Principal Resident Magistrate Roderick Michongwe has on Wednesday ordered Gusto Gadama, 55,to pay a fine of K3.4 million or in default serve 4 years in prison for operating higher education institutions and conferring higher education qualifications without the authority of National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).
Gadama who was convicted last week was accused of running unregistered universities, Cypres and Jerusalem Universities, which contravenes the higher learning act.
Gadama, fined
Making the ruling, Michongwe said Gadama was well aware of what is required to operate a university and offer higher education qualifications but he decided to go against the law.
The magistrate also said the conduct by Gadama saw a number of people losing money ‘as they paid for nothing’.
He said people were fooled to think they were qualified when actually they had no qualifications.
Michongwe therefore, went ahead to order Gadama to pay a fine of K1.7 million on each count or in default serve 2 years in prison for each count.
The custodial sentences are to run consecutively.
On her part, NCHE Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Ambumulire Phiri hailed the ruling saying it is a step in the right direction.
She said the sentence will send a lesson to other institutions that are operating without authority from Nche.
Music lovers in the country have been reacting to the death of renowned musician Katelere Ching’oma who died on Thursday morning in Lilongwe.
Music producer cum musician Stichfray described Katelele as a good friend, “Aah Rest in Peace my friend Katelele Ching’oma.. aaah 💔”.
One music follower Thumali Mulupi wrote, “I’m deeply concerned with the death of Katelele.My deepest condolences to the family and relatives. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
Rest thee well Katelele. Little did I know that it was our last chat the last time we guzzled together at Tikwiza. I will always cherish the fond memories of your beautiful and inspiring stories,” wrote another music fanatic Chrispin Moto.
According to Katelele’s brother Elvis, the ‘Ndiri Nawo Mwayi’ hit maker succumbed to a liver problem at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe in the early hours of Thursday.
Apart from ‘Ndiri nawo mwayi’, other popular songs by Katele include ‘Asowe’ and ‘Kuwoniwa’.
Former Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamveka’s recent appearance at the Rev. John Chilembwe commemoration arena left him not only with egg on his face but also exposed the depths of his political miscalculation. What seemed like an opportunity to garner admiration turned into an embarrassing display that showcased Mwanamveka making a fool of himself.
As the chairperson for the “Friends of John Chilembwe,” Mwanamveka was entrusted with the responsibility of honouring the legacy of a national hero. Unfortunately, he veered off course by engaging in political rhetoric, completely disregarding the solemn occasion.Â
Mwanamveka
While other speakers, including clergy members, focused on commemorating Chilembwe’s contributions, Mwanamveka used the platform for self-serving political purposes. One glaring error was Mwanamveka’s failure to acknowledge the distinguished presence of the President, the First Lady, and the Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. Such a basic courtesy should not have been overlooked, especially considering the gravity of the event.Â
It not only displayed a lack of respect but also highlighted Mwanamveka’s apparent disconnect with the significance of the occasion. Furthermore, Mwanamveka’s deviation from the commemorative spirit was evident when he unfolded a piece of paper containing names of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members who supposedly supported the event. This move not only diverted attention from the true purpose of the gathering but also exposed an attempt to politicise a ceremony meant for honouring a national hero.Â
It appeared as though Mwanamveka was more interested in promoting his political agenda than in genuinely paying tribute to Rev. John Chilembwe. Joseph Mwanamveka’s actions at the Rev. John Chilembwe commemoration not only fell short of the expected decorum but also demonstrated a lack of understanding of the gravity of the event. Instead of contributing to the legacy of a national hero, Mwanamveka chose to use the platform for political posturing, leaving observers with a taste of disappointment and a sense of the opportunity lost for genuine reflection and commemoration. Yet, to his surprise, Richard Chimwendo Banda, the Minister of Local Government, Unity, and Culture, was quietly observing his tantrums and ready to cut him down to size.Â
In his address, Chimwendo Banda skillfully avoided directly responding to Mwanamveka, dismantling his speech and portraying him as a fool. With compelling facts, Chimwendo Banda garnered a standing ovation from the audience. In the future, the Friends of John Chilembwe should designate a better spokesperson instead of Mwanamveka, who not only embarrassed himself but also the entire group he represented during the Rev. John Chilembwe Commemoration Day.
There are moments when Malawians can unite beyond political affiliations and Mwanamveka’s misstep was evident on one such occasion.
Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has listened to cries of people of Nkhata Bay Central Constituency.
When he visited Nkhata Bay to commission a water and sanitation project, the constituency’s lawmaker, Vuwa Kaunda, requested the Malawi leader to build the stadium for the district.
At the material time, Vuwa Kaunda observed that all neighboring districts of Rumphi, Karonga, Mzimba , Chitipa have own stadiums.
President Chakwera
Days after the request the contractor was already on the site. The commercement of the works follows another assurance which the Minister of Local Government Richard Chimwendo Banda made in Parliament.
