Malawi Update – No Crop Exports & more –25th May 2023

th of May: 2023

Farmers might have to postpone selling their crops outside Malawi.

On Monday the 22nd, the Ministry of Trade and Industry revoked all export licenses for crops such as soya beans, groundnuts, pigeon peas, beans, rice, etc. in a bid to curb smuggling and undocumented trade.

The Ministry stated that anyone wishing to export their crops must use Customs Controlled Export Warehouses and apply for new licenses to allow the Ministry to monitor exporters and track all trade.

Unfortunately, the revocation has already started having adverse effects.

For instance, on Tuesday the 23rd, a local on social media said he encountered a kilometer-long queue of trucks carrying soya beans as he passed an urban center in Karonga district.

People typically pass through Karonga to get into neighboring country Tanzania, where they do various trades, including that of crops.

There are fears that more exporters will face the same fate or they will have to cheapen their crops as the local demand is not as high.

Some key players in the fuel industry have started closing shop following the scarcity of foreign exchange, or forex.

On Tuesday the 23rd, local media reported that they had seen a leaked letter dated Tuesday the 9th of May where Mount Meru Petroleum Limited—a fuel station and distributor—wrote to the Commissioner for the Malawi Revenue Authority, asking for guidance on deregistering trucks and trailers ahead of their relocation to Mount Meru’s sister company in Zimbabwe.

Officials from Mount Meru confirmed that they are permanently relocating their trucks to Zimbabwe as there is no business in Malawi due to a lack of forex, which has made it hard for them to pay their dues to international banks.

Recall that Malawi had a fortnight-long fuel shortage late last month. The country experienced another shortage between August and November last year.

The government has intensified its efforts to relocate refugees.

Recall that Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, the Minister of Homeland Security, directed all refugees living outside Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa to relocate back there from the 1st to the 15th of April, or the government would force them to do it. Last week, because of the order, the police arrested several hundred refugees in Lilongwe.

On Friday the 19th, local media revealed that Ng’oma had a meeting with officials from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (or UNHCR) to discuss the refugees’ relocation. The meeting was over four hours long.

Afterwards, Ng’oma and the UNHCR officials did not talk to the media. However, Brigadier General Charles Kalumo—the Director General for the Immigration Department — said Ng’oma was debunking myths and rumors that the UNHCR had heard concerning the relocation exercise. He told Malawians to “stand united to defend their country”. He hinted that a court case may arise from this issue and that the Ministry is ready to face it head-on.

On Tuesday the 23rd, activities at Mulungu Sanama Market in Mzuzu City came to a halt after the police and officers from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services raided the area to arrest refugees.

Local media reported that the police broke down a home which also doubled as a grocery store where some refugees had locked themselves in, in a bid to hide from the police. Trending pictures showed a woman with a baby on her back, and a young man with bags, seated in the back of a police mini-van.

On Wednesday the 24th, refugees living in Mangochi district also faced the same fate. Local news reported that the police and immigration officers in the district started arresting and relocating the foreign nationals in the early morning.

An undisclosed source said that over fifty refugees were arrested. They spent their night at Mangochi Stadium, awaiting to be relocated to Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

One picture from the Mangochi relocation exercise rocked social media. It shows an alleged Burundian man sitting in the back of a police van, throwing a middle finger at what people assume is the government.

The refugee relocation exercise has caused backlash, as these actions are considered xenophobic and an abuse of human rights. You can find some of the trending images in our show notes.

There have been recent advancements in the network sector.

On Friday the 19th, Michel Herbert, TNM’s Chief Executive Officer, unveiled that Telekom Networks Malawi (or TNM) has become the first mobile network operator to launch 5G internet services in Malawi. 5G is said to offer the fastest internet.

The news excited the public locals, who have been flocking to TNM to try out the 5G internet and test its speed.

On Monday the 22nd, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (or MACRA) shared more exciting news.

Daud Suleman, the Director General for MACRA, said that Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe are planning on establishing one network that will significantly lower the roaming costs of data within the region. Suleman and the Director Generals from the other countries had their first meeting on Monday the 22nd in Lilongwe. It was dubbed the “Single Digital Market Technical Meeting”.

Suleman said this development means Malawians will be charged local rates when they travel or make calls to Zambia, Zimbabwe or Botswana. He said they are working to ensure that they launch the initiative by August.

In a tragic update, the police in Machinga district are looking for a Standard Seven pupil from Chikweo Primary School on allegations that he might have killed a twelve-year-old who was in Standard Four at the same school.

Western Kansire, the Spokesperson for Machinga Police, said the two boys were in a relationship with the same girl. When they found out, they started fighting over her, and the deceased collapsed during the fight. He died upon arrival at the hospital, but his postmortem results revealed that he had malaria.

The public has had mixed views on this case, where some think the suspect had a hand in the deceased’s murder while others think he is not at fault.

On the flip side, another Primary School student is trending for producing his own version of a radio station.

Stuward Nankhumwa came into the limelight about two months ago after developing a WiFi device to help curb internet costs, which are mostly pricey. He even received a scholarship at the Malawi University of Science and Technology.

On Saturday the 22nd, the Zomba-based student got over four thousand likes after local media shared his radio station, which he says covers a six-kilometer radius in areas such as St. Mary’s, Namalaka and Zomba City.

On Tuesday the 23rd, many locals celebrated another inventor from Phalombe district.

Joshua John became popular a few months ago after he generated electricity using a tailoring machine, and a “power bank” that generated electricity for his household. He said the power bank could last eight hours.

This time around, he made local news after inventing a machine that makes juice from sugarcane.

He told local media that he has started his own company and is in the process of mass-producing his power bank for sale. He also said science has the potential to improve Malawians’ livelihoods if it is used wisely.

Finishing off this episode…Thousands of people in Mangochi gathered at Cape Maclear Primary School grounds to honor late hip-hop artist, Martse, who succumbed to burn wounds from a house fire last year. His family, through the Martse Foundation, organized the Martse Memorial Show on Sunday the 23rd, to mark the first anniversary of Martse’s death.

Pictures from the event show multitudes of people gathered on the ground, enjoying music from artists such as Krazie G and Hyphen.

Prior to the event, the Martse Foundation delivered desks to Cape Maclear Primary School, to honor a promise Martse made to the students there, but was unable to keep due to his untimely death.

On social media, fans shared their admiration for Martse and his talent.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! We want to hear from you! Write to us at malawi@rorshok.com

Pitani bwino!