United Democratic Front (UDF) has written Speaker of the National Assembly, Henry Chimunthu Banda that its legislators will return to opposition benches during the next sitting of Parliament scheduled for February.
UDF parliamentary secretary-general Kandi Padambo confirmed the development.
He said the UDF letter was read to members of the parliamentary business committee on Friday at the National Assembly.
Leader of the House, Henry Dama Phoya is reported to have told the Speaker not to act on the letter to give him time to have “a talk” with UDF president Atupele Muluzi.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Chiwaya: UDF switching to opposition side
But UDF ’s Mangochi Central MP Dr. Clement Chiwaya, who is also the party’s chief whip told the Speaker at the meeting that the letter was official communication from the party and nothing will change their position of moving away from Joyce Banda government.
Chiwaya said UDF MPs experienced confusion in their constituencies following the party’s move to government benches.
During the last sitting of Parliament, UDF asked Speaker to move to opposition benches before it reversed its decision after its elective convention on October 31. Later UDF’s leader and presidential candidate, Atupele Muluzi, resigned his post of minister of economic planning.
The loose opposition sitting now has former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a majority, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) as second largest and the UDF as the smallest party with 15 MPs on the opposition benches.
Issues surrounding Kayelekera Mine in Karonga have for a long time been a bone of contention as some quarters feel that Malawi government was hoodwinked in signing a deal that does not bring direct benefits to the citizens.
Lately, Kamuzu Chibambo who is President of Peoples Transformation Party (PETRA) and civil rights activist, Collins Magalasi, have added calls upon government to review the agreement so as to make it viable with the common man in mind.
The recent calls also come on the heels of another expression of dissatisfaction from some Karonga residents who questioned the mining firm on why it is failing to develop the area contrary to what it promised when it started operations at the mine three years ago.
Why on earth should Malawi Government only have a 15% stake in such an investment on top of giving Paladin breathing space on taxes for a period of ten years?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Kayelekera Uranium Project in Malawi
Blame has mostly been heaped at the Bingu wa Mutharika’s administration with many observers wondering whether money exchanged hands in view of such a one sided deal.
As Africans we are faced with a common problem among our leaders. Foreign investors know that our politicians do what they do mainly for survival and they take advantage of that.
Most of the deals that are sealed at Capital Hill come with scant details because those who know the truth are palm oiled. This is where as a country we need to get serious when it comes to declaration of assets by our Presidents, cabinet ministers and other top government officials.
Paladin should not treat Malawians as naïve by saying that investors will be scared if we review the current agreement.
That line of thinking brings Zambia into my mind. There was a period in the mid 90s when their mines were being abandoned by investors (mainly Westerners) who deemed them unviable at that particular time. This move created room for Chinese and other Eastern investors to move in and luckily years later demand for copper rose again and the markets responded favorably.
It is a big lie to say that Kayerekera will become unattractive to investors if Paladin moves out. The day after they close operations, a thousand companies will line up to bid for such a big opportunity. Whether they will bring their own share of bribes, we cannot speculate here.
Need we a reminder of how Zimbabwe stamped their foot and made their voices heard? When President Robert Mugabe introduced a law giving indigenous business people 51% stake in any investment by foreign stakeholders, people thought he was adding salt to the injury of the already faulting economy.
That wasn’t to be the case, Mugabe told foreign investors point blank that if they did not agree with the law, they were free to pack and go. Do your counting if you follow these things, how many left? Very few if not none. Many who grumbled in the first place abided by the law and gave away their strongholds. To cut the long story short, their economy is picking up despite sanctions from the West.
Back here, let us not be scared by the Paladin bargaining card of “you mistreat us, you lose investors”. They are just using the same script rather in a wrong cast. We will not ask for 51 %, we might ask for more or less, that is for us to know and for them to anticipate.
My take is that if what we are asking for is too much for Paladin to take then they can go. They must remember that Kayerekera Mine is located within our borders and it belongs to the people of Malawi. If they got the current deal through bribes then let them prepare trillions of bribes for each and every Malawian.
This mine is our asset and we must see the benefits now and generations to come.
Malawi’s opposition party, People’s Transformation Movement (PETRA), says Malawians need to combine forces if they are to effectively fight any form of exploitation by foreign businesses.
PETRA’s remarks follow Paladin Africa Limited’s declaration that it will not renegotiate the Kayelekera uranium mining agreement with the Malawi government until the expiry of the current 10-year contract.
Last week, PETRA president Kamuzu Chibambo told reporters in Blantyre that his party was giving Malawi Government a 14-day ultimatum to explain why the Kayelekera deal cannot be renegotiated.
PETRA’s move is as a result of growing discontent among Malawians over the contract which is evident that the previous government (of late President Mutharika) was given a raw deal by the Australian mining company.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Chibambo: We will fight against exploitation
Chibambo wants government’s stakes in the mine increased from the current 15 to 40 percent.
But in its response to the issue, Paladin declared that it will not renegotiate the existing contract as it invested a lot of money in the project basing on terms agreed in the contract.
“We will not renegotiate the agreement. And people think that terribly unreasonable. But it is not. The fact that Malawians think they got a raw deal doesn’t necessarily mean they did get a raw deal,” Paladin Africa’s General Manager for International Affairs, Greg Walker was quoted by the Daily Times.
While warning that any attempts to forcibly change the terms of the agreement would damage Malawi’s reputation as an investment destination, Walker insisted his company would stick to the existing agreement and expected the Malawi government to do likewise.
According to Walker, one of the clauses included in the agreement is that the government will not take any action that will seriously change the financial aspects of the project for a period of 10 years.
However, hitting back at Walker, the opposition leader affirmed his party would not relent but continue fighting against the exploitation.
“We are currently studying their response. But we just don’t buy their explanation. We will fight for the good of the country against any form of exploitation,” Chibambo, a lawyer, told Nyasa Times.
However, the opposition politician is pretty conscious that the fight requires a strong combination of voices if it is to be easily won.
“Of course the previous regime [of Bingu wa Mutharika] terribly failed the people of Malawi. So the onus is on all of us to seek redress. This is a noble cause that requires a strong coalition of voices,” he said.
Paladin claims Kayelekera is a high risk investment considering the volatile prices of uranium on the international market and the fact that Malawi has no track record in terms of handling a high scale foreign investment.
However, the company’s claims are in sharp contrast with the production outcome which, for instance, last quarter ended December, surged by 20.9 percent, according to its December 2012 Quarterly Activities Report.
Paladin is reported to have invested in the project about US$500 million.
As the fashion industry is on the rise, with Malawian designers now getting international recognition, the country will this year witness the birth of its first ever Fashion Week.
Known as the Malawi Fashion Week, the event, which will be bringing together local and international designers, is the brainchild of Dawa Loga-Lemberger and Chikumbutso Mtumodzi.
Loga-Lemberger is the founder of Elegant Resources by ArianaLouise while seasoned journalist Mtumodzi is the owner of African Dzuwa Magazine.
