Electric Cars & more –24th Aug 2023

Muli bwanji from BA! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 24th of August twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

Malawi will have electric cars starting next week.

On Tuesday the 22nd, Schizzo Thomson, the Chief Executive Officer of a local tech-driven green energy company called Sky Energy, revealed that their lineup includes renowned brands like Tesla and Citroen. He said they will have fast chargers placed strategically installed across all the country’s major cities.

Sky Energy will be the first company to bring electric cars to Malawi. However, there are concerns that electric cars may not be such a good idea because of the country’s intermittent power supply.

For instance, on Monday the 21st, the Electricity Generation Company (or EGENCO) announced that the country will not have power from Saturday the 26th to Monday the 28th. They said they will be carrying out maintenance works at Tedzani Power Station, which involves the installation of new fine screens that were dislodged during Cyclone FREDDY. They said this work, among others, requires that the station’s water reservoirs be drained to allow for a safe working environment.

To make matters worse, they also reported that there is low water flow in the Shire River. Shire River powers the Nkula and Kapichira Power Stations, so they have reduced power generation at those two stations as well.

On Wednesday the 23rd, EGENCO released a load-shedding program for the weekend. They said locals will be subjected to six to eight hours of load-shedding. We have the schedule in our show notes.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (or ESCOM) had plans to enter into a 300-megawatt Power Purchase Agreement (or PPA) with Westland Construction and ACSG Consortium, but the Anti-Corruption Bureau (or ACB) stopped them due to corruption allegations.

ACB Director General Chizuma barred ESCOM CEO Kumwenda from proceeding with the transaction, agreement, or any arrangement in relation to the 300-megawatt PPA deal, so that the ACB may conduct its own investigations.

A report by a local magazine said that Westland Construction and ACSG Consortium are allegedly owned by a Nigerian businessman only identified as “Chief”. This name also came up last year when Helen Buluma, the former Acting CEO of the National Oil Company of Malawi, told a parliamentary inquiry that Colleen Zamba, the Secretary to the President and Cabinet, was pressuring her to offer a fuel supply contract to a Nigerian man identified as Chief.

In other news, Ndirande township in Blantyre had an unfortunate twist of fate.

At around 8 PM on Sunday the 20th, videos of the township started circulating. A make-shift market adjacent to the Ndirande Main Market was on fire, and some people could be seen walking into the flames, trying to save their goods, while others threw buckets of water and sand in desperate but futile attempts to douse it.

When two fire trucks appeared at the scene, some angry residents started booing and pelting stones at them, saying they had gotten there late.

On Tuesday the 22nd, Ernest Bwanali, the Vice Chairperson for Ndirande Market, told local media that the fire destroyed eleven shops. He faulted the Blantyre City Council fire brigade for getting to the scene late. He said that had they come earlier, they could’ve saved some items, such as plasmas, fridges, and sofa sets.

Ironically, less than a fortnight ago, the Councill conducted a Fire Prevention and Control campaign in Ndirande.

A fourteen-year-old boy, Bamusi Majikuta from Mulanje district, died in an unusual way

According to Innocent Moses, the Spokesperson for Mulanje Police, on Monday the 21st, when Bamusi was going home from the market, he tripped and fell on a rock. Upon landing on the rock, a piece of the rock broke and flew into the air and landed on his head and leg, breaking them and killing him in the process.

The police and hospital officials confirmed that head injuries were the cause of death.

The way he died was put into question, with some saying it might be a case of witchcraft.

Lilongwe also experienced a minor oddity after a plane carrying two people crashed close to Kamuzu International Airport.

Samuel Kalua, the Acting Director for the Department of Civil Aviation, explained that on Tuesday the 22nd, two people—a pilot instructor and a student—got on a private plane around 10 AM. Less than fourteen minutes later, the pilot declared an emergency with the air traffic control after an engine failure. He attempted to land but missed the runway and landed about a kilometer away, causing the plane to overturn. The aircraft was damaged, but no one was harmed.

The Police and the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services launched an operation to get rid of unroadworthy motorcycles, commonly known as kabaza.

On Wednesday the 23rd, the police and road traffic officers impounded over thirty-eight motorcycles in Blantyre. Joseph Sauka, the Spokesperson for South West Police Region, said that to start operating on the road again, the owners of the motorcycles have to comply with road traffic regulations such as registering and insuring their motorcycles, and owning a valid driver’s license.

Motorcyclists are typically taught to drive by their peers and do not attend driving school. As such, they tend to break road regulations. They usually overload their motorcycles, and do not wear any protective gear like helmets.

According to the Directorate and Police, motorcycle accidents increased by about seventeen hundred percent between twenty fourteen and twenty twenty-two.

Timothy Mtambo, former Cabinet Minister and Civil Society Activist spearheaded the twenty nineteen mass demonstrations against the then-ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, because they rigged the twenty nineteen elections.

Shortly after a re-election was held and Chakwera was voted into power, he appointed Mtambo as the Minister of National Unity, and Mtambo left his activism work, which made many feel betrayed.

On Monday the 21st, Mtambo had an interview with Zodiak TV, where he said he left civil society for a ministerial position because he noticed Malawi needed a political solution.

His behavior was put into question as this might be a PR stunt since elections are coming up in twenty twenty-five.

Quite a number of notable people are celebrating significant milestones this week.

In the football world, Tabitha Chawinga - a player for the Malawi Women’s Football team and captain for China’s Scorchers team - has been nominated for the World Africa Woman in Sport Award by GSport from South Africa.

Part of GSport’s statement reads: “Tabitha Chawinga, the Malawian Footballer, made history as the First African player to secure the twenty twenty-three Italian Serie A Women’s Golden Boot Award. Her remarkable achievement, driven by her twenty-three goals for Inter Milan Woman in the twenty twenty-two/ twenty twenty-three season, showcases her prowess and dedication to the sport." Tabitha is up against Faith Kipyego, a Kenyan middle and long-distance athlete, and Akhona Makalima, a South African Fifa referee.

Voting is open to everyone, people can vote on the GSport website until the 31st of August.

In the music arena, on Sunday the 20th, in Lusaka, Zambia, local musician Joe Kellz won the My Booth regional music competition. He has walked away with a cash prize of ten thousand dollars, and a recording deal worth fifty thousand dollars, after beating fifteen contestants.

In an interview on Monday the 21st, Joe Kells said he can’t pinpoint why he won the competition, but admitted it was “the greatest feeling ever”.

Still in music, renowned local singer Lulu will be performing at Uganda’s Kirya Live twenty twenty-three concert in September. The Kirya Live Events were created in twenty eleven by Maurice Kirya, a Ugandan singer and actor.

Lulu told local media that he is happy to have received an opportunity to perform in Uganda.

Kirya, on the other hand, said this will be the first time the event hosts a Malawian artist. He revealed that Lulu’s 'Ungondibwelezera' is his favorite song.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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Pitani bwino!