Alex Banda

Alex Banda

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Blantyre has nullified the results of a Nkhata Bay Central Constituency elections in which Raphael Mhone of People's Party challenged the victory of Symon Vuwa Kaunda of Democratic Progressive Party DPP winner, as declared by the Malawi Electoral Commission MEC.

Attorney General, Dr. Chikosa Silungwe, has written the Chairperson for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Dr. Chifundo Kachale, not to discharge any duties as there is no Electoral Commission according to the law. 

Over 200 former employees of Malawi Savings Bank MSB have bemoaned the Judiciary’s procrastination to resolve their matter which was brought before the Industrial Relations Court, four years ago.

Women Judges Association of Malawi WOJAM has started training key justice responders concerned having noted a lack of compassion among key stakeholders handling issues and victims of gender-based violence.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs- DoDMA has bailed out about 52 families whose houses and property were torched in a fierce fight between two villages over land (fishing beach) which saw two people killed last Monday in NkhataBay.

The Malawi Electoral Commission MEC has settled for November 10, 2020, as the day to conduct by-elections in some five constituencies and Makhuwira South Ward in Chikwawa district under strict Covid-19 prevention procedures.

Some former employees of JTI Leaf Malawi Limited and JTI International are demanding that the major tobacco buyer be stripped off its accolade as Top Employer of the Year for violating labour laws and that government should intervene on human rights abuses of its employees in Malawi.

A renowned Public Health Expert and Rights Activist Dorothy Ngoma has challenged government to  urgently iron out concerns in the recruitment of front-line health personnel charged to contain further spread of COVID-19.

Heads of the Catholic Church in Malawi under the banner Episcopal Conference of Malawi ECM, have joined their sister Assembly the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference in solidarity to denounce the social-economic ills facing Zimbabweans amid the political tension and crisis in the country.

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition HRDC has cautioned President Lazarus Chakwera against skirting around on issues of Human Rights and Safeguarding the civic space among the Southern African Development Community SADC member states, once he assumes the leadership as chairperson of the regional block.
 
Before the SADC annual summit for heads of state and government was held virtually on Monday, Director for East and Southern Africa human rights body, Amnesty International Deprose Muchena, made a special appeal to the leaders.
 
Muchena said, “A number of countries in the SADC region are experiencing alarming human rights violations and abuses threatening peace and stability and hindering the response to COVID-19. In Zimbabwe, authorities have stepped up a crackdown on dissenting voices with state security forces unleashed on activists, human rights defenders, journalists and opposition supporters".
 
Ironically, the leaders skirted around the issues in the region only to celebrate the 40 years of SADC existence and paying special tribute to the founding fathers.
 
HRDC National Coordinator Luke Tembo expressed dissatisfaction with how the SADC heads of State avoided denouncing the Zimbabwe crackdown by security agencies.
 
“We don’t want SADC to be reduced to a talk show where we don’t see tangible results. Of what benefit will SADC be to its citizens if it does not take its rightful role is making sure that countries and leaders from the member states respect the rule of law and human rights” Tembo said.
 
However, President Lazarus Chakwera a rookie in SADC has chosen to play it safe on the foreign policy matters.
 
His press secretary Brian Banda told us, Chakwera will engage the Zimbabwean leader Emerson Mnangagwa through diplomatic channels.
 
“The president is treating the matter in Zimbabwe as an internal matter there, He is using diplomatic channels to engage the Zimbabwean president, it’s the presidents (Chakwera’s) intention not to add fuel to an already intense situation” said Banda.
 
Before being elected president, Chakwera was seemingly an ardent human rights defender as on several occasions he took part in street protests, over perceived poor governance and human rights abuses by his predecessor Peter Mutharika.
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