Adverse Weather Conditions & more – 14th Dec 2023

Muli bwanji from BA! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 14th of December twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

Some parts of the country are experiencing very high temperatures. On Thursday, the 7th, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services said the dry spell is hitting most parts of the Southern and Central regions.

The dryness is moderate in most places, but others are experiencing adverse weather conditions, especially along the Shire Valley. The Department said the dry spell would persist until Tuesday the 12th.

On Thursday, the 14th, the Department released yet another statement, saying some parts of the Southern region would receive heavy rains accompanied by strong winds.

Prior to the Department’s announcement, some districts had already started reporting rain-induced damage. On Wednesday the 13th, local media said that heavy rains and strong winds had wrecked parts of Nkhwangwa Community Day Secondary School in Thyolo district. Houses in surrounding areas were damaged too.

The weather is crucial since December marks the beginning of the farming season. However, the rains have been sporadic, causing most to fear possible hunger next year due to poor harvest.

Still on agriculture… Tobacco is Malawi’s biggest cash crop. The government wants to export groundnuts, but the Mwapata Institute said Malawian groundnuts contain high levels of toxins, which makes them unsaleable on international markets.

The Institute said these toxins are caused by a fungus called Aflatoxin, which grows in humid climates, so it can be found in Malawi. When consumed in large amounts, aflatoxins can cause liver damage.

During a research seminar held on Friday the 8th, Limbikani Matumbo, a Professor at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said there is a lot of information on the prevention of aflatoxins, but Malawi hasn’t raised awareness of these preventive measures.

Ronald Ngwira, the Managing Director of Pyxus Agriculture, said there are aflatoxin-safe grains on local markets.

On the flip side, fish farming is doing quite well. The M’mbelwa District Council is implementing a fish pond rehabilitation initiative pegged at forty million Kwacha, about twenty-four thousand dollars.

Andrew Saukani, the Mzimba District Fisheries Officer, said the rehabilitation works involve expanding ponds and improving their draining systems, among others, to improve their functionality and enhance fish production. The works should benefit thirty fish farmers from five villages in Mzimba South.

Dan Mhone, a beneficiary of the project, told local media that he will now be able to raise three thousand fish in his fish pond and make a huge profit.

The World Bank has stepped in to provide the government with budgetary support, following the Malawi government’s commitment to address macroeconomic imbalances and unsustainable debt, among others. This support “will help the country enhance its fiscal sustainability, stimulate private-sector led growth, and increase reliance to shocks”.

To demonstrate its support, on Tuesday the 12th, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank approved a 137 million dollar package. It consists of an immediate release of eighty million dollars to support Malawi’s structural reform agenda. With the money, Malawi will be able to modernize the Affordable Inputs Program, supporting farmers.

The World Bank will render its support for three years through a continued engagement with the government.


International support is not always appreciated. Some social media users said that it creates dependency on donors and aid. For instance, on Tuesday the 12th, Malawi refused to vote in favor of a resolution regarding a ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations General Assembly. The neutrality might stem from the sixty million dollar aid that the country received from Israel a few weeks ago. Furthermore, Malawi has a deal with Israel to send five thousand youths to work on Israeli farms.

The Ministry of Labor sent two hundred Malawian youths to Israel on Wednesday the 13th. However, locals are demanding that the government halt the deal.

An international company, Bob Eco, revealed its plan to provide electric vehicles to Malawi. Over fifty thousand drivers, especially women and youngsters, will benefit from the deal.

Abida Mia, the Water Minister, and Peter Somers, the Group Chief Executive at Bob Eco Group, made the announcement in Dubai during the COP28 conference – which spurred debates on social media as it went against the President’s austerity measure that banned government official’s foreign travel.

Somers said Bob Eco will drive sustainable transportation solutions in Malawi by providing electric motorcycles on a rental fee that includes the motorbike, its registrations, insurance, and medical insurance for the driver, among others.

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In our last episode, we mentioned that employees of the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (or ESCOM) took to Blantyre city to protest against a ten percent salary increment. They thought it was too little, compared to the devalued Kwacha, which reached 44%. The next day, on Friday the 8th, ESCOM suspended some of those employees.

For instance, the corporation suspended William Mnyamula, the Secretary of the ESCOM Staff Union, for organizing and staging the protests. Kamkwamba Kumwenda, the ESCOM’s CEO, considered Mnyamula’s actions as neglect of his duty as a leader because the protestors used ESCOM vehicles and other resources without permission in their demonstrations.

Letters circulating on social media indicate that ESCOM suspended other protestors, pending an investigation.

According to statistics by the Center for Social Concern, the 44% devaluation of the Kwacha increased the average cost of living by approximately nine percent in urban and peri-urban areas.

Blantyre was ranked the most expensive city in Malawi, with a cost of living of over 500 thousand Kwacha or nearly 300 dollars, from 460 thousand Kwacha or 270 dollars in October.

Prices of commodities like fuel impacted the cost of living.

Last weekend, there were rumors that Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (or MERA) was planning to hike fuel prices again. This led to minor panic buying in some fuel stations. However, on Sunday the 10th, MERA dismissed the rumors through a short statement. They said the fuel process has not changed and urged the public to ignore fake reports. They also asked the public to report any stations selling fuel for more than the maximum retail prices of 2,530 Kwacha, or a dollar and fifty cents for petrol, and 2,730 Kwacha, or a dollar and sixty cents for diesel.

In trending news, some locals in Dedza killed over three hundred snakes. Local news outlet Zodiak said some locals saw two snakes crawling into a “hideout”, or a little hole. They followed the two snakes, only to find many more serpents cradled up in a huge lair.

It is unclear how the locals managed to kill all the snakes, but an image circulating on social media suggests that the two people killed the serpents outside of the lair. There are some rocks and stones on the spot where the dead snakes were photographed.

In one of our September episodes, we talked about the murder of a local, Agnes Katengeza. Katengeza was first reported missing but was found nearly two days later, dismembered in the boot of her car. On Thursday the 14th, the police shared their findings, and they’re even more disturbing.

Hastings Chigalu, the Lilongwe Police Spokesperson, said they arrested twenty-seven-year-old Amos Katengeza – the victim’s stepbrother. Amos was found with Katengeza’s belongings that were stolen during her murder, such as her laptop and iPad.

Chigalu also said they traced Katengeza's missing phone to a phone vendor in Blantyre market. When queried, he said Amos had sold it and other gadgets belonging to Katengeza to him.

The police now consider Amos a top suspect in his sister’s murder.

And to wrap up this edition, sports news, the Malawi Cricket National team is in South Africa for the Africa Cricket Association (or ACA) Cup finals. The finals started on Tuesday, the 12th and will go on until Tuesday, the 19th.

The team qualified for the finals after beating Botswana and finishing as runners-up in May.

Aaand that's it for this week! So here's to a bit of holiday spirit. We wanted to thank you for listening, learning, thinking, and for joining us on this new thing called Rorshok we're all doing together. Really. Thank you.

Pitani bwino!