Mighty Mukuru Wanderers Reserve are the champions of this year’s Southern Region Football Association (SFRA) Nyasa Capital Finance Cup following their 3-1 victory over Ntaja United on Sunday afternoon.
In a match played at Michongwe Primary school Ground in Ntaja, Machinga district, the young Nomads scored through Wallace Adam, Mayamiko Makasu and Stain Matengere.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President Freetwood Haiya and SFRA Chairperson Raphael Humba were among the notable guests that watched match.
The new year is just around the corner and many people have different expectations of the forthcoming coming year.
As we celebrate the new year, let’s also have a moment of silence for the souls of different entertainers that 2023 has robbed from us.
Just like any other year, this year Malawi said goodbye to some of its faves.
1. Tremour
In July this year, the country lost one of its promising music stars Victor Mwangobola who was using the moniker ‘Tremour’ in music circles.
Tremour died on July 30, 2023 after being involved in road traffic accident.
Tremour was indeed heading towards becoming one of the biggest musicians in the country and he died at a time when he started receiving recognition by many Malawians.
Despite not being amongst us, Malawians are still enjoying some of his greatest hits like Mpanipani, Golide mu Moto and Mudzi.
2.Thomas Chibade
Thomas Chibade
2023 will also be remembered as the year the country lost one of its greatest musicians in the name of Thomas Chibade.
Chibade died on October 18 at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe following a liver problems.
The musician became a house hold name in the early 2000’s after the release of his hit songs ‘Ulova’, ‘Mau Anga’ and Freedom Fighter.
3. Atoht Manje
A Week before Chibade’s death, the country also lost one of the greatest music stars Atoht Manje popular for his M’bwiza and Maganje touch.
Born Elias Missi on September 1, 1989, Atoht Manje died in Rumphi soon after his performance at University of Livingstonia.
Few week before his death,Atoht Manje released ‘Nchape’, a song which is still enjoying massive airplay in different places across the country complementing the fact that the artist was not just an ordinary musician.
Apart from Nchape, some of Atoht Manje’s popular songs include; Che-Patuma,Majelasi, Unanditani, Munthu, Tizipepeseko, Huwa, Woyo-woyo, Ndalama and Mwana Phuliphuli. Atoht will be mostly remembered for promoting culture through his music.
Just when everyone thought that this year’s December was going to be a better one as compared to the previous one, death reared it’s ugly head on our music seen again.
4.Jafali Thom
Jafali Thom
This time around, death robed us Jafali Thom, the band leader of a three-man band ‘Fikisa’ popular for their hit songs ‘Ademwiche’ popularly known as ‘Akamwire’, Walume Wawiwu, Nantchengwa and Loto La Farao.
Thom died on 18 December in Ntaja, Machinga district after suffering from Asthma and was laid to rest the following day at his home village, Nandumbo in Ulongwe, Balaka district.
5.Thlupego Chisiza
Chisiza
Death did not only hit the music industry in 2023. Theatre industry was also hit by a big tragedy following the death of a renowned actor, playwrighter, director and dancer Thlupego Chisiza in June.
Chisiza was the founder of Lions Theatre and later joined forces with his brother Tiwonge to form The Remnants Lions Theatre Company.
By the time of his death, Thlupego and his brother were on the verge of premiering a film titled Belinda.
6.Kumbukani Banya Lungu
Kumbukani Banya Lungu
The former defender for Nyasa Bullets football club Kumbukani Lungu died in July Commonly known by his nickname “Banya” he was staying in South Africa where killed by unknown thugs.
7.John Zenasi Ungapake Tembo
Tembo
Veteran politician and former Leader of Malawi Congress Party John Zenus Ungapake Tembo. died at the age of 91 while receiving medical treatment at Lilongwe City Clinic in Lilongwe in September
8.Thuso Paipi
Thuso Paipo
Former Silver Strikers football star Thuso Paipi died in September
He died after short illness at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
9.Goodall Gondwe
Goodall Gondwe
Former Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe, who was also northern region Vice President for the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) died in August
Arguably the most successful Finance Minister Malawi ever had, Goddall was well respected across all sections of the political spectrum
10.Gogo Mlewa
Gogo Mlewa
Malawi is paying tribute to Gogo Mlewa, following the death of the veteran actress at the age of 90.
Gogo Mlewa, real-name, Leya Ketrina Aziyele Mlewa, died peacefully in Lilongwe after a long illness.
She became very famous in 2020, because of her trending comedy skits with her Nephew, Yona Kanga-Kantwera
11.Thandi Kasiya
Footballer Thandi Kasiya
Former Malawi National Women’s Football team and Nyasa Big Bullets Women FC player Thandi Kasiya died in March
She died at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre after a short illness.