“We have joined hands to bring fashion week to Malawi. The idea is to promote the model industry in conjunction to fashion pieces,” disclosed Loga-Lemberger in an interview with Nyasa Times.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Malawi models showcasing some of Cathy Kay Fashions designs
According to the entrepreneur, who is based in the capital city Lilongwe, the first Malawi Fashion Week will be hosted end May to early June at a venue which will be announced in due course.
“Malawi needs to be prepared, we have time and we will share what’s expected being one of a kind. This fashion week is a trendsetter, an event that will be held annually to set the trends on Malawi designs,” she said.
Malawi Fashion Week will allow renowned and flourishing models, fashion and accessories designers as well as brands or clothing shops to display their latest clothing designs and collections.
On the runway the show is expected to be a trendsetter for Malawi style, fashion and local material.
As said by Loga-Lemberger, who is the events manager, buyers and the media will have an opportunity to take a look at the latest fashion trends, which is what the Malawi clothing culture is being moulded to be.
The event is expected to be a big thing and as indicated by the organisers, pieces will be hand-selected by Malawi Fashion Week team before allowing them to be showcased.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Dawa Loga-Lemberger, to promote modeling and fashion industry in Malawi
“The team will be very strict with the selection of the materials and clothing that will make the runway. We want detail, excellent quality of material, professional tailoring and workmanship,” said Loga-Lemberger.
During the inaugural Malawi Fashion Week, Elegant Resources will also be unveiling its modelling agency known as Elegant Models where it will be showcasing and promoting its models.
As indicated that Malawi Fashion Week will be open to both local and foreign designers, registration will be done through forms which will be available for application.
Elegant Resources by ArianaLouise was founded in 2012, and among others it is home for models, music artists, professional fashion designers and makeup artists. They are also Image/Style consultants and provide business coaching tools.
African Dzuwa is a lifestyle magazine aimed at exposing the local talent through analytic articles and pictures. The publication aims at bringing the country closer to other nations in Africa by celebrating fashion with greater personalities who have achieved a level excellence.
Malawi academic and social activist Jessie Kabwila has said it is wrong for the Joyce Banda administration to claim any credit from the peaceful conduct of the anti-government demonstrations which was held on January 17.
She said it was wrong for Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu to pat President Banda on the back that the demonstrations were held without bloodshed unlike the July 20, 2011 which claimed lives of 20 people.
Kabwila, University of Malawi lecturer at Chancellor College said Banda ruling People’s Party (PP) did not want Malawians to go on the streets and protest against poor economic governance.
“What is the president being congratulated on? I think if there is anyone to be congratulated, it should be the Malawians who walked, the demonstrators themselves, then [John] Kapito for standing up to organize public dialogue like this,” argued Kabwila.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Kabwila: Joyce Banda must do something to fix the country’s ailing economy
The outspoken activist pointed out that the PP government employed all sorts of underhand tactics including mobilising public opinion through use of e propaganda on state broadcaster and private media.
“This government had programmes running on MBC against demos. July 20 was being used to threaten people,” said Kabwila.
“Even civil society people shunned, ostracized and demonized those of us doing the demos. We were left in the cold. Made to look like freaks, destructive people. Imagine if we had failed to work with demonstrators? On top of all this, live coverage was banned,” she added.
“When vendors, the poor score a success, let us give it to them, not co modifying and cashing inmost it,” said Kabwila who championed the battle for academic freedom during the reign of controversial president late Bingu wa Mutharika.
Kapito, Consumer Association of Malawi (Cama) head who championed the protests, said the peaceful demonstrations defeated what he called the “devil” the state machinery was trying to promote.
“The state has been using the so called [Moses] Kunkuyu –minister of information – to preach about killings when we were talking about peace. They advocated for deadly scenes while we choose to put Jesus Christ in the front,” said Kapito.
In their petition, the protesters are also demanding government to stop floatation of the kwacha, reduction of presidential and Cabinet travel, declaration of assets by the President, salary adjustments for workers in Malawi, Cabinet reduction, among others.
The president has 21 days to respond to the concerns of the protestors or face more action.
Mighty Wanderers fought back superbly to salvage a 2-2 draw with Civo United who looked in control of their TNM Super League game on Saturday at Kamuzu Stadium in the commercial city of Malawi, Blantyre.
Mighty Wanderers, who still have slim chances to win the title, could have been the first side to hit the back of Civo’s net but thanks to man of the match Emmanuel ‘Siyeni’ Zoya, who cleared the ball from the goal line after Mike Kaziputa’s well taken cross from the right flank.
The Nomads, who were playing their first encounter without playmaker Joseph Kamwendo who is set to start a new lease of life at Mozambican club Liga Maculmana , were shocked that despite controlling the proceedings of the game, it was Civo United engine room midfielder Patrick Gunde who opened the score sheet with a volley .
Civo’s goal disturbed the Nomads that a few minutes after Gunde’s goal, it was Lawrence ‘Teacher’ Mwehiwa who released a thunderous shot to kiss the back of the Nomads net.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Nomads captain Foster Namwera in control of things.–Photo credit:Jeromy Kadewere/Nyasa Times
Mwehiwa’s goal was enough for Big Bullets ‘ganyu’ supporters, who came in their large numbers to chant, ‘Yabooka! Yabooka!
Sensing danger, the Nomads coach Felix Fosco introduced Gerald Chimbaka for Innocent Jere.
Chimbaka’s presence changed the tempo of the game as he made several running’s co-coordinating well with Victor Mpinganjira and Alfred Manyozo.
Come second half, Fosco made more several changes bringing in Gerald ‘Papa’ Phiri for Mapopa ‘Kent’ Msukwa and Evance Napolo to add fire upfront.
Mpinganjira struck in the second half to stun the visitors.
Wanderers coach Felix Fosco said conceding early goals demoralized his players but saluted them for fighting back while Civo United mentor Thom Mkorongo blamed the referee for failing his duty.
The Nomads are on position four with 42 points from 24 games while Civo are on seventh position with 36 points from 25 games.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Emmanuel Zoya and Mapopa Msukwa fighting for the ball.-Photo credit:Jeromy Kadewere/Nyasa Times
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Civo players celebrating their first goal.-Photo credit:Jeromy Kadewere/Nyasa Times
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Lawrence Mwehiwa’s goal ..
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Emmanuel Zoya receiving his man of the match prize from TNM’s Welma Chalulu.-Photo credit:Jeromy Kadewere/Nyasa Times
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Evance Napolo trying to give a searching cross-Photo credit:Jeromy Kadewere/Nyasa Times
Moyale Barracks, the Northern Region soccer kings, squandered several scoring opportunities but still managed to grab a late equalizer defending champions Silver Strikers to draw 1-1 in the TNM Super League encounter at Mzuzu Stadium on Saturday.
After withstanding a barrage of attacks from the solders of Kaning’ina in the entire first half and beginning phase of the second half, the Bankers drew first blood in the 64th minute through substitute Ndaona Daisi. It was 1-0 for the visitors.
Daisi had just been thrown into the field for nine minutes after replacing burly Dave Moya who was completely marked out when he changed the game’s status.
