MALAWI: Voter Registration & more – 15th Oct 2024

Muli bwanji from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 15th of October twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

The Malawi Electoral Commission announced dates for the first phase of voter registration, in readiness for the twenty twenty-five presidential elections. According to social media posts by the Commission, they will start registering eligible voters on Monday the 21st, and finish the first phase on the 3rd of November. The voter registration centers will be open every day from 8 AM to 4 PM.

The Commission will cover several councils during the upcoming voter registration, including Chitipa, Karonga and Mzuzu in the north; Nkhotakota, Salima and Dedza in the central region; and Balaka, Neno and Mulanje in the south.

On another note, a new study discovered seventy new insects at the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. The entomological study, led by Professor Raymond Murphy, lasted for six months. During this period, Murphy said they collected over one thousand bugs.

David Nangoma, the Park Manager for the Reserve, told local news that nine of the seventy insects are completely new in Malawi. They don’t know the names of the new bugs yet, so they are planning on sending specimens to other countries to determine what they are called. Nonetheless, Nangoma said the presence of new insects in the country indicates Malawi’s ecosystem is healthy.

Airtel, one of Malawi’s biggest telecommunications companies, is under new management. On Thursday the 10th, local news said that Abdul Khayyum Shaik would begin his role as the Acting Managing Director for Airtel Malawi on the 1st of November, as the company waits to fill the role permanently. Shaik is a temporary replacement for Charles Kamoto, who has been leading the company since twenty sixteen. Kamoto is off to join Airtel in Tanzania in the same position.

This is the second time this year that a notable local has left the country to assume a new management role under the same company but in a new country. This might speak volumes about the country’s expertise but there are concerns that Malawi might lose its skilled workforce to other countries.

Unfortunately, Malawi is losing its skilled labor due to untimely deaths. On Wednesday the 9th, Casper Chalera died. He was the Deputy Inspector General of Malawi Police Services. According to local news, Chalera died on the night of Tuesday the 8th at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe. The news did not say what led to Chalera’s death, nor did they reveal details concerning his funeral proceedings.

Still, some people have taken to social media to share their condolences, since Chalera was no stranger in local news.

In more tragic developments, on Wednesday the 9th, Mussa Chiwaula passed away. He was one of the Founders of the Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi – which fights for the rights of disabled people.

Simon Munde, the current leader of the Federation, told local media that Chiwaula died in Botswana where he was working with an organization that advocated for the rights of disabled people in Southern Africa. He said Chiwaula was sick for a short time, but didn’t reveal what he was suffering from

In sports news Temwa Chawinga, a local footballer who plays for Kansas City in the US, scored her nineteenth goal for her tame in a game against Bay FC, making her the record scorer of the US National Women’s Soccer League in a single season. She achieved this in her first season in the league, and dethroned Chicago Red Stars’ Sam Kerr, who had held the record since twenty nineteen.

The news is huge, with international platforms like Supersport and ESPN Africa sharing the story.

Other platforms have noted the genius in Temwa and her older sister, Tabitha, who is a current nominee for the twenty twenty-four Ballon d’Or Feminin award. There is a trending video about it. To check it out, follow the link in our show notes!

Next up, Temwa, a local Amapian artist, was unveiled as the Ambassador for the twenty twenty-four Ecobank Day. Tidzi Chalamba, the Head of Brand, Marketing, and Corporate Communications at Ecobank, told local media that they believe that Temwa has the right influence to help them champion their theme, which revolves around the transformative power of artificial intelligence in improving basic education, literacy and numeracy skills in primary schools.

Artists teaming up with the corporate sector might show that the arts industry – which is still making its first steps – is growing.

Yet another feat was that of Irene Navicha - a student from the Malawi University of Science and Technology – who came out in second position during the Miss Culture Global in South Africa. She was preceded by Casey Esmeraldo from South Africa, who took first place, and followed by Cleof from the Phillippines.

Even though she didn’t win the title, her win might be worth celebrated as she put Malawi on the map.

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

We hope you're enjoying the Malawi update as much as we enjoy making it. Got thoughts, questions, or ideas? Send us an email at info@rorshok.com, and don’t forget to subscribe on your go-to podcast platform!

Pitani bwino!