12.Lemekeza Phiri
One of the country’s long- serving music producers and pianists Lemekeza Phiri died in February
He died in India where he went to seek medical help
13.McFarlane Mbewe
McFarlane Mbewe
Journalist MacFarlane Mbewe who Shot to the limelight with his “I love your earrings’ comment made to former Malawi Electoral Commission Chairlady Jane Ansah died in February
Mbewe died at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHES) after collapsing while making a presentation in a suspected cardiac arrest
As we wind up the year 2023, we say farewell to all of these fallen stars and others we have lost this year.
We thank them for the positive impacts they’ve had on our lives and pray for their beautiful souls to continue resting in peace.
President of Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party ( MRP) Bantu Saunders Jumah, on 28TH December, 2023 turned 59th birthday urging all Malawians regardless of their political party affiliations to welcome 2024 as a year of total liberation of the country through the Revolution.
Muvi wa Chilungamo followers in Malawi, patriots for Malawi, friends and millions of people that are tuning in to Mindset Change episodes, have been showering messages of best wishes to Bantu Saunders Jumah with words of encouragement that change is coming in Malawi.
Jumah
Responding to comments of wishing him well, Jumah has thanked all that have sent their best wishes to him and Muvi wa Chilungamo that changing Malawi is not a one man’s job, it requires many advising Malawians that in unity there is power demanding all to work together till Malawi is changed.
“It is everyone’s responsibility as citizens to join hands to liberate Malawi from the hands of those that are not wishing the country well,” reads Jumah’s response in an audio clip.
And writing in a statement, Jumah says on his 59th birthday, he is dedicating his entire remaining years to do anything and everything in his power to see Malawi a nation of hope, a nation of prosperity, and a nation of all people.
Jumah says the people’s birthday wishes have fueled him to raise the aspiration for totalization of independence, freedom and patriotism on the mother-Malawi saying Malawians must be united and joined as a whole not divided saying this delays development.
He urged Malawians that in their lifetime, they must make attain her economic freedom which will be felt, tasted and seen by all citizens regardless of race, class, tribe or religion promising Malawians that the best wishes will no go in vain from the expectations and hopes they have in him.
“Your keenness to see what I see, to know what I know, to work with me so that the dream of Malawi becomes Qatar of Africa, thoughts are things and they can bring you to a reality,” reads part of Jumah’s statement on the wall..
A security journalist Ephraim Mkali Banda and a security expert Sherrif Kayisi have called on District Commissioners across the country to use officers of the National Intelligence Services (NIS) to monitor implementation of all projects at the district level.
Journalist Mkali Banda has observed that District Commissioners do not use the NIS for their reasons best explained by themselves reminding them that in countries which are fast developing, NIS officers are used to the fullest to monitor projects.
Ephraim Mkali Banda… there’s no security to monitor projects in District Council offices….
He claimed that at the district level, there are substandard buildings, uncompleted projects, projects on paper saying all these are happening because there is no security to look after these projects resulting to contractors pocketing millions of Kwachas from government for unfinished projects.
The Security journalist said for any development project to be in the interest of all, security must be intact saying projects are being implemented at a district level without the project committees describing this as a worrisome development.
He said during the reign of Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, the National Intelligence Services (NIS) formerly National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) was fully used by District Commissioners in monitoring development.
Mkali Banda said today, besides the NIS being in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) receiving a special vote in the National Assembly for funding, has its officers at the District Council offices not provided with resources such as a vehicles to carry out their daily work activities.
He claimed that during Kamuzu Banda’s rule, officers of the NIS were highly respected for the District Commissioners to perform their work at ease advising District Commissioners to work with officers of the NIS in all of the projects at the district council.
The Security journalist said the NIS is a very important office feeding the Malawi Defense Force (MDF), Malawi Police Service (MPS) and all security organs with information including the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) hence a great need to provide this office with enough resources.
Mkali Banda has given a good example of Tanzania where the country is advancing in development saying the government there uses much the (TIS), he further said the department is fully funded with enough resources including vehicles at a district level.
The Security Journalist has noted that the DC’s in Malawi needs the intervation of NIS when they have created problems, a thing which he says should not be happing.
The DC is president of the district ( He represent the office of the president) no wonder during Kamuzu time DC’s were untitled to security dide.
“NIS needs resources such as vehicles, motorcycles for its efficiency to monitor all projects at the district level,” said Mkali Banda.
Security expert Sheriff Kayisi has conquered with what the security journalist has said.
” Let me agree to what the journalist has said if the department can be used to the fullest issues of mismanagement of funds in councils, poor projects, said Kayisi
The security Journalist says if the department can be used to the fullest, issues of mismanagement, abuse and embezzlement of funds in Council’s in addition to poor projects implementations, will be history of yesterday.
It is widely believed that the courts are the final arbitrators of justice between the aggrieved parties in our society.
Assumptions are also always held among members of the general public that they can get fair and just verdict from our judicial system.
Unfortunately, the truth is that as human beings, magistrates, judges and justices in our court system are prone to bias and error too. They are literally not infallible.