But the goal was not without drama as Moyale confronted the Mzuzu based referee Mavuto Msimuko for about a minute claiming their goalkeeper was impeded by Silver player in the act.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Silver Strikers
The goal seemed to have deeply dampened Moyale spirits as the visitors, who will be hosted by the already relegated Kabwafu United on Sunday at the same venue, took control of the proceedings.
The Bankers, one of the seasons’ hottest title chasers, were really lifted after the goal but they had to wait late drama though.
As everybody thought the game would end in their favour, Moyale’s wonder kid Gustin Simukonda produced one of his best goals at the dot of full time for a deserved 1-1 draw leaving the capital city giants in total disbelief.
The Moyale marksman who had a grand 90 minutes of play scored through a hammer shot taken from a well-angled free-kick that hit the roof of the net to force Silver goal tender Charles Swini, Malawi’s number 2, scratch his head.
The hosts came close to grabbing a winner in the three minutes added time through Chamveka Gwetsani but Silver’s defence marshaled by skipper Luky Malata made sure not to let their single point slip them.
The Temwa Msuku’s team have now stretched their unbeaten run to eight matches recording five wins against Blue Eagles (1-0), MAFCO (3-1), Azam Tigers (2-0), Kabwafu (1-0) and ESCOM United (3-1) with three draws against Kamuzu Barracks (0-0), Mighty Wanderers (0-0) and Silver Strikers (1-1 today).
On the other hand, the Lilongwe giants have not lost in five games in which they beat MAFCO 4-3, Blue Eagles 1-0, CIVO 3-0 and two draws again Bullets and Moyale both games ended 1-1.
Silver really did not play the type of game they are associated with with most of their star-players like Frank Banda and Young Chimodzi junior being reduced to mere passengers.
After another controversial draw last weekend against Bullets FC at the Kamuzu Stadium, Silver’s chances of defending the league keep falling off. They now have 45 points from 22 three games more than the surprise league leaders Blantyre United who have played 25 games and have 48 points. United are on bye this weekend .
After the game, Moyale head coach Temwa Msuku had no kind words for the officiating team claiming the referee should have disallowed Silver’s goal because it was scored after their goalkeeper was fouled.
“Last week Silver complained that officiation was not good but today you have seen he allowed a goal when our goalkeeper was fouled. So sometimes when we complain that officiation of our referees leaves a lot to be desired we are deemed as difficult people,” complained Msuku.
But Silver Strikers assistant coach Hellings Mwakasungura said they were happy to have collected a point in a game fully dominated by the hosts.
“We didn’t play our usual game, we didn’t start well but we scored first and when we thought we would collect maximum points we lost concentration and conceded that foal. All in all I must congratulate Moyale, they played a grand game but 1-1 I think is a fair result to us,” said Mwakasungula.
At Civo Stadium, Epac F.C and Kamuzu Barracks also played a goalless draw with Tsanzo Dalio for Epac being voted man of the match.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Silver technical panel: Mwakasungura, Itaye Nundwe and head coach Franco Ndawa
In her first State of the Nation Address delivered in Parliament on May 18 2012, President Joyce Banda—revelling in a sea of goodwill, popular support and massive political capital, revealed her dream to Malawians.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Martin Luther King Jnr. once said “I have a dream”. Yes, I also have a dream. I see a Malawi where her citizens enjoy their freedom, dignity and a sense of pride. Yes, I see Malawians maximise their capacity to realise their social, political and economic empowerment. I see government eradicate poverty of its people through economic growth and wealth creation.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also have a dream. I see citizens getting jobs not because of where they come from; but because they qualify for it. I see businesses winning tenders not because they have bribed; not because they sponsor the ruling party, but because they qualify to deliver. I see opposition leaders on Malawi Broadcasting Corporation TV. I see opposition parties printing their uniforms from textile companies here in Malawi. I see freedom upon our people.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also have a dream. I see children going to school and not spending time in their parent’s gardens during school time. I see the girl child excelling in her education like her brother. Yes, I see our education system delivering quality education. I see our health system delivering quality health care.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Pres. Banda: Her policies have unceremoniously pushed millions of Malawians into poverty-infested dungeons
Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also have a dream. I see fuel in our filling stations. Yes, I see electricity all day long. Yes, I see clean water delivered to our people. I see young children in rural areas playing on computers. I see industries mushrooming across the country. Indeed, I also have a dream.
Exactly eight months on Thursday since that eloquently woven, but haltingly delivered speech, Malawians are beginning to wonder what has happened to those dreams so far.
Eight months later, Banda’s policies have unceremoniously pushed millions of Malawians into poverty-infested dungeons as the economy titters on the edges of a recession and the wealth creators are slammed out of business either through political decisions or just bad business climate.
Even the availability of fuel, the only achievement worth noting under Mrs. Banda’s reign, has not been smooth as long queues still pop up every few weeks.
Eight months later, the majority of those getting government contracts have political connections to the ruling People’s Party (PP) while those with links to the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) such as MBL Holdings run by the late president Bingu wa Mutharika loyalist Leston Mulli are gnashing their teeth in deprivation even after qualifying for tenders through transparent bid evaluation processes.
The President is even directly intervening in duly processed contracts as has been the case with the recent controversy on procurement of emergency drugs at the Central Medical Stores Trust.
Eight months later, the President, her vice and PP leaders are so intolerant of criticism that they call those with dissenting views all sorts of names, depriving them of their dignity and their constitutional right to hold an opinion, even if it is fundamentally different from that held by the ruling elite.
Eight months later, after promising to open up MBC to the opposition, it is only the President and her PP functionaries whose voices dominate political discourse on the public broadcaster.
Eight months later, the acute shortage of drugs has worsened and education standards are tanking.
Eight months later, the President has suddenly become so generous with her wealth that she is throwing millions of cash and commodities such as fertiliser even to those who don’t deserve them on the back of her refusal to declare her assets as the law requires and in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
Eight months, members of the ruling elite who were stone broke not long ago are now driving luxurious cars, yet they have neither the job nor the business to write home about or support their lifestyles.
Eight months later, after uniting the country towards a common purpose, in her acceptance speech Mrs. Banda has become one of the most polarising figures in the country.
Eight months later, Malawians who embraced her leadership so enthusiastically are demonstrating in the streets against her policies.
What a difference eight months can make, even to the memory of what should have been a memorable speech. What has gone wrong?
In my immediate analysis of the address, I pointed out that good visions can only be realised with good supporting strategies, the moral compass to execute them and the need to end politics as usual.
It was clear that Banda understood where we were coming from and where we were as a country at that point in time, especially under Mutharika.
She obviously knew where she wanted to take the country as captured in the “I have a dream” mantra that was her address’s opening glee.
The trouble was and still is the lack of clarity on how she intended to get there as well as a deficit of bold, transformational and selfless leadership that is needed to get things done—these are the issues that are turning that dream into a nightmare for Malawians.
*This article appeared in the Weekend Nation newspaper under the column ‘Cut the Chuff’.
