaso Mzungu
He stressed that despite the country going through various social and economic challenges, the lawmakers need to give message of hope to their constituents.
“Let us not lose hope on our government and our country. We can’t afford to lose hope in Christ. A Christian is not a supposed to be a person of pessimism because this world is being ruled by Christ,” he said.
In his remarks, leader of the Catholic Community in Parliament, Honourable Deus Gumba, thanked Archbishop Tambala for celebrating the mass for them, which was actually the first mass for the archbishop to celebrate for the MPs since he took the stewardship of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe.
Gumba assured His Grace of his community’s willingness to collaborate with the church in addressing the social and economic problems weighing down lives of many Malawians.
According to the Mchinji Police Public Relations Officer, Limbani Mpinganjira, Mbewe was attacked by a group of villagers in Lupunga Village, Sub Traditional Authority Kapulura.
“On February 27, 2023, Mbewe was spotted stealing chickens from Charles Phiri’s kraal, which prompted the owner to shout for help. He was then apprehended by an angry mob who dragged him from the compound and assaulted him heavily before dumping him at one of the village’s gravel paths,” said Mpinganjira.
When the police arrived at the scene, Mbewe was already dead. Post-mortem results conducted by medical personnel revealed that the cause of death was due to hemorrhage.
Mpinganjira: Mbewe was killed by an angry mob
The police have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the mob justice. Mpinganjira has warned the public against taking the law into their own hands and urged them to allow the police to handle criminal matters.
“We are warning the public to avoid taking the law into their own hands as it is illegal and can jeopardize crime investigations. We understand that people are frustrated with the increase in crime in our communities, but we urge them to work with the police to combat crime,” added Mpinganjira.
Zindikirani Mbewe was a resident of Lupunga Village, Sub Traditional Authority Kapulura in Mchinji. The police have assured the public that they will do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators of the mob justice to justice.
The foundation aims to encourage young mothers to become financially independent by going back to school or starting their own businesses.
Prophetess Miracle Tinashe Mukiwa, the founder of the foundation, said in an interview with Nthanda Times that the program seeks to bring hope to young mothers and reach out to at least 300 young women.
She stated, “The Foundation has been established to bring hope to young mothers. Our desire is to reach out to not less than 300 young women. Our target is to empower the women to have income-generating activities,” she said.
Prophetess Mukiwa: the program will empower women to be economically independent
Prophetess Mukiwa added that the foundation will focus on empowering young mothers, especially those in rural areas, who have children or are pregnant, to pursue education or entrepreneurship.
“The project will bring in various incoming generating activities. We have started with the goat pass-on initiative. We will also train the young mothers in soap making, reusable sanitary pads making, candle making, tailoring, beekeeping, and mushroom production to improve their economic status.
“These women when you look at them, have children, some are pregnant. So, we are bringing the change that, as a young woman, there is hope for you as a young mother to either go back to school or start a business,” she said.
Chikondi Chinkango, the Njovu Hope for Mothers Foundation Group Coordinator, said the group is committed to bringing change to its members through various interventions.
Njovu Hope for New Mothers Foundation Group pose with community leaders displaying items they have received from Destined with Greatness Ministry
In addition to supporting the launch of the foundation, the group has also recently ventured into soybean farming.
The Hope for New Mothers Foundation is focused on young mothers between the ages of 15 and 25 who have children or are pregnant.
During the launch event, the foundation donated goats, clothes, blankets, and milk to 81 young mothers who have formed the Njovu Hope for Mothers Foundation Group.
The foundation also provided sugar and milk to 44 Group Village Headmen under T/A Wimbe in the district.
The launch was made possible with partnership from Principal Rudo Chakwera, Judge Gladys Gondwe, Humble Rock Church under Apostle Peter and Prophetess Natasha Nalikungwi, Glam and Glory, Hon. Ministers, and Destined for Greatness Ministry.
The Destined for Greatness Ministry has a history of supporting vulnerable groups in the community, including pregnant women, orphans, and widows.
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