MALAWI: Cyclone Jude & more – 11th Mar 2025

Muli bwanji from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 11th of March twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services said that Cyclone Jude has hit Malawi, but that its speed had reduced significantly while coming from neighboring country, Mozambique. The cyclone was not causing as much damage as they had anticipated during their first announcement on Sunday the 9th.

The Department said the cyclone was in the Southern Region, and that Phalombe District was the hit the hardest. Their forecast said Cyclone Jude was moving southwest to other districts in the Southern Region like Zomba, Blantyre, and Chikwawa, among others.

They said locals should expect torrential rains accompanied by damaging winds.

On Monday the 10th, the Ministry of Education halted classes for all schools in the districts of the Southern Region until Thursday the 13th.

A leaked letter from the United States Aid for International Development (or USAID) to the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (or LUANAR) said that USAID had terminated its contracts with local organizations, as per Trump’s directive to halt the US’ international aid.

The letter, dated 26th of February, ordered LUANAR to cease all activities, terminate all sub-awards and contracts, and avoid any more costs that USAID would have to pay for.

While this is the only official letter locals have seen, many more local organizations might have received a similar one. Local news said over 5 thousand Malawians would lose their jobs because of the US aid freeze.

Speaking of jobs, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, the Health Minister, said on Friday the 7th, that the Ministry of Health plans to employ nearly 7 thousand health workers in the twenty twenty-five/twenty twenty-six fiscal year.

She said the move is expected to address staff shortages and improve healthcare in hospitals.

However, many people have not taken the news seriously since most civil servant salaries are still low and impractical in the current economy, and the yet-to-be-employed health workers will fall under the same category as they are considered civil servants too.

Some social media users feel the government is merely campaigning, since they have hired about 22 thousand health workers since taking office in twenty twenty. This comes up to nearly 4,500 workers on average per year, which is significantly less than the new projected amount.

In previous episodes, we mentioned that some Mozambicans had fled their country in January this year due to political instability. Now, the Malawi Department of Refugees is repatriating them.

On Monday the 10th, Steven Kayuni, the Principal Secretary for Homeland Security, said they have already shipped over 3 thousand refugees via Shire River, and that 5 thousand more have registered to be sent back to Mozambique. He also said that they are working with refugees who don’t want to return to understand their reasons for not wanting to go back home and, where necessary, relocating them to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in the Central Region.

Local news said the Malawian and Mozambican governments signed an agreement to ease the voluntary repatriation process with the aim of reintegrating displaced citizens into their communities.

In other news, The Comptroller of Statutory Corporations revealed that twelve parastatals have been operating without functioning boards for months.

The parastatals include the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation, Malawi Housing Corporation, National Aids Commission, National Food Reserve Agency, and universities like the Malawi College of Accountancy and the Malawi College of Health Sciences.

Local news said most of the contracts for the parastatals’ Board of Directors expired between September twenty twenty-four and February this year, and were not renewed.

Peter Simbani, the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations, admitted that this has affected parastatals’ ability to work since some decisions need approvals by the Board. He’s confident that the parastatals’ boards will be reinstituted within the next two weeks.

Malawi is one of the few countries that is yet to monetize online content, and local creatives are determined to change that.

On Tuesday the 11th, local media said that some creatives have invited the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (or MACRA) to a meeting in Lilongwe in the Central Region on Saturday the 15th. The creatives want to find out why content on YouTube and Facebook is still not being monetized, since MACRA said they would get the issue sorted out by the end of twenty twenty-four.

Daudi Suleman, the MACRA Director General, said that one of the biggest issues delaying content monetization in the country is Malawi’s low consumption of digital services and low internet usage.

Some people are scared it might not be safe to speak against the government.

This follows the alleged kidnapping of Agape Khombe, leader of the Citizens for Justice and Equity, who was abducted by three unidentified men while drinking at a bar in Lilongwe’s Area 36 around 9 PM on Thursday the 6th. Khombe was found alive on Friday evening in a garden in Area 43.

Khombe was kidnapped hours before his group planned to submit the controversial Presidential Age Limit Bill to Parliament on Friday the 7th.

Several locals on social media revealed that they received threatening messages from ruling party enthusiasts after they wrote posts that criticized the government on their personal social media accounts.

There’s excitement about the premier of a new local series called the Pa Mango Series.

MultiChoice, a satellite television service in Sub-Saharan Africa, is set to premiere the series on its Zambezi Magic channel on Thursday the 13th at 7:30 PM Central African Time.

Averess Ndhlovu-Chella, the MultiChoice Malawi Managing Director, told local news that the series is a thirteen-episode crime drama that celebrates Malawian cultures, talent, and stories. She said MutliChoice is dedicated to ensuring the series reaches several Southern African countries, so it will also premier on other satellites like GOtv and DStv.

On that note, MultiChoice has raised the GOtv and DStvs’ subscription fees.

Even though the new prices will only become effective on the 1st of April, they have increased so much that some locals have complained that they may not be able to afford the services anymore.

According to their notice, released on Wednesday the 5th, the GOtv Supa+ package will now go for 59,500 Kwacha which is thirty-four dollars, up from 49,500 which is about thirty dollars. The DStv Compact Plus package will now cost 90 thousand Kwacha which is about fifty dollars, climbing from 76 thousand Kwacha, which is almost forty-five dollars.

Another company, Coca-Cola Beverages Malawi Limited, also announced price hikes, effective on Thursday the 6th. Some of the products affected include national favorites like the Sobo Squash juice and fizzy drinks like Coke.

What’s interesting is the price increase has come at a time when locals were complaining that the drinks don’t taste as good as they used to anymore. Some social media users questioned whether the new prices meant the products would improve or go back to normal.

Price increases like this are pressing locals’ expenditures and have led some of them to demonstrate.

For instance, on Tuesday the 11th, locals in Mzuzu City in the Northern Region took to the streets to protest against the high cost of living. Their demonstrations disrupted and caused many markets and shops to stay closed. The police eventually dispersed the protesters with tear gas.

Similar protests were held in Zomba city, southern Malawi.

In previous episodes, we mentioned that Blantyre city in the Southern Region and Lilongwe city in the Central Region also held demonstrations.

In more trending news, nearly 1,500 farmers from Chikwawa District in the Southern Region are suing a local company, Presscane Company, for persistently contaminating their crop fields and homes with effluents since the company’s establishment in the district in twenty sixteen. The communities surrounding Presscane say that this happens because the company has improper disposal practices which endanger their health and agricultural productivity.

A news article from Saturday the 8th said the community members tried to engage the district’s Environmental Office, but have received no help. So now they are seeking compensation for the damage done to their crops.

The farmers have also threatened to demonstrate if they don’t get help from the High Court or Presscane.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Pitani bwino!