This is why most verdicts delivered in the lower courts are appealable to a higher court. Even at the Supreme Court of appeal, the finality of their verdicts does not imply their infallibility.
What has caught my profound curiosity is the way the courts have been running the affairs of the main opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Full of Court battles-DPP
It seems like our judicial system is so much privileged that it is on the driving seat of DPP machinery.
Firstly, the Constitutional court hereinafter referred to as Concourt, annulled 2019 presidential elections which Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) won, although there was no evidence of rigging. Even international observers had endorsed such elections as being free and fair.
It is pathetic that Concourt’s verdict was only based on mere presence of electoral irregularities which were not proved to have affected any presidential candidate’s votes.
Secondly, the Concourt goofed by faulting the victor of 2019 presidential elections that he did not meet the 50%+1 majority when all previous presidents were elected based on a simple past-the-post strategy as endorsed previously by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Obviously, the 50%+1 Concourt’s interpretation of the Constitutional term ‘majority’ could not have been applied retrospectively.
Thirdly, the Supreme Court of Appeal sustained the Concourt’s verdict even though it was aware that it had made serious legal errors such as a fallacious argumentum ad dictionarium on the interpretation of the term ‘majority’ and nullifying legitimate presidential elections where there was no evidence that electoral irregularities had affected the candidates’ votes.
Fourthly, the court granted an injunction to sustain Kondwani Nankhumwa as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament although there were irregularities in his appointment as there was ample evidence that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs. Catherine Gotani Hara, was directly and single-handedly involved in handpicking Kondwani Nankhumwa.
Fifthly, it was unfathomable and illogical when the High Court ruled that an inquorate panel of Malawi Electoral Commissioners (MEC) did not affect the legitimacy of 2020 fresh presidential elections.
The truth of the matter is that MEC that presided over the 2020 fresh presidential elections did not form a quorum, if Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda’s illogical judgment is to go by. Therefore, the formulation of MEC commissioners then was supposed to be rendered unconstitutional.
For sure, unconstitutional MEC had no constitutional mandate to determine the winner of 2020 fresh presidential elections.
A rerun of 2020 presidential elections could have been a fair and just verdict.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court of Appeal again sustained the High court’s verdict that the 2020 fresh presidential elections could not be nullified.
Sixthly, there is an attempt by the court to resolve the DPP internal squabbles by providing legal solutions. However, political wrangles require political solutions.
Ironically, the same court goofed by providing political solutions to a legal electoral quagmire by nullifying 2019 presidential elections when it admitted that it did not find evidence that electoral irregularities had affected the candidates’ votes. It looks like our judicial system is a scam.
It is not true that internal squabbles in DPP can only be addressed by litigation. There are other avenues of resolving conflicts.
Thomas-Kilmann model, identifies five different approaches to conflict resolution vis a vis avoiding, competing, accommodating, collaborating and compromising.
It is my hope that the DPP leadership and its members can consider these five conflict resolution approaches before taking their disagreements to court.
The DPP as a party must accept that there is a conflict of power struggle between Kondwani Nankhumwa and Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika. It must not ignore this quandary.
Perhaps, the two presidential aspirants they tried to avoid each other for a long time but then they discovered that it didn’t work out.
As it is on the ground, Kondwani Nankhumwa is directly competing head-on with APM. They are both using a win-lose strategy as means of conflict resolution management.
Kondwani’s strength is the favour he gets from our courts while APM’S privilege is the DPP constitution and moral support from some sect of the party.
In my view, the DPP must go further to implement accommodating, collaborative and compromising conflict resolution strategies.
Accommodating conflict resolution technique demands that one party to the conflict must be prepared to lose for the sake of maintaining cordial relationships. That is why it is called a win-lose strategy.
In this case, I implore Kondwani Nankhumwa, as an upcoming, youthful and vibrant political figure to pave way for his incumbent party president, Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika.
Another suggested pragmatic approach to the conundrum rocking DPP is the collaborating strategy also known as a win-win strategy.
In this scenario, both Peter Mutharika and Kondwani Nankhumwa can sit on a round table to discuss all the possibilities till both contesting parties accept a mutually agreed solution.
Lastly, both Kondwani and Peter must be prepared to lose their egos. This is called a lose-lose strategy or a compromising conflict resolution technique.
For example, both Kondwani and Peter can forgo their presidential ambitions paving way for other aspirants to compete amongst themselves.
In conclusion, this article has delved into various ways in which the leadership of DPP can initiate dialogue with aggrieved parties by bypassing avoiding and competing conflict resolution approaches while employing accommodating, collaborating and compromising conflict resolution techniques.
Members of DPP are strongly advised that litigation should be the last resort because it is not the mandate of the court to run the affairs of a political party However, the court has a discretion to be a legal arbitrator between the warring forces in DPP.
