Death has been announced of Malawi’s celebrated stage actor, Thlupego Chisiza.
Thlupego, 40, is reported to have died in Ndirande, Blantyre after he had complained about feeling weak.
He had just been diagnosed with diabetes.
According to his brother Tiwonge Chisiza, the actor was set to go back to the hospital this morning for another check up where he died suddenly.
The late Chsiza, in action
“He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital,” said Tiwonge.
However, burial arrangements will be announced later.
Thlupego was son to Malawi’s legendary actor the late Du Chisiza Junio.
The renowned actor contributed immensely to the growth of theatre and the creative sector in the country through his Lions Theatre.
He wrote several productions and recently, he joined forces with his brother Tiwonge to form Remnants Lions Theatre Company, with the aim of reaching out to the masses with theatre performances and movies.
Together, they were on the verge of premiering a film titled Belinda.
Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has arrived safely in Ghana where he is destined to attend the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which is convening its 30th Annual Meetings from 18 June, 2023.
The 30th Afreximbank Annual Meetings 2023 are slated to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre, under the banner “Delivering the Vision, Building Prosperity for Africans.”
Chakwera arrived in Ghana via Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
“We have arrived safely in Accra to a warm welcome from our hosts in readiness for the 30th annual meetings of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) from tomorrow. Our prime purpose here is to safeguard Malawi’s interests in trade and promote our economy as a viable investment destination. Another priority on our schedule is to lobby for a more sustainable debt management plan with Afreximbank as a pathway to restoration of the Extended Credit Facility with the International Monetary Fund. I am optimistic of positive outcomes from this tour of duty,” writes Chakwera on his official Facebook page.
He was cordially welcomed by a delegation of Ghanaian government officials, including High Commissioner to Malawi Khadija Iddrisu.
The bank has graciously underwritten the President’s travel expenses, furnishing both air transportation and accommodations.
Prior to his departure from Lilongwe, President Chakwera addressed members of the press, stating that during the annual meeting, heads of state and government representatives from member countries will convene to exchange insights on the progress, challenges, and future prospects of the bank, which was established 30 years prior.
President Chakwera’s journey also serves to fulfill assurances he previously made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team that he would personally engage with the bank to devise a debt repayment plan.
The IMF is keen to ascertain how the country intends to sustainably restructure its debt – a legacy bequeathed by the previous Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government – before it can be deemed eligible for the Extended Credit Facility (ECF).
A significant portion of the external debt with which the country is currently contending originates from Afreximbank and the Chinese Government.
Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has arrived safely in Ghana where he is destined to attend the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which is convening its 30th Annual Meetings from 18 June, 2023.
The 30th Afreximbank Annual Meetings 2023 are slated to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre, under the banner “Delivering the Vision, Building Prosperity for Africans.”
Chakwera arrived in Ghana via Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
“We have arrived safely in Accra to a warm welcome from our hosts in readiness for the 30th annual meetings of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) from tomorrow. Our prime purpose here is to safeguard Malawi’s interests in trade and promote our economy as a viable investment destination. Another priority on our schedule is to lobby for a more sustainable debt management plan with Afreximbank as a pathway to restoration of the Extended Credit Facility with the International Monetary Fund. I am optimistic of positive outcomes from this tour of duty,” writes Chakwera on his official Facebook page.
He was cordially welcomed by a delegation of Ghanaian government officials, including High Commissioner to Malawi Khadija Iddrisu.
The bank has graciously underwritten the President’s travel expenses, furnishing both air transportation and accommodations.
Prior to his departure from Lilongwe, President Chakwera addressed members of the press, stating that during the annual meeting, heads of state and government representatives from member countries will convene to exchange insights on the progress, challenges, and future prospects of the bank, which was established 30 years prior.
President Chakwera’s journey also serves to fulfill assurances he previously made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team that he would personally engage with the bank to devise a debt repayment plan.
The IMF is keen to ascertain how the country intends to sustainably restructure its debt – a legacy bequeathed by the previous Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government – before it can be deemed eligible for the Extended Credit Facility (ECF).
A significant portion of the external debt with which the country is currently contending originates from Afreximbank and the Chinese Government.
The prestigious Castel Challenge Cup got underway in Lilongwe after a stunning opening ceremony featuring a very entertaining ceremonial match between Silver Strikers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.
Silvers’ Uchizi Vunga was the hero of the day after scoring a brace to assist his team beat Bullets in a historical 5-goal thriller played at the Bingu National Stadium (BNS).