Malawi’s public hospitals are becoming waiting rooms for death with shortages of treatment, the recent being the case of Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe where there is shortage of intravenous fluids (IV fluids), no syringes and no blood for sick children.
Doctors at the health facilities who spoke to Nyasa Times said they are reeling under a shortage of life saving IV fluid.
The sources said the condition is such that KCH is not receiving the bottles of IV fluids from Central Medical Stores.
“There are no IV fluids, no syringes or cannulas, and no blood at KCH for sick children,” said the source.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
A nurse at Kamuzu Central Hospital in where there are about two doctors and 59 nurses for every 100,000 people. Photograph: Sean Smith
One doctor said in most circumstance, they are “literally watching patients die of correctable illnesses.”
Recently, a senior anaesthetic clinical officer at KCH, William Banda, also disclosed that most anaesthesia machines in the country’s public hospitals are near obsolete and need replacement,
Banda said most of the machines were procured in the late 1980s, hence the need for new ones.
“Most have become non-functional and we can no longer get spare parts for them. Servicing is done at local level and it’s very poor.
“These use gas and delivery of gas is questionable and this poses a danger to patients undergoing surgery,” said Banda, who also heads anaesthetic training at Malawi College of Health Sciences.
According to Banda, Malawi could not reduce maternal deaths if there was ineffective anaesthesiology during operations.
The development comes after published reports indicated that surgeries are erratic at Malawi’s major referral hospital, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in the commercial capital Blantyre, leading to an average number of 20 patients in a month missing surgical treatment.
More than five patients were declared inoperable in the last four months having missed operations due to lack of cidex and gauze which are critical for a surgical operation, according to a report in the Weekend Nation of January 19.
The paper quoted QECH chief hospital administrator, Themba Mhango, who confirmed the erratic supply of cidex solution and gauze during the past four months.
“In general, there have been erratic medical supplies, including gauze and cidex solution for the obvious reason that Central Medical Stores Trust did not have the said items in stock during the period in question.
“We managed to source cidex solution from private suppliers after realising the one we had in stock had expired,” Mhango is quoted saying.
Officials from Malawi’s ministry of health and child welfare could not be reached for comment.
Government is on record to have pleaded for patience as it sorts out the mess created by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regime under the late president Bingu wa Mutharika.
Season eight of Africa’s number one reality TV show, Big Brother Africa (BBA) has been scheduled to start on May 26, according to M-Net Africa.
This was announced through a statement made available to Nyasa Times on Tuesday through MultiChoice Malawi, providers of digital satellite television (DStv) and GOtv services in the country.
Boasting that fans are already asking who will be representing their respective nations at “arguably the most successful television franchise ever seen on the continent” M-Net says “At this time there is no way to know.”
Reads the statement: “…but if you meet the entry requirements and enter between now and Valentine’s Day on February 14, you may well be among the superstars in waiting and may find yourself flirting with fame and fortune.”
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
MultiChoice Malawi spokesman, Chimwemwe Nyirenda: Get set for Big Brother Africa
According to M-Net, which airs the 91-day reality show from the Big Brother House in South Africa, this year’s BBA is open to 14 countries as last year’s seventh edition.
However, the only exception this year is Liberia, which will be replaced by Ethiopia in the 2013 season.
The replacement comes as AfricaMagic and series producers EndemolSA rotate certain countries into and out of the format to ensure that a wide range of countries can be included in different editions of the series.
As a result of the change, participating countries this year are: Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Entry is open to all those persons over the age of 21, who are citizens of one of the participating countries and who either have a valid passport or will be able to obtain one by the end of March.
“Producers are looking for persons who are fluent in English, entertaining and passionateabout the Big Brother experience. Of particular importance to the selection team are the qualities of tolerance, determination and enthusiasm. If you are open-minded, bold and adventurous, that’s even better,” says M-Net.
Entry forms are available at www.africamagic.tv/bigbrother where those interested to participate are advised to visit the website and complete the online submission form, which will be available in print form at MultiChoice offices in the participating countries from February 1, 2013.
As with previous editions of BBA, the new season will have a twist and according to M-Net Africa managing director Biola Alabi, who has helmed the production for the past four years, the big surprise this year is one that audiences are expected to fall in love with.
“As always, we won’t say much about the new season but I can confirm that we’ve added a new element that I think will get the hearts of viewers racing. The fact that the fans truly adore the show is all the motivation we need to keep it fresh and fun,” says Alabi.
As previous editions of BBA have boasted huge cash prizes for winners, this year the winner will walk away with US$ 300 000 (K108 million, at the current exchange rate).
Meanwhile, M-Net is still tight-lipped as to when the auditions in Malawi will be done, but it says more information will be made available over the next month as it advises Africa to stay tuned to AfricaMagic, follow the action on Twitter and Facebook and keep checking the website.
BBA 8 will be screened live 24/7 on DStv channels 197 and 198 while GOtv audiences will be getting highlights of the program.
In the last edition, Malawi was represented by 22-year-old cousins, Watipaso ‘Wati’ and Alinafe ‘Nafe’ Kulemeka. The former survived until the closing day 91, but was the first to be evicted, finishing on position six while the later was evicted on day 56.
BBA 7 went to the host nation South Africa and was won by Keagan Petersen. The show is beamed to over 40 nations across the African continent.
Stella Maris Secondary School is a prestigious instituion, but the recent death of of one of the students has created a blot in its image., leaving her family in state of despondency, Nyasa Times has learnt.
Georgina Nkhata 18, a form four student, died on Thursday evening at queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) where she was rushed to due to cerebral-Malaria.
She was buried over the weekend at her home village, Benjamin T/A Kandulu in Mwanza.
According to one of the family members and one of school teachers, Nkhata was denied to access medical attention by the school’s administration after she reported sick earlier last week.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Chide, Ministry of Education spokesman: No immediate comment
“She died on January 17, which was her birthday. The family is in distress right now and we don’t know what to do because as an education institution we trusted it with the life of our child; and now their negligence to provide necessary medical attention has led to her death,” lamented one of the family members.
The school, according to the information Nyasa Times has gathered, played down the Nkhata’s sickness; instead it opted to administer pain-killers on her without proper diagnosis from certified medical expert. Her situation, eventually, worsened, resulting into her demise.
“When she reported sick, the school authority disregarded it, saying it was not all that serious. Instead, they gave her Panados, but nothing changed until Thursday when the situation worsened. They contacted her parents before rushing her to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival”.
In an interview with Nyasa Times, the school’s deputy headmaster, a Mr. Zulu while confirming the death, refused to comment further and referred the issue to the Ministry of Education.
“I will only give you the school’s version of the story on that death unless we are permitted by the Ministry, but as of now we can’t comment further on that,” said Zulu.
However, efforts to talk to the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lindiwe Chide proved futile as she could not answer her phones and her office said she was locked up in a meeting every time we called.
Collaborated interviews with several teachers and students revealed that the Catholic-owned education institution headed by Sister Chikhwiza operates on strict rules and regulations, which played part on the death of Nkhata.
