MALAWI: Fuel Scarcity Worsens & more – 26th Nov 2024

Muli bwanji from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 26th of November twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

On Tuesday the 19th, the Ministry of Energy released a statement saying the government had secured forex for fuel purchases, but the scarcity persists, affecting both locals and members of the diplomatic community. Recall that diplomats have perks that allow them to have full tanks or get fuel through procedures that are different from other locals, marking that the fuel shortage has worsened.

On Wednesday the 20th, Rune Skinnebach, the EU Ambassador to Malawi, admitted that EU staff were struggling to get to work because of the fuel scarcity, and asked the government to increase fuel prices to help provide funds for fuel purchases.

On the same day, the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority or MERA banned gas stations from selling fuel in jerrycans.

The fuel shortage is one of the issues that urged the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development to organize protests on Monday the 25th. Demonstrators gathered at around 8 AM at the Lilongwe Community Center located in the Central Region but, unfortunately, the protest didn’t go according to plan. The armed police chased the protestors and threw tear gas at them. Unidentified masked men also threw rocks at the demonstrators and hacked them with panga knives. This is the second time in two weeks that locals were stopped from demonstrating.

The protestors want the MERA CEO and Minister of Energy to resign.

Follow the link in the show notes to see some videos and pictures of the incident.

While locals are desperate to hear President Chakwera speak against what they are calling an abuse of their right to protest, he has not said anything and has instead spoken on electricity.

On Monday the 25th, he launched a twenty-million-dollar project called the Battery Energy Storage System which seeks to store at least twenty megawatts of excess power during the day. The excess power will be used during peak hours, and help reduce the frequency of blackouts and load shedding.

He told local media that the government has worked to put an end to blackouts and that this project proves it.

Speaking of electricity, in our last episode, we mentioned that the Electricity Supply Corporation (or ESCOM) had given locals up to Sunday the 24th to update their pre-paid electricity meters. Previously, there was a twenty-digit code that people had to load onto the meter for it to be updated automatically. It would notify them if the updating process happened successfully. Those who missed the deadline won’t be able to use the meters.

ESCOM offices were open on Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th to help customers who couldn’t buy at least two months’ worth of electricity to ensure they have electricity after their meters become unusable. They got assistance through ESCOM’s newly launched Electricity Loan Program, which they launched to help customers with outdated pre-paid meters.

Still on electricity. MERA has developed the Electric Vehicle Mobility Framework, which will set the foundation for developing the Regulatory Guidelines for Electric Vehicles (or EVs). The Guideline will be completed by March twenty twenty-five.

On Friday the 22nd, Henry Kachaje, MERA’s CEO, told local news that they are hoping to regulate the EV sector in the first quarter of twenty twenty-five. To help meet that goal, they developed technical requirements for EV charging stations and approved three e-motorcycle charging stations that TotalEnergies introduced a few months ago.

Switching gears, new research says that more Malawian students are pursuing higher education in the US.

The twenty twenty-four Open Doors report said that the number of Malawian students pursuing education in the US soared by nearly thirty-five percent, from 373 in the twenty twenty-two/ twenty twenty-three academic year to 502 in the twenty twenty-three/ twenty twenty-four academic year. The report also said that Malawi’s statistics outpace other countries across Sub-Saharan Africa by thirteen percent.

Maybe students are doing this because the US offers several career opportunities and because this way they can escape from Malawi’s economic instability.

Dedza and Salima, both located in the Central Region, are now towns, and will no longer be identified as district councils. They join Mangochi, located in the Southern Region, which was the only town council in Malawi.

On Thursday the 21st, Richard Chimwendo Banda, the Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, said President Lazarus Chakwera declared the two as town councils two weeks ago.

According to the Ministry’s website, the government creates town councils to develop small urban areas, and to facilitate the provision of local services and development in their areas, once they get the greenlight from the central government.

There are hopes that the move will improve service delivery in critical areas like hospitals.

In trending news, on Wednesday the 20th, lightning killed thirty-six cows at Matimba Village in the Mchinji district in the Central Region.

Pastor Mndede, who saw the entire incident, told local news that the cows were hiding under a tree as it was raining heavily, when lightning struck it. He assumed that all the cows were killed because they were standing too close to each other.

Meanwhile, some individuals living in Area 49 in Lilongwe in the Central Region woke up in the middle of the night to no roof over their heads, and all their property getting soaked in the rain.

We’ve got a video that shows the extent of rain-induced accidents, check it out with the link in the show notes.

In sports news, on Friday the 22nd, the National Women’s Soccer League named Temwa Chawinga, a local footballer who plays for America’s Kansas City Current (or KC Current), the Most Valuable Player for the entire season. This is such a great feat for her, especially considering that this was her debut season.

A tweet by KC Current said Chawinga was the first player to, just in a single season, score twenty goals, score in eight consecutive matches, score against all thirteen opponents her team played against, and the first to achieve twenty-six goal contributions in one season.

She is also the first member of the KC Current franchise to win a Golden Boot and the Most Valuable Player award.

Blantyre Hotels is selling some shares.

On Friday the 22nd, authorities from the Hotels held a Rights Offer Cocktail where they announced that they are selling shares to help raise funds to construct a new hotel called the Marriott Lilongwe Ryalls at the Golf Club in Lilongwe. Vizenge Kumwenda, the Chairman of Blantyre Hotels, revealed that they are planning to raise about sixty-three billion Kwacha, which is about thirty-seven million dollars for its construction. He said Blantyre Hotels would open the selling of the shares on Monday the 25th and close on the 26th of December.

Vera Kamtukule, the Minister of Tourism, was at the event and said she was so excited about the project that she had already asked Malaysia to invest in it.

On another note, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation released nominees for this year’s Entertainers of the Year awards in a press conference in Blantyre in the Southern Region on Monday the 25th.

Some of the country's biggest and youngest entertainers, including musicians Fada Moti and Emmie Deebo, made it on the list. Industry veterans, including Marcus Pasanje and Joy Nathu, both media personalities, are also on the list.

The awards have forty-eight categories, including the Secular Artist Of The Year, Music Producer Of The Year, and Best Television Actor. They will take place on the 14th of December in Lilongwe.

Another event that will be held in Lilongwe is the third Malawi Film Festival, which will take place on Friday the 29th and Saturday the 30th at the Golden Peacock Hotel under the theme Embracing Malawian Culture Through Film.

Isaac Misoya, the Festival’s Branding and Marketing Officer, said this year’s edition will feature both local and international films, and explore how Malawian culture can be exported.

MultiChoice Malawi, which is one of the Festival’s sponsors, said they will use the festival’s platform to combat the harmful effects of piracy, in hopes that it will mobilize the creative community to advocate for stronger legal protections against it.

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

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Pitani bwino!