In his response, Banda said President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is willing to see to it that the people of Nkhata Bay have access to conducive sports facilities.
Speaking in a separate interview, Vuwa Kaunda commended President Dr Chakwera for kickstarting the project.
Kaunda said the President has really listened to the cries of people from Nkhata Bay.
He said the stadium will go a long way in generating income for the district council and provide necessary recreation for communities.
Kaunda has since asked the President and his government for additional funding for the completion of the project in the forthcoming national budget.
Kaunda said with devaluation, the cost of building the stadium is likely to go up.
Contractor working on the project, Fumba Construction Company confirmed that the work is progressing well.
An official from the company said currently they are finishing terraces on open stands, leveling of ground, and completion of fence wire.
The state through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has asked the court to adjourned the summon proceeding of Paramount Holdings Limited (PHL) Directors in undisclosed criminal charges which was slated for Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate court.
In a court notice seen of a case number 868 of 2023, addressing the Chief Resident Magistrate court by DPP Masauko said the state needs to review and understand the contents of the summon before proceeding with criminal charges against PHL’s directors.
The court summons cases against the state and Prakashi Virji Ghedia, Arvindkumar Atit Patel, Suresh Khimji Jagatiya and Paramount Holdings Limited is yet to commerce.
This is the third time the state has failed to disclose summoning charges against PHL’s directors while keeping on resorting court adjournments.
The summon was firstly adjourned from August 11 to September 6, 2023, secondly from September 6 to January 17, 2024, and thirdly from January 17 to an undisclosed date.
In an interview with PHL’s lawyer Gift Katundu outside the court on Wednesday, he said that the summon proceedings failed due to two factors, including Chief Resident Magistrate absence and DPP’s plea for adjournment.
Katundu told journalists outside the court that “The defence team will keep on dancing to the state’ tunes within the time flame given.
“Thereafter, my client will take another step if the state fails to bring the case to light.”
Background
Paramount Holdings (PHL) Limited has been facing persecution from greedy and jealous competitors who have now resorted to creating and circulating fake news about the company.
Competitors’ greed and jealousy are the main driving force behind civil case 868 of 2023 in which PHL directors are being accused of making a false document showing that the company is an authorised dealer of Yamaha Motorcycles in Malawi, our investigations have revealed.
PHL is one of the leading and most reliable suppliers of agriculture implements and construction machinery and appointed dealer for Yamaha motorcycles and other Yamaha products in Malawi.
But since Yamaha Japan appointed the company as an authorized dealer of its products in Malawi, their competitors have been creating and circulating fake news aimed at nothing, but to tarnish the image of PHL and its directors.
This is despite the fact that PHL has been contributing significantly to the welfare of Malawians through donations to public health facilities and timely delivery of farm inputs in the Affordable Input Programme (AIP).
PHL was probably the first entity to heed a call from President Lazarus Chakwera to the corporate world to help in the renovation of Area 25 Health Centre in Lilongwe after it got vandalized by the angry Mgona residents early 2023.
It is the only company that donated state-of-the-art equipment to the facility.
A few months later, PHL sourced a modern ambulance, medical equipment and furniture from a Japanese company, Itochu Cooperation, and Takemoto Oil and Fat Co. Limited.
The ambulance and all the other supplies were donated to Therere Health Centre in the area of Senior Chief Ngabu in Chikwawa.
At the height of scarcity of NPK and UREA fertilizers in 2022, the company successfully assisted the government in securing a huge tonnage of the inputs, which were distributed to thousands of farmers where it was contracted to supply.
But despite all this goodwill, its competitors have not relented in persecuting it using propaganda and fake news designed to tarnish its image.
One of the PHL competitors Luthando Holding Limited alleged that the company is making false claims about its dealership for Yamaha Motor Company Ltd of Japan to the extent that they sought court injunction stopping Yamaha Motors Limited from dealing with Paramount Holdings.
This comes despite Yamaha Motors issuing certificate to PHL as a sole distributor, seller and importer of Yamaha products to Malawi.
Recently Luthando Holdings Limited last week used Stansfield Motors’ limited name with a bogus address last week to obtain an injunction stopping Yamaha Motor corporation from awarding sole dealership of Yamaha’s to Paramount Holdings.
This has been revealed when different lawyers with default judgements against disbanded Stansfield Motors frocked the High Court to learn on the physical address of Stansfield Motors as presented to the High Court.
It has been learnt that Luthando Holdings filed for the injunction using bogus address for Stansfield Motors limited that ceased to exist in 2019.
Stansfield Motors was declared bankruptcy for failing to pay bank loans of MK5 billion, consequently being closed and disbanded.
Currently, former Stansfield Motors workers are in court claiming their dues.
Luthando Holdings and its partners are bitter with the recent pronouncement of Japanese leading automobile manufacturer Yamaha Motors company by certifying PHL as a sole importer and seller of Yamaha products for Malawi.
