MALAWI: No Blackouts & more – 24th Dec 2024

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

Malawi has been experiencing a heatwave since last Tuesday the 17th because of an unstable air mass. According to the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, temperatures are averaging a minimum of twenty-one degrees Celsius, or seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and a maximum of forty-two degrees Celsius or 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the heat and festive season may tempt you to swim, the Department said to practice caution as the Mpoto winds – or Northerly winds – may cause unstable weather.

On Monday the 23rd, local news said most crops have wilted in most districts across the country because of the heatwave and erratic rains. They’re scared that if the rains don’t come in the next five days, most crops will die and farmers will be forced to buy new seeds to plant or face hunger next year.

However, a new report suggested that hunger may not be such a huge cause for concern next year.

According to the Food Assistance Outlook Brief by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network. for November, the number of Malawians requiring humanitarian food aid is expected to drop from the current 3.5 million people to at least 1.5 million by May twenty twenty-five.

They attributed this to the anticipated recovery (caused by the rains) of the Central and Southern Regions, which were recently affected by droughts. Their report said while food insecurity remains an issue, there is hope for relief.

Speaking of rains, the Electricity Supply Generation Company of Malawi has promised that locals won’t have any blackouts during this rainy season.

In most cases, when the high temperatures cool down, very heavy rainfall follows. This typically leads to power cuts, as the power plants get overwhelmed with water. But, on Saturday the 21st, Maxon Chitawo, the CEO of the Electricity Generation Company, assured that there will be uninterrupted power supply because they have developed a Preparedness Plan for the rainy season.

The plan was also developed because Lucy Mtilatila, the Director of the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, warned of flood risks between January and March twenty twenty-five due to heavy rainfall.

In other news, the Malawi Electoral Commission (or MEC) said they will conduct a supplementary voter registration exercise to fill in the gaps that they encountered during the initial registration phases for the twenty twenty-five General Election.

According to a statement MEC released on Friday the 20th, the supplementary registration is targeting specific groups of eligible voters. This includes people who were occupied with registering other voters, and those who applied for civil registration but did not receive their National Identification Numbers before registration closed.

Their statement said the supplementary registration would take place in all the areas that were covered during the initial registration and that they would announce the registration dates soon.

On that note about the elections, local news said the Democratic Progressive Party (or DPP) and the Alliance for Democracy (or AFORD) are in talks about a potential alliance.

According to news reports from Thursday the 19th, officials from the two parties met at the Page House in Mangochi District located in the Southern Region on Wednesday the 18th. The news did not say exactly what was discussed, and officials from the two parties were being a bit secretive too.

Enock Chihana, the AFORD President, said they only shared seasons’ greetings and talked about the country’s socio-economic challenges. Shadreck Namalomba, the Spokesperson for the DPP, said he needed to check what he could share.

Shifting gears, there is a sense of disharmony within the United Transformation Movement (or UTM), as Michael Usi, its Former President and current Vice President of Malawi, was summoned to a disciplinary hearing for the 30th of December over allegations of misconduct and supporting a rival party.

A letter signed by Charles Dokera Thole, the party’s Director of Legal Affairs, accused Usi of mobilizing UTM supporters to attend a government function and urging followers to vote for the Malawi Congress Party, which is the ruling party.

If found guilty, Usi may face severe disciplinary action, including expulsion from the party.

There is some division in the church too. On Tuesday the 24th, local news reported that the Malawi Union of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (or SDA) agreed to shut down the Bangwe SDA Church located in Blantyre in the Southern Region for promoting teachings that contradict the denomination’s core beliefs regarding modesty and lifestyle.

Local news said the Bangwe SDA church deviated from teachings given in the SDA Church Manual, which says that its members should dress in a simple manner and avoid fleeting fashion trends. The news didn’t say how the Bangwe church broke these rules, but they said their actions caused a lot of division within the congregation, bringing about the church’s closure.

Next up, on Friday the 20th, local news said the Ministry of Finance is working towards introducing Digital Tax Stamps, which will help tackle illegal trade and tax evasion, among others. The system will allow fiscal authorities to track the production, import, export, and distribution of excisable products across the nation.

Simplex Chithyola, the Finance Minister, said the system will help strengthen the country’s revenue collection framework and ensure that products found in local markets are legitimate and compliant with the country’s tax regulations.

Local news said tax stamps have mainly been applied to tobacco products, but Digital Tax Stamps will cover a wide range of products, including personal care products like lotions and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Meanwhile, people who use Airtel to access the internet will have to dig deeper into their pockets because the telecommunications company revised its bundles and prices on Wednesday the 18th. The new prices and bundles became effective on Friday the 20th.

According to their statement, the Chezani, MoFaya, and the Pay-As-You-Go had a price increase of a minimum of 100 Kwacha, which is nearly sixty US cents, and a maximum of three thousand Kwacha, which is about a dollar and eighty cents.

To know more about the revised Airtel internet bundles, follow the link in our show notes.

In trending news, some illegal gold miners died on Monday the 23rd in the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in the Central Region after a mine collapsed on them.

Senior Chief Kapelula of Kasungu in the Northern Region confirmed the news to local media on Tuesday the 24th. He said nine people from his area are reportedly dead, but Joseph Kachikho, the Kasungu Spokesperson, said they are yet to establish the number of dead people.

Another trending news story has raised concern for Malawi's transport system, which doesn’t have reliable buses. On Monday the 23rd, an anonymous local told a media house that they were stranded in Kasungu District in the Northern Region because the bus they boarded broke down.

The bus was meant to leave Mzuzu Depot in the Northern Region at 2 PM and arrive in Lilongwe in the Central Region around 6 PM, but it didn’t depart until around 1 AM. The passengers were stranded because they had already paid for the bus and boarded their luggage.

Just two hours after starting off, the bus broke down just before Kasungu District in the Northern Region, leaving the passengers stranded yet again.

Let’s wrap this edition with some news on culture. There have been questions about why Peter Sambo has not been given any awards for writing a song that has been making airwaves since two thousand three.

Sambo’s song, Tachilowa - which loosely translates to We Have Entered It - can be likened to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas as it is a staple during the festive season in Malawi. Tachilowa is a favorite on New Year's Day, but starts making airwaves during the last days of December, up until mid-January.

On Monday the 23rd, Malawi24, a local publication, said Sambo's lack of an honorary award for his song echoes the proverb that goes, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.”

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

We wanted to take the time to thank everyone for tuning in, subscribing, and sharing your thoughts with us. Your support means the world, and we’re so grateful to be building this incredible community together. Wishing you a joyful, warm, and wonderful holiday season.

Pitani bwino!