NATIONAL NEWS (5291)
DoDMA Wants Cyclone Freddy Survivors Relocated by End of August
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) has maintained its August 31, 2023 deadline for councils to complete the relocation process of tropical cyclone Freddy survivors.
DODMA commissioner, Charles Kalemba says, so far, district councils namely; Mulanje, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Mangoch, Blantyre city and partly Nsanje have already identified land and some have started relocating the survivors.
According to Kalemba, DODMA only supports councils where they need assistance.
“DoDMA also facilitates provision of certain amenities. For example, in Nsanje, Makhanga area, DoDMA has disbursed funds to the district council to drill boreholes.
“We are targeting the places where people are supposed to be relocated to or have already started being relocated to.
He further said: “We have been meeting councils and given ourselves August end. We must make sure we have identified land and either complete the relocation or start the survivors' relocation.”
Nsanje district council spokesperson, Robert Nayeja confirmed receipt of the funds on Thursday, saying efforts are in place to meet the set deadline.
“We have received K15 million towards the sinking of boreholes for those seeking relocation.
“We are working with community leaders to identify land where we can relocate the survivors, but also conduct assessments to ascertain if the land is appropriate for relocation,” explained Nayeja.
According to Nayeja, the findings of the assessments are submitted to DoDMA for payment of compensation.
Records indicate that cyclone Freddy, which hit the country early this year, claimed over 1000 lives and more than half a million were displaced.
Recently, Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) Regional Coordinator for the South, Victor Khwima, dared authorities to speed up the relocation process so the survivors can rebuild their lives.
COPUA Urges Citizenry to Persuade Law Makers to Deliberate On Abortion Bill
The Coalition for the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion (COPUA) has observed that Members of Parliament will continue to avoid tabling the Pregnancy Termination Bill unless they are persuaded to do so by the citizenry themselves.
PACOSALI Disburses K1.2 Million Business Loans in Thyolo
The PACOSALI Foundation Limited says high interests on loans are suffocating many small and medium enterprises in rural areas.
MDF Commander Claims Politicians, Government Officials Bribing Soldiers
The commander of the Malawi Defence Force, General Paul Valentino Phiri, claims that some top government officials, politicians and influential business persons are influencing and bribing MDF soldiers at check-points.
General Phiri said this at a press briefing in Lilongwe yesterday, where he addressed security issues in the country and clarification on issues surrounding the Chilumba roadblock.
The developments come following an outcry from communities surrounding Chirumba barracks in Karonga, that the MDF soldiers subject them to various forms of abuses when they are passing at the roadblock, which is manned by the soldiers.
General Phiri said these people engage in such acts in order to pass their goods at the check points.
He said MDF will report the perpetrators to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and other relevant authorities.
"The military is not a court, and we are not the police to arrest people. Unfortunately, we find people who have actually contravened certain statues of the country. What we do is hand them over to the appropriate stakeholders, who will be able to deal with them, and that is what we have done," explained General Phiri.
He further says that his institution will conduct a survey on why soldiers are being involved in such acts now.
"We are planning to conduct a survey, to establish why some soldiers are behaving like this, and intensify more on instilling discipline in our colleges. It is just a few individuals who may decide to be doing business in a very unusual way. Soldiering is about following what you have been directed and not doing your own things," he said.
Governance expert George Chaima says it is important for these influential people to let the law enforcers do their job without fear or favour.
"If that is the case, what everybody, including politicians, should know, is that we are putting our national security at stake, because security matters need to be managed professionally," said Chaima.
Food and Supplies Crisis Looms at Dzaleka Refugees Camp
A food and supplies crisis could soon hit the Dzaleka refugees camp in Dowa district with government disclosing that it is only remaining with supplies that could last four months.
Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma attributed this to a recent decision by the World Food Program which has cut to 50% all food and supplies assistance towards refugees.
He said this at a press briefing in Lilongwe yesterday, where he appealed for support.
“The World Food Program has reduced from 75% to 50% the supplies of food stuffs to the refugee camps in Malawi with effect 1st August, 2023. This will have an effect on our part because it will now be like a bottleneck for the government. This is why we urge everyone to help us, so that we can lobby donors.