“Apart from restricting visitations, the students are mostly denied permission to seek medical attention from any hospital unless the condition is critical. Most of the times the administration opts for its own medical care although we don’t have trained medical practitioner,” disclosed one of the teachers.
Stella Maris is one of the Catholic Church run Secondary Schools with support from the Ministry of Education.
President Joyce Banda on Tuesday launched a mining project that will facilitate the development of infrastructure for generation and distribution of reliable geological information.
The Mining Governance and Growth Support Project also aims at developing a policy instrument that will promote good governance and growth of the mining sector.
The project will also review the legal and regulatory framework to support the development of the policy Act for the promotion of artisanal and small scale miners.
Speaking during the launch in Lilongwe, President Banda said over the years, Malawi had heavily relied on agriculture as a source of its revenue, citing tobacco as the only crop that generated most of the country’s income.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
President Mrs Joyce Banda Appriciating a stone at the Launch of the Mining Governance and Grouth Support Project.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Greg Walker, of Paladin Africa Limited explains to President Mrs Joyce Banda of the activities carried at Kayerekera Mining.
Banda said any bad crop season or poor world crop prices exposed the country to foreign exchange -related crisis.
She described the mining governance and growth support project as vital for boosting the mining sector which she said forms one of the five priority areas of the economic recovery plan.
“Before 2009, contribution of mining to the Growth Domestic Products (GDP) was only three per cent and rose by 10 per cent in 2010. It is expected that the contribution of the mining sector would improve by 20 percent by the year 2016.
“The launch of this project therefore gives us hope that we will be able to diversify our revenue generation by, among other things, paying more attention to the mining sector,” Banda said.
She said the project would develop standard documents and procedures for issuing licenses and negotiating agreements, create value addition and standards in line with the national export strategy and also build capacity and provide support to small scale miners, especially women.
Banda assured investors that her government would always strive to create a conducive environment and protect their lives and property.
European Union (EU) Ambassador to Malawi, Alexander Baum, hailed President Banda for recognizing the mining sector as another potential area that would improve the economy of the country.
Baum described mining as an integral area that had helped many countries to develop. He cited Norway in Europe and Zambia in Africa as some of the countries whose economy had grown fast as a result of mining activities.
“Malawi has a lot of mineral deposits and if the country could properly invest in this sector, be assured of a boom economy,” Baum said.
Meanwhile, the World Bank, EU and the French Government have pumped into the project US$25Million, 4.1Million Euros and 11 Million Euro respectively.
Sandra Bloemekamp, World Bank Country Manager, appealed to the Malawi Government to put in place policies that would attract investors.
Bloemekamp said looking at the great potential that the mining industry had on the economy of the country, the bank decided to participate and fund the project.
Malawi’s economy has in the past years relied on rain-fed agriculture which is prone to natural shocks, including drought and floods.
It was against this background government changed its policy by diversifying its economy, and identified mining as one area which it believes can lead to high economic growth and development.
The Mining Governance and Growth Support Project will, among other things, improve the efficiency, transparency and sustainability of the mining sector management.
It was good to be in Malawi last December and enter the new year in my home country. In my estimation, by far the preoccupation of ordinary Malawians was, and still is, the economic hard times the country is going through and this is not lost on the government of the day.
Perhaps Amayi Mrs. Joyce Banda’s clearest and most focused public address on the economy that I have heard since she became President in April last year was delivered in her Christmas and New Year’s address to the nation and in speeches she has made since.
Elements of her message included, a) that in April 2012 she inherited an economy in the throes of death and state coffers that had been licked clean; b) that the hubris and economic mismanagement of her predecessor caused, among other harms, rupture in Malawi’s foreign relations and consequent stoppage of crucial donor inflows; c) that, particularly, her predecessor’s stubborn refusal to devalue the Kwacha, as recommended by the IMF, set the country off the IMF program which was crucial for IMF and other bilateral assistance.
In her speeches, Amayi emphasizes that her first priority when she became President, therefore, was to get back on the IMF program and to follow, especially, the IMF’s recommendation to devalue the Kwacha. A related priority was to repair dismembered bilateral ties, especially with Great Britain and other donors. She brags that as a result of these efforts most aid has now been re-unlocked, and insists that the midnight of the economic crisis is behind us. She repeats that although things are still tough they could have been much worse otherwise. She assures that, with time and patience, things are bound to turn a much happier corner soon.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
President Banda with Economic Planning Minister Goodall Gondwe
For the intermediate and long terms, Amayi declares that her government has identified five areas for special attention and investment. These are Agriculture, Mining, Energy, Tourism and Transportation. In Agriculture she dwells on irrigation, livestock expansion and the effort to encourage farmers to treat their activity as a business enterprise. In Energy she deals mainly with electricity supply expansion, and in Transportation she propounds a vision of improved and expanded road and rail networks. I did not hear her speak about Tourism or Mining with the same level of specificity, however.
The Pitfalls
I had the impression that most people agreed with Amayi that she inheritted an economy in dire straights. Patience, however, is where the problem was. I got the sense that a good portion of the population had little room for patience and expected a better economy yesterday. It is hard to be patient when you are hungry in the morning even when you are told you will have a meal tonight. Not Mrs. Banda’s fault this is, clearly — just human nature.
Some do not feel she made the right decision to devalue the currency since they heard the previous President, late dictator Bingu Mutharika, drum it into their heads that devaluation was no good because it results in inflation. The devaluation has come, and so has very high inflation. The price of everything — from clothing, shelter, treatment and care at private clinics and hospitals, and sending children to school — has risen steeply, doubling in some cases, within the speace of a few months. Food in the open markets is priced astronomically, with the famous and notable exception of Bonya. In certain circles, therefore, this has engendered a sense of vindication, and some nostalgia, for the obstinancy of dead dictator Mutharika towards the IMF.
In cities, there is a notable reduction in electricity blackouts compared to the era of the dictator. However, water stoppages appear to have ratchetted up a notch. In some parts of the capital, for instance, water stopped flowing in taps ages ago. There seems to be no clearly publicized government initiative to address this issue which has implications for public health and quality of life in cities. As much as plant irrigation has been identified as a leading priority of government, perhaps the irrigation of people, especially in cities, should receive equal attention to improve public health, quality of life and the general business investment climate. In addition, government-run hospitals continue to sport shortages of life saving medicines and poor, if not abhorrent, conditions for patients.
Comments I gathered from what can loosely be called ‘the professional class’ generally decried the near-impossibility of boosting exports quickly enough to improve the country’s forex position now as needed if we want the people to feel the positive effects in the short term. For example fuel shortages, a direct result of Malawi’s low import cover caused in part by low exports and excessive taste for imports, still persist although not to the same extent as under Mutharika. The resumption of foreign aid is creditted with the fuel situation improvement. Foreign aid may help address these vicissitudes in the short term, the professionals postulate; but a lasting solution lies in finding ways to greatly expand our exports and their value; and government needs to find ways to do this durably but also rapidly for the results to be felt in people’s lives reasonably soon.