The central bankers scored their first goal just some seconds before half time through Tathedwa Willard.
Both sides started very well in the second half but it was Silver Strikers who got their second goal in the 55th minute through Uchizi Vunga.
Precious Phiri pulled one back for the People’s team to keep them back in the game with a beautiful finish after a lapse in Silver’s defence.
Hassan Kajoke leveled the scores with a beautiful finish in the 81st minute but the joy was short leaved as Vunga restored Silver’s lead just a minute later with a simple finish after beating an offside trap by Bullets.
Castel Malawi unveiled the K1 billion three-year sponsorship for Castel Challenge Cup with an aim of uplifting sports in the country.
For this year alone, Castel is pumping in over K320 million towards the cup.
The national champion will receive K50 million while the runners-up will get K25 million.
The two semi-finalists will walk away with MK10 million each while four quarter-finalists will get K5 million each.
The competition will start at district level where 31 district champions will receive MK750,000 each while 17 teams that will qualify from the regional level will get K1 million each.
A few weeks ago, Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Governor, Wilson Banda, disclosed that despite the bank making an operating profit of K93.6 billion in the last financial year, the May 2022 devaluation of the kwacha rapt its bottom line with close to K187 billion.
He also said Malawi’s foreign exchange (forex) is dwindling, a situation he said may pose challenges for the country to foot its foreign currency denominated bills.
Obviously, there is need for urgent measures to stop the hemorrhage of forex from the country and, at the same time, to come up with creative ways to generate the same. Looks like a black cat but it can be done.
There have been so many proclamations as to what Malawi must do to solve the forex conundrum. Various solutions have been thrown into the fray by different quarters. Why are we fixated at the same spot?
The most common of the solutions is that Malawi should start producing and exporting so that as a country, we start earning the much needed forex to prop-up our import cover as well as deal with various situations that require forex to solve.
In as much as this is the right way to go, we must accept that so many things are easier said than done. And I am not the only one saying this. It requires a lot of heavy lifting and often times, making unpopular decisions.
It is not ‘mission impossible’. The first thing that has to be done is to seal the loopholes that are causing forex to grow legs from this country. Forex flight from this country MUST be stopped or kept to a bare minimum.
FOREX THEFT
There is a lot of forex theft in Malawi, and to say that cases of smuggling are on the increase is an understatement.
According to recent reports, by the Global Financial Integrity (GFI), Malawi loses over $650 million (K650 billion) annually to illicit financial flows (IFFs) largely through trade misinvoicing.
This figure (K650 billion) is not small change and if put to right use, it can contribute significantly to the social and economic development of Mother Malawi.
MONEY LAUNDERING
Malawi will continue to suffer if significant progress will not be made to deal with the elephant in the room in as far as draining foreign exchange from this country is concerned.
The local press has always been flush with reports of investigations about companies that are mostly owned by Malawi residents of Asian (or Indian) origin.
These companies are often in the habit of using fake Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) documents and shell firms in the name of importing goods from outside the country while externalising foreign currency.
These people are obviously not patriotic and do not have the interest of Malawi at the top of their agenda. Given a chance, they will do everything to run down the country and leave it reeling.
OTHER SMALL WAYS
There are also numerous other small ways through which this country loses the forex that could otherwise have been used to procure important commodities integral to the social and economic development of the country.
For example, this country has just turned into a net importer of bananas, and more recently tomato from Tanzania and Zambia. Really? Does that mean we can’t produce our own tomato?
As a result of this, the Malawian economy continues to suffer in critical areas such as the lack of medicine in hospitals; and lack of forex to procure critical commodities such as fuel.
WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE
Obviously, to recover money lost in illicit trading, the first and most important step is to seal the loopholes. This can come in the form of reporting any suspicious activities that occur pointing to theft, money laundering or any other activities that would cause forex flight from the country.
In the case of Malawi, there have been so many calls from experts and even plebeians that it is high time we need to start producing as a country.
Kudos to the government of President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera for its effort to create an enabling environment for investment in key economic sectors such as agriculture, mining and tourism. The Malawi Vision 2063 is a perfect guide towards that economic nirvana, and if implemented faithfully, Malawi can take a quantum leap away from the current forex gridlock.
In the meantime, the government ought to take decisive action, not to prick small players in the peripheral, but to go for the real culprits who are really running down our economy.
DISCLAIMER: The author is writing in his personal capacity.
