Torrential Rain & more – 30th Nov 2023

Muli bwanji from BA! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 30th of November twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

On Tuesday the 28th, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services said heavy rains that may cause flash flooding will pour down in several areas in the Central, Northern and Lakeshore regions.

They were correct when they announced the rains might start on Wednesday the 29th. The Department said rainfall would worsen significantly, but they also predicted that the weather would stabilize on Friday the 30th. They told locals to also anticipate thunderstorms and strong winds.

So far, heavy rains have started in areas such as Lilongwe in the Central region, but it has brought locals a lot of joy since it means that the farmers' planting season has begun. This is great for the country’s economy since it relies heavily on agriculture.

On Monday the 27th, the National Reference Laboratory confirmed a case of anthrax in the north, in Mzimba district.

Anthrax commonly affects livestock such as cattle, but humans can also contract it if they come in contact with affected animals or animal products such as meat or hide. Luckily, it cannot be transmitted from one person to another.

Nonetheless, the Ministry of Health has assured that it is working closely with the Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development, the World Health Organization, and local healthcare professionals to monitor the country and the patient.

In much more positive news, Malawi has successfully stopped further transmissions of polio. Malawi started registering polio cases early last year, and the Ministry of Health held several vaccination campaigns to contain and eradicate it.

On Saturday the 25th, an international Outbreak Response Assessment (or OBRA) team congratulated Malawi for successfully stopping further polio transmission in the country.

Halima Daud, the Deputy Minister of Health, appreciated a third eye on their efforts to get an accurate picture of their performance.

However, the OBRA team has urged Malawi not to relent in its efforts as polio could still be imported from neighboring countries.

Moving on, in his national address after the Kwacha devaluation, President Chakwera hinted at employees needing pay raises, but Wilson Banda, the Governor of the Reserve Bank (or RBM) doesn’t seem too happy about that.

On Friday the 24th, Banda said salary increases could worsen inflation, trigger job losses, add pressure on the national budget, and create a deficit in resources.

In response, the Malawi Congress of Trade Union accused Banda of wanting workers to be on the receiving end of the economic turmoil. They’re demanding that the government increase the country’s minimum wage of 100 thousand Kwacha or roughly sixty dollars by 44% — the rate at which the Kwacha was devalued.

Meanwhile, locals feel they deserve more pay. On Monday the 27th, some employees working in Lilongwe with the Head Office for the United Nations Development Programme (or UNDP) held a sit-in to demand a pay rise. They cited the Kwacha devaluation, saying it has triggered an absurd increase in the prices of commodities.

The last update on the matter was that the workers were waiting for officials to address them.

Some locals were shocked to learn that people working with international organizations don’t get paid in forex.

In his national address, President Chakwera also introduced austerity measures that, among others, banned government officials from taking international trips. But, Michael Usi, the Minister of Natural Resources, will attend the Conference of the Parties (or CoP) in the United Arab Emirates from Thursday the 30th to the 12th of December. He will go with 153 delegates.

On Tuesday the 28th, Usi told local media that UN agencies and the private sector were sponsoring the trip. However, his statement was put into question, with many citizens not believing him.

The government’s concern for locals remains under scrutiny, especially now that it is sending over five thousand youths to work on Israeli farms. The farms reportedly need over twenty thousand workers, since most were evacuated after the Israel-Hamas war started.

On Saturday the 25th, an Israeli plane arrived in Lilongwe and picked up over 200 youths. But their contract has dubious terms, such as a warning that they may get injured in the wake of the war, and will be repatriated if they have any relatives living in Isreal. The news has left several locals puzzled, but others said it will help Malawi’s unemployment rates.

Moses Kunkuyu, the Information Minister, said it is part of the government’s ongoing program to provide employment for youths. He said Israel assured Malawi that its citizens will work in war-free zones.

Next up, several companies on the Malawi Stock Exchange have registered losses in share prices. Some of the affected companies are Airtel Malawi, Telekom Networks Malawi, the First Discount House Bank, among others. For instance, between Thursday the 23rd and Tuesday the 28th, Airtel’s shares dropped to about eighty-seven Kwacha or three dollars and sixty-seven cents, from ninety-three Kwacha or three dollars and ninety-two cents.

However, the Financial Market Dealers Association has said not to worry. James Mbingwa, its General Secretary, said the loss in share prices is merely a market correction following the Kwacha devaluation.

Still on news about shares, NBS Bank announced dates for its second interim dividend of over three billion Kwacha or 1.8 million dollars. This translates to a little over one Kwacha per share.

Their statement, dated Friday the 24th, said that shareholders who are recorded in the members’ register by the 8th of December will be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 29th of December.

If you aren’t on the member’s list but would like to receive dividends from the second interim, you have until Wednesday the 6th of December to register for the ex-dividends, as the shares will start trading without their subsequent dividend value then.

The National Registration Bureau will not be available until next Monday.

On Wednesday the 29th, the Bureau released a statement notifying the public of a system upgrade that they are conducting. They are installing new servers and ancillary equipment at the data center that hosts their National Registration and Identification System. They said their System Migration will run from Wednesday the 29th to Friday the 1st of December, and that there will be intermittent disruptions in their network performance until after their upgrade is finalized.

To be on the safe side, put any business you have with the Bureau on hold for the rest of the week.

Aspiring legal practitioners have a new school to consider, now that the Malawi University of Business and Applied Science (or MUBAS) is offering law degrees.

This makes MUBAS the third Malawian university to offer the prestigious degrees, after the University of Malawi, which was the sole provider of law degrees until twenty twenty-one, when the Catholic University became accredited to offer them too.

The news came out on Friday the 24th when MUBAS announced its call for applicants for the twenty twenty-three/twenty twenty-four academic year.

And to close this edition, controversial Pastor Hastings Salanje was kidnapped. Rumors about the incident started circulating on social media on Sunday the 26th, but they were only confirmed on Tuesday the 28th, after his church—God’s Chapel Global Church—released a statement.

According to the docuemnt, on Sunday the 26th, the church leaders were holding a meeting at around 6 PM, when some men posing as Interpol entered the boardroom and took Pastor Salanje with them. That was the last they saw or heard from him.

The church authorities have reported the matter to the police, and have asked their members and other followers of Pastor Salanje to remain calm and keep him in their prayers.

Aaaand that’s it for this week. Remember you can buy one of our really cool and environmentally friendly T-shirts! They are made of 100% unbleached organic cotton, grown and ginned in Texas, spun and knit in the Carolinas, and sewn and printed in Missouri. To buy one, follow the link in our show notes.

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Pitani bwino!