Mrs. Banda’s Bold Calculations
Amayi often states that she became President through a vote cast by God himself and not by humans in a general election as is normally the case. She is right. As former Vice President, she acceded to the Presidency following the death of dictator Bingu Mutharika in April last year as the Constitution requires. In May 2014, however, she will have to face the electorate of Malawi without God casting a ballot. Voters, in the flesh, will be deciding whether to give Mrs. Banda a mandate to start a five year presidential term in her own right. More than likely, they will be making their decision based on the manifest results of her efforts on the economy by that date.
Mrs. Banda is on record as challenging that her economic program would start bearing fruit eighteen months after it started. Clearly she does not have a whole lot of time. Amayiis calculating that the common sense of Malawians will have them understand and sympathize with her reasoning on the prospects for the current economy and her efforts to improve it; and that they will heed her pleas for patience. She is also calculating that at the end of eighteen months since she took office the rate of inflation will slow down enough for people to feel the relief. She is calculating, in addition, that the government’s fiscal position will improve enough to help her renew and expand basic government services such as water supply, electricity and hospital care including drug availbaility.
Indeed God will not cast a ballot for any candidates in local, parliamentary and presidential elections in May, 2014. Amayi must therefore also be calculating that God still wants her to remain President of the Republic of Malawi beyond 2014. That being the case, Mrs. Banda is probably calculating that God, too, is working hard for her in the interim. Choirs of Angels in heaven, if God wants Mrs. Banda to be President of Malawi beyond 2014, are probably chanting, ‘Amayi womwewo, kuti wa wa wa wa!!‘
Ambuje Che Tom Likambale is from Balaka Township, Malawi
Electoral stakeholders in Malawi have finalized making recommendations that seek to harmonize the country’s electoral laws so that they should be in tandem with tripartite elections the country is expected to hold in 2014.
The Malawi Electoral Commission’s commissioner, Nancy Tembo says if approved the recommendations which have already been presented to the office of the Attorney General (AG) will help smoothen the holding of the polls next year.
Tembo says the recommendations were made during a recent meeting with a task force comprising representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Law Commission, Media Institute for Southern Africa (Malawi Chapter), Malawi Electoral Commission, Malawi Electoral Support Network and Public Accounts Committee.
“The aim was to isolate the provisions that were contradicting each other and make proposals that will help the country conduct the tripartite elections efficiently,” says Tembo.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Tembo: What is remaining is for AG to draft bill
Tembo says what is remaining now is for the attorney general’s office to draft a bill which is expected to be presented to the national assembly which starts sitting on February 8.
Meanwhile MEC has engaged in proposed ward demarcations exercise in various districts before coming up with final maps.
According to the Electoral Commission Amendment Bill of 2010 each constituency should have two wards except for the commercial city of Blantyre and capital Lilongwe which can have not more than 30 wards, while the northern region’s city of Mzuzu should have less than 15 with the country’s old capital of Zomba below 10 wards.
But the Commission will maintain the 193 constituencies the country has had since 2004, citing time and logistical demands as deterrents.
Members of parliament in Malawi passed a Tripartite Elections Bill during the last parliamentary sitting that allows the country to hold the three-tier elections.
However the parliament is yet to amend other electoral laws in the Local Government Elections Act so that they are harmonized with the Presidential and the Parliamentary Elections Act.
The laws include those to do with dates for conducting the local government elections, the tenure of office for councilors, a qualified voter, campaigning, observers, offences and penalties.
This will be the first tripartite elections for the country. Presidential and parliamentary elections were last held in 2004 while local government elections were last held in 2000.
After her performance in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe last year, South Africa’s sensational female singer Zahara of the Loliwe fame returns in the country next month and is scheduled to perform in Blantyre.
The award-winning singer last performed at the Presidential Hotel on September 22, headlining the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz concert but now she will be at Robins Park mid February, courtesy of Mango Entertainment.
“The contract is almost done [and] we are making the final payment of her fees today (Tuesday) afternoon,” confirmed Lonjezo Mwale, one of Mango Entertainment’s directors.
“Our aim is to have it [the show] on February 16, but that will depend on her schedule, we are just waiting for her to confirm on the actual date,” he told Nyasa Times.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Zahara: Coming back
Mwale said the coming in of the southern African female Jazz maestro will accord an opportunity to Blantyre fans to sample out what they missed during her first visit.
“Her first show was successful and we are proud to associate ourselves with her this time around. Zahara is an artist of international calibre and is the best artist no one would want to miss,” said Mwale.
The show is also expected to feature some local acts, among them Mango Entertainment’s own signing Dan Lu.
According to Mango Entertainment, entry tickets to the concert will be on sale by Friday, 25 January.
Zahara, a singer-songwriter, poet and guitarist, started singing in her school choir at the age of six and at age nine, she was told to join the senior choir because of her strong voice.
The first issue of her debut album Loliwe sold out within 72 hours and nineteen days later the album reached double platinum status in South Africa when it surpassed 100 000 sales.
The vocalist is second in such record time in South Africa, after Brenda Fassie whose Memeza sold 500 000 copies within weeks of release, according to Wikipedia.
Zahara scooped eight awards at the 2012 South African Music Awards, among them, Album of the Year, Best Selling Album, Newcomer of the Year and Female Artist of the Year.
Mango Entertainment is run by Lonjezo Mwale, Steve Kamanga and James Makunje, who are focused on bringing a change to the country’s entertainment industry.
The company has since signed two urban artists, Dan Lu and Kumbu.
President Joyce Banda has assured that that her reform agenda will start bearing fruits and that Malawians would see a sharp improvement in the economy within the next six months .
President Banda said the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) which her administration launched last September with a set of immediate, short and medium term policy reforms aimed at restoring the external and internal economic stability, is on course.
“Malawians must realize and must be satisfied that we are serious with the economic recovery plan that we drew, and that there are signs that we are recovering,” said President Banda on Voice of America radio in an interview monitored by Nyasa Times on Tuesday.
Her comments comes after Minister of Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe told a local daily that government expects the inflation rate, currently at 33.3 percent as of November 2012, to come down in the first quarter of 2013.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
President Banda:Malawians must look forward toward a better future
President Banda expressed confidence that policies her administration has implemented, including the Presidential Initiative on Poverty and Hunger Reduction, will address economic challenges Malawians face.
“I went to the World Bank and asked them to provide resources in order for us to implement public works programs, cash transfer programs, school feeding programs, to ensure that we take care of the shock of the devaluation of the Kwacha [local currency], because we knew that the rural masses would go through a hard time because of the [currency] devaluation,” she told VOA.
President Banda pointed out that she inherited a bad economy from controversial president late Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office April 2012.
“This was a country that for me was literally bankrupt, an economy that has been destroyed through mismanagement and corruption,” said President Banda.
“Within the first 100 days of my stay in office the situation changed,” she continued. “The letter was received from the IMF, the Kwacha was devalued, [and] the donors were back. Our relationship with our neighbors had improved.”