“The supplies that we have will last up to 31st December 2023. We need to find a way that we should be able to support the refugees beyond that period,” said the minister.
At the briefing, the minister also said government will continue with the refugees relocation exercise. But he admitted that at the moment, the exercise has been hit by funding challenges as his department has not been able to get all the allocated funding for the exercise from the treasury.
Ng’oma also fired a warning shot to all refugees that have returned to towns and cities, that they have seven days to return to Dzaleka, failing which the government will be compelled to revoke their asylum and refugee status.
“We are giving all refugees that have returned to cities and towns to return to Dzaleka Refugees camp within seven days. If they do not comply with this notice, they will revoke their status and deport them out of this country. Everyone must return and follow proper procedures for conducting business in Malawi. You cannot be operating a business in the country illegally,” Ng’oma said.
Meanwhile, Executive Director for Center of Democracy and Development Initiatives (CDEDI) Sylvester Namiwa says this is a key indication, that the refugees do not need to be condemned into camps, as a good number of them can feed themselves.
“We warned the government to stop that exercise for the following reasons; first, it lacks merit and that it made no sense, Africans victimizing fellow Africans. Why would the government force them into very congested camps? People that were self-reliant? The same government that is failing to feed its prisoners and its citizens, how would it feed the refugees?” asked Namiwa.
Dzaleka refugees camp in Dowa district currently has over 50 000 refugees against a holding capacity of not more than 14 000 refugees.
Spotlight Initiative Leaves a Mark in MHG
Authorities in Machinga have disclosed that 1909 girls from 22 traditional authorities have been withdrawn from early marriages since the inception of the European Union and United Nations funded Spotlight Initiative (SI) in the district in 2019.
MCA Withdrawals DStv Services in Malawi
A legal battle between the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and MultiChoice Malawi (MCM) over DStv tariffs’ adjustment has led to the withdrawal of DStv services in Malawi with immediate effect.
Man Dies after Tractor Overturns in Nkhata-Bay
A 33-year-old man identified as Oris Jeke has died in Nkhata-Bay after the horse of a tractor he was operating overturned and rested on him.
The accident, according to NKhata-Bay police spokesperson, Sergeant Kondwani James, occurred yesterday afternoon within Vizara Rubber plantation in the district.
"At the material time, Jeke was operating a company tractor registration number NB 8217 John Deere within South Chombe rubber plantation field with three passengers on board," said James.
He added that upon arrival at field 86, as he was descending a slope, a metal bar that joins a trailer to the horse (drawbar) got broken, leading to disconnection of the two parts.
James further added; "The trailer started rolling behind the horse and eventually hit the horse, forcing it to overturn, which in the end rested on him and following the impact, he sustained severe head and internal injuries."
Jeke hailed from Traditional Authority Mkumbira in the district. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Nkhata-Bay District Hospital, while the three passengers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the same hospital as out-patients.
MultiChoice Africa Withdraw DStv Services in Malawi, Describes Malawi Hostile Business Environment
MultiChoice Africa Holdings has decided to immediately withdrawal DStv services from Malawi following the High Court injunction in the matter between MultiChoice Malawi and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
"MCM does not offer the DStv service to the public and therefore cannot set or adjust tariffs for this service, a point repeatedly made to MACRA. As a result, the order handed down to MCM is incapable of being implemented by them but carries with it grave consequences for the directors and management of MultiChoice Malawi, including imprisonment," reads a part of the statement by MultiChoice Africa.
The matter in court is about Macra objecting to adjustment to DStv tariffs for which MAH describes Malawi as "an increasingly adverse regulatory environment" that has left it with no option but terminate DStv service indefinitely.
MAH has since asked customers to halt payment for the DStv service.
Area 18B Residents Mad after Damaged Sewer Pipe Goes Weeks Not Fixed
Residents of Area 18B in Lilongwe have expressed concern over unattended sewer pipe which leaked two months ago but the responsible authorities have turned a blind eye. According to the residents around the place, the sewer pipe has been producing a bad smell which forces the residents to always be indoors.