President Banda said her administration will continue to work hard to raise the standard of living for Malawians.
“Malawians must look forward toward a better future,” she told VOA.
“I am also concentrating on improving our World Bank ranking as the destination for doing business,” she added.
“So Malawians should know that once our ranking improves, it will attract investment and when investment comes, we will create jobs. Six months from now, Malawians would realize that we are on a road to a complete [economic] recovery.”
She outlined her vision for Malawi, which she said is to improve the lives of Malawians by saving the troubled economy and creating good paying jobs.
“My vision is a Malawi where men and women live in peace and in harmony as equals enjoying their human rights. My dream is for Malawi to be poverty free, and I intend to eradicate poverty, through economic growth and wealth creation,” said Banda fondly called JB by her supporters.
Malawi President Joyce Banda has again challenged critics that she will not declare her assets, insisting that that she is not contravening any known law.
The President has been urged by opposition parties, civil society organisations and some citizens to honour Section 88 of the Malawi Constitution.
Recently, Consumer Association of Malawi (Cama) presented a petition after their peaceful demonstrations in which they demanded the President to declare her assets within 21 days.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
President Banda: Not declaring personal wealth
But speaking in an interview with Voice of America radio monitored by Nyasa Times on Tuesday, President Banda maintained that she already declared her personal wealth before becoming the vice president as required by the country’s constitution.
“[My lawyers say] that because I am the president of this country, I am going to be victimized if I declare my assets every month or when it suits any groups of people. That is not in the law,” she said.
“When I exit the officie this country must hold me accountable for what I have accured,” she said.
“ I have said to anybody to come and check what I have. For me I must follow the law,” Banda added.
Section 88 sub section (3) of Malawi constitution compels the president, and members of the cabinet to declare their assets when they have been ushered into office.
The section reads; “The president and members of the cabinet shall …….. within three months from the date of election or appointment, as the case may be, fully disclose all of their assets, liabilities and business interests, and those of their spouses, held by them or on their behalf as at the date ; and, unless Parliament otherwise prescribes by an act of Parliament, such disclosure shall be made in a written document delivered to the Speaker of the National Assembly who shall immediately upon receipt deposit the document with such public office as may be specified in the Standing Orders of parliament”.
Until the death of professor Bingu wa Mutharika on April 7 2012, Joyce Banda was vice president of Malawi, elected during the May 2009 presidential and parliamentary elections where she stood as a running mate to the late Mutharika on DPP banner.
Other commentators still argue that the President should declare her assets to instill confidence in the people she is ruling and as a matter of transparency.
Some Malawians have raised serious questions about the integrity of the information gathered by the Commission of Inquiry into the puzzling death of University of Malawi student Robert Chasowa in 2011.
The development follows shocking revelation that ruling Peoples Party’s (PP) member Humphrey Mvula falsely testified when he appeared before the commission last year.
President Joyce Banda appointed the commission a few weeks after taking over government last year in order for the nation to apparently know the truth surrounding the student’s murder.
Unfortunately, Mvula is alleged to have “deliberately gave fictitious information” to the commission, a development some quarters want responsible arms to take action.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Mvula: Lied under oathj
The former United Democratic Front (UDF) strategist, volunteered to testify before the commission but ended up lying under oath.
According to a report released by the commission in September last year, Mvula testified before it that officers from Malawi Police Service (MPS) hand a hand in the murder of the University of Malawi student.
He went further to give specifics in his testimony by mentioning Sub-Inspector Harry John Yuda as one of the officers assigned to assist the civilians who assassinated Chasowa.
But information emerged that the police officer Mvula mentioned in his testimony died in 2006, five years before Chasowa’s death, a development confirmed by both the deceased family and the Malawi Police Service.
“I have made inquiries there is no other John Yuda in the Southern Region serving in the Malawi Police Service. We don’t know how his name came up at the inquiry. It’s unfortunate,” Southern Region Police spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa was quoted by The Nation end last year.
Basing on this, some Malawians want Mvula to be investigated and prosecuted because he lied under the oath despite his claims that he got the information from a third party source from within the police.
“Laws are very clear on that, the man lied under oath and he must be prosecuted period. Ignorance is not an excuse, first of all if he volunteered to testify he was sure of what he was going to say. If he had some doubts the best was to make further verification before taking oath,” a legal practitioner at one of the private law firms in Blantyre told Nyasa Times.
He explained that Mvula ought to have known better that by taking an oath and making a declaration, he was guided by the law as it was a legal requirement.
“Lying under oath is a serious crime because taking an oath is a legal requirement which has penalties attached to it in case of violation and in this case Mvula committed a criminal offence under the Penal Code known as Perjury and Subordination of Perjury and is supposed to be charge accordingly,” justified the lawyer who did not want to be identified.
Underscoring the issue is a statement issued by the Malawi Law Society (MLS) last year which hinted that knowingly giving false testimony is a criminal offence.
The statement was issued after it was reportedly discovered that some witnesses who appeared before the commission willfully provided false testimonies hence calling for prosecution of such witnesses.
According to Section 104 of the Penal Code, any person who commits perjury or suborns perjury shall be liable to imprisonment for seven years.
Another commentator also speaking on condition of anonymity recommended to the relevant branches like Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and police to investigate Mvula because he violated the integrity of the information gathering process by the commission.
“For any commission of inquiry to come up with a fair conclusion it relies wholly on truth from witnesses. And if someone deliberately violates it the whole system becomes bogus as the jury cannot arrive at a reasonable conclusion and lead into wrongful arrests and convictions or acquittal,” he said.
Dean of Law at the Chancellor College, Dr Mwiza Nkhata, also said taking an oath or making an affirmation is a quest of searching sincerity and also trying to assure honesty in the testimonies.
“The essence, principally, is to achieve honesty, integrity and truthfulness in everything that is being testified. It’s a quest for those taking an oath to be truthful to the testimony and for those affirming to be honest,” he said.
Just like others, the law lecturer recommended the prosecution of anyone involved in perjury like Mvula.
“If it is in court, it’s either the judge is required to stop the trial to prosecute the perjury case first or he or she is supposed to institute a separate proceeding,” Nkhata explained.
President Banda instituted a commission of inquiry into the death of the Polytechnic fourth year engineering student, whose death on college campus in September 2011, was ruled as suicide by Police but an independent postmortem indicated he was bludgeoned to death.
The commission was chaired by Justice Andrew Nyirenda SC, while the members were Mary Mangwiza Manyusa, lawyer Paul Maulidi, Prof George Liomba, Sophie Kalimba,, Ben Mbewe and Administrator General Annabel Mtalimanja.
The Mzuzu University Council has deliberately deceived its Chancellor, President Joyce Banda by asking her to approve a re-advertisement of the post of Vice Chancellor, when the Mzuzu University Act stipulates that the Chancellor shall only either reject or approve the nominee of the Vice Chancellor post upon recommendation from the Chairman of the Council.
“The VC shall be appointed by the Council after considering recommendations… provided that the appointment… shall be subject to the approval of the Chancellor,” reads section 16 (2) (a)(b)(c) of the Mzuni act.
The President granted the approval and Mzuni re-advertised the post in ‘The Nation’ newspaper of 26th November 2012.
Apart from that, the Council headed by Professor Brown Chimphamba also deliberately lied to President Banda that the statutory process the Council conducted to identify the Vice Chancellor was faulty because no candidate was successful.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Chimphamba: Makes U-turn
But interview results conducted on 28th March, 2012, indicates that a clear winner emerged in the name of Associate Professor Golden Msilimba. There is objective material evidence that the Council unanimously agreed to endorse Msilimba to the President as the new Vice Chancellor.
Associate Msilimba had the highest average score at 4.1, trailed by Professor Joseph Uta with 3.8 and lastly Professor Peter Mumba with 2.9, according to minutes of the search Committee of Council held at Jenjewe room at Mzuzu Hotel.
Candidates were graded on a scare of 1-5 with 5 being highest score and 1 being lowest.
On Msilimba, the Committee which consisted of Chimphamba as Chairperson, Dr. Bernard Zingano, Maxon Chitawo, George Chitawo, Masawani Jere, Macphail Magwira, Luke Mwale, Mary Mwale and Michael Nkosi, noted that Msilimba had a superior performance and was very suitable for appointment.
“The committee agreed to recommend to the Council the appointment of Msilimba having emerged as the best candidate, subject to approval by the Chancellor,” reads minute number 23:12.
In April 2012, the Mzuzu High Court stopped Chimphamba from head hunting for a Vice Chancellor after he deliberately disregarded interview results conducted on 28th March, 2012.
Chimphamba’s sudden turn is contained in a memo dated 7th June, 2012, a copy Nyasa Times also obtained.
“At the last extra-ordinary meeting of the Mzuni Council held on 11th May 2012, I, as Chairperson explained that in consultation with some council members and management officials, I had suspended the appointment of the Vice Chancellor,” Chimphamba said.
However, Msilimba through Mzuzu based prominent Lawyer George Kadzipatike of Jivason and Company took Chimphamba head o arguing that his move is not only discriminatory but a direct infringement of section 16 (2) of the Mzuni Act.
Msilimba then asked the court for a judicial review but Mzuni under duress successfully negotiated with Msilimba to sought the issue out of Court promising him that his name will be forwarded to Mrs. Banda for approval.
But Chimphamba has done it again.
In consultation with a few Council members including the outspoken CEO of Mzuzu Coffee farmers Cooperative Harrison Kalua, he has deliberately chose not to present Msilimba’s name to President Banda because they felt Msilimba lacked enough experience, Nyasa Times investigations reveal.
Further our investigations also revealed that Msilimba, had on numerous occasion clashed during Council meetings with Kalua on the Composition of the Council.
Kalua is advocating for the removal of three senators from the Council, whom he calls ‘insiders’.
In a memorandum to Mrs. Banda, ref MU/1/P1.01 dated 12th October, 2012 and a copy Nyasa Times obtained, Chimphamba raised several faults regarding the methodology used to assess the potential candidates.
Ironically, the same methodology was used to recruit former VCs Professor Peter Mwanza and Professor Landson Mhango.
“Your, Excellency, when the full Council considered the above results, it observed that the methodology… missed out the design of competence structured interview instrument that relates the candidate with job description.
“The methodology also missed out the character and personality assessment. Both elements are important for assessing candidates for a high level position of Vice Chancellor who is the CEO of the university,” said.
Chimphamba also outlined to the President the weaknesses of the candidates, which he claimed makes none of them unsuitable candidates to manage the University in the face of huge challenges the institution is currently facing.
But sources at Mzuni faulted the Council for short listing and interviewing the candidates in the first place if they did have high level management experience.
On Associate professor Msilimba, Chimphamba said he did not have comprehensive high level management experience although he has reasonable teaching and research experience.
However, Nyasa Times investigations established that Msilimba has been a Senate member for six years, Council member for three years, member of the management team for four years, Dean of Faculty for four years, deputy dean for three years, Director Centre of Excellence in Water and Sanitation, Coordinator of Water Resources Management and Department Programmes, Chair High Committee – Ministry of Water development among others.
On Professor Uta, Chimphamba again said he did not have comprehensive research, academic experience in teaching although he had reasonable management experience.
Finally on Professor Mumba, Chimphamba said he did not have any reasonable management experience although he had comprehensive academic and research experience.
“I look forward to your Excellency’s approval… that the post of the Vice Chancellor should be re-advertised,” said Chimphamba in his report to President Banda.
But Msilimba is also unrelenting; he is seeking relief from the Court in the form of a judicial review to force Mzuni to pick the statutory process of the selection of VC from where it was left to its finality.
In a notice of application for judicial review filed at the Mzuzu High Court, Msilimba argues that the decision of Mzuzu in delegating the powers to decide on re-advertisement of the post of VC to the President is a clear abdication of duty ofMzuni under the Mzuzu University Act.
Msilimba wants to the Court to declare that Mzuni decisions be declared unlawful, unconstitutional, unreasonable and procedurally improper.
Malawi government through youth and sports Minister Enoch Chihana has said it has not sacked national team coach Kinnha Phiri as it is consulting the Attorney General to find out the implications of the decision Football Association (FAM) made to reshuffle the technical panel.
The minister has squarely blamed FAM for not following procedures in firing the coach although it has been established that Chihana is the one who persuaded the soccer governing body through its president Walter Nyamilandu to fire the entire technical panel.
According to Nyasa Times sources, the minister called Nyamilandu some two weeks ago ordering him to call Flames coach Kinnah Phiri informing him about his axe.
“Chihana called Nyamilandu to fire Kinnah which he did through phone and the Principal Secretary from the ministry again called FAM president (after the announcement) quizzing him on why he did not consult the ministry before taking the move,” said the source.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Kinnah:Still Malawi coach
In a dramatic turn of events, the Sports Minister told the media on Wednesday that Kinnah, his assistant Young Chimodzi and the Technical Director Jack Chamangwana are not fired.
“As it stands now, Kinnah is not fired because it was just verbal and the Principal has not terminated the contract,” Chihana clarified.
He insisted that Kinnah remains the Malawi national team head coach and as usual will be getting his monthly salary.
Asked to explain this confusion between FAM and government, Chihana said “we are not experts in football” but insisted that government did not fire Kinnah Phiri.
Malawi Government could have paid a cool K30 million for premature termination of contract Kinnah recently signed.
Kinnah took charge of the Flames in 2008 and only signed a contract extension until 2014 in October last year.
But Malawi’s failure to qualify for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations had alarm bells ringing, with commentators claiming the coach had run out of ideas.
Chihana said at the meantime, his office is consulting the Attorney General to find out the implications of the decision by Fam to fire the coach.
Kinnah earned praise when he qualified Malawi for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 25 years, since when it has been hard for the coach to move forward.
Making the announcement of firing Kinnah two weeks ago, FAM said in a press statement that the decision was taken during an emergency meeting they had.
