Report reaching our desk suggest that Health Minister
Jappie Mhango has gone into quarantine over suspected Covid19. It is reported
that the minster tested positive to Corona Virus today at Kamuzu Central
hospital
Mhango has been complaining of having high mild fever since
Wednesday. He then developed high
temperatures and struggling to sleep. After being convinced that he has all the
symptoms of corona virus, Mhango took himself into isolation. He has now gone
into quarantine
Health Minister Jappie Mhango
Mhango has been at the forefront of covi19 fight in Malawi.
Numbers of cases are said to be on the increase although Government has failed
to back its claims. Some of the people that have been classified as Covid19
have vehemently denied that they were tasted at all.
Mhango is now in isolation at his home in Area 47 in Lilongwe. Mhango’s case come as rumours are rife that President Mutharika has cut his public appearances to avoid exposing himself to the virus and others are saying he too is not feeling well
There has been running battles at prisons facilities in Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu where the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers and Malawi police are fighting with the striking prison officers have blocked the roads leading to the prison. However, at Maula Prison in Lilongwe the situation has been calm.
The junior prison officers who have been holding their sit-in strike since Thursday are demanding for promotions, general welfare and their inclusion in the National Response to Coronavirus. as it has done with the MDF, Police and Immigration department.
“We receive about 10 to 15 new prisoners every day but they are not even quarantined , we only check their temperature, ” said the Mzuzu prison spokesperson Macbirth Wasambo in an interview.
Prison warders and army clash
Wasambo also highlighted that government is yet to honor its decision of pardoning some prisoners to ensure social distance prevention measure.
In Zomba, army soldiers started beating prison officers in order to disperse them.
After managing to disperse them, the soldiers are the ones guarding the prison premises.
The warders warned that they would only resume work once government through the Ministry of Homeland Security responds to their demands dating back to 2017.
“Our colleagues in other security institutions like Malawi Defence Force, Malawi Police Service are promoted every year and I fail to understand why it is so difficult for us,” said one of the warders speaking on condition of anonymity.
“I have worked on the same position for 34 years now and what explanation could be given for such stagnation. What we need now are promotions and not dialogues,” he said.
On the risk allowance, the warders said, just like health workers, they too, are subjected to a group of people who might be infected by the coronavirus.
While government allocated funds to Malawi Defence Force, Malawi Police Service and Immigration Department from the National Response to Coronavirus, prison officer were sidelined, a development that irked the officers and triggered the strike.
Malawi Prison Spokesperson, Chimwemwe Shaba said the prison management would do its best to make sure that the concerns of the warders are addressed so that the situation could to normal.
Malawi Inspectorate of Prisons has recommended the release of 184 inmates but the warders will not release them until their grievances are addressed.
Malawi has up until Wednesday next week to learn if injuction on lockdown will be upheld. Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda is expected to make a ruling next week Wednesday April 29 2020 after hearing the application by Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) on Friday as the Attorney General formally expressed its intention not to contest or vacate the injunction.
This means the injunction on lockdown which HRDC obtained to gether with Church and Society Programme of CCAP Livingstonia Synod, legislator Kezzie Msukwa, will remain active until when Judge Nyirenda is expected to make a ruling on the application by claimants.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda
On Friday, Judge Nyirenda heard arguments from the claimants who among others want the state to bear the costs of the case as well as condemn Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale on his approach to the case.
The Attorney General withdrew the challenge on the case at the 11th hour, saying said government already performed its duty by announcing the lockdown.
“We believe all the information needed to make the right decision is in the public domain. The virus is not out there playing games,” said Kaphale.
The government wants a three-weeks strict lockdown measures to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Citizens are now asked, not ordered, to act in ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Most people in Malawi found the lockdown outlook more terrifying than the disease, though they acknowledged that Covid-19 is a serious challenge.
HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence has faulted government planning a lockdown without properly considering the impacts on the poor.
The youthful and energetic Kokoliliko
group has continued its efforts in sensitizing people about the dangers of
Covid19. The group, a chapter of the
opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has travelled in many places so far teaching the locals on the need to practice safe hygiene in order
to minimize the spread of the deadly virus
Earlier on Wednesday the group took a
long trip across a few villages in Mchinji . They had time to civic educate the
locals about Covid19. They also made a
donation whereby 30 cartons of soap was distributed for the locals to use to
wash their hands.
Kokoliliko , have in the recent weeks
focused more on coronavirus after seeing
the damage that the pandemic can do to Malawi.
A campaign called Corona Virus Awareness Campaign is currently underway. According to the statement from the group “ Covid19
is a real threat and soap is a necessity across many villages in Malawi. We would
love to have as many people access soap to wash their hands” reads the
statement.
Kokoliko soap distribution
Kokoliliko is also using this
opportunity to encourage people to register so that they can vote in the
forthcoming elections. “We are also trying to encourage people to register and vote in the next presidential elections” Malawi is due to have Presidential elections which
are facing the threat of voter apathy as well as new threats such as Covid19.
According to health authorities, Malawi
has now 23 known Covid19 cases with 2 people dead so far. Malawi Congress Party
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has himself been to some areas to distribute
protective equipment and hand sanitizers to some health centres.
Kokoliliko relies on well-wishers and volunteers . For information on how people can get involved, the group encourages people to visit their website on WWW.KOKOLILIKO.COM
The chaotic handling of the management of Covid19 pandemic in Malawi continues to divide opinions. With government attempts to begin a 21 day lockdown facing an Injunction that was obtained by Human Rights Defenders Coalition(HRDC), the chairperson of the Defence and Security Select committee in Parliament Dr Ken Zikhale Ngoma has released a statement on his take on the issue.
In his statement Dr Zikhale has largely criticized the government on its
handling of the attempts to have a lockdown in Malawi. He has also accused the DPP regime of politicizing
a pandemic that was meant to have been handled by public health concern for all
and should have involved all stakeholders including the opposition parties. He
said he expected that the executive could set a
committee that will involve opposition just like South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa did by inviting Julius Malema from the opposition.
“Malawians expected that the Mutharika regime would be exemplary in the manner
it could handle issues of National importance. Surprisingly, the adverse is the
case where a political party with only 13 percent of support in the country is
trying to dominate the entire operations, a move that has raised eyebrows of
the 97 percent of the populations who do not respect DPP as government” reads
the statement.
Dr Ken Zikhale Ng’oma with MCP president Dr Lazarus Chakwera donating Covid19 protective equipment
Zikhale has also been critical of the government for bypassing parliament
in its dealings claiming that the executive decided to use a short cut in
handling this pandemic by declaring it as a national disaster without seeking
mandate from Parliament which is another arm of government.
Instead of involving parliament government opted for DPP royalist and
new Ministers to handle such a magnitude concern. Through them they opted for
doctors of their sympathy and started to spend resources in relation to the
Pandemic without following normal procedures and bypassing parliament that mandates
government to borrow money that will suffice to control the situation. We need
clean recording where subcommittee comprising of all quarters of Malawians,
like opposition and NGOs that are independent should produce and tell the
nation realities
Set subcommittee will ensure that and resources are accounted for and statistics published for Malawians to see for themselves the use of their donor and tax payers money” argues Zikhale
Zikhale has expressed how sad the situation is when many DPP affiliated
groups, unregistered as Private and Public Partners, have had access to
resources just because of their personal relationships side-lining those
with specialties to handle such matters
On government preparation for the lockdown, Zikhale expressed the
procedures that should have been followed “According to our constitution this
issue could have attracted what we call state of emergency to give government
power to use army and police to apply force for a lockdown
One wonders which section in the constitution they will use to engage
the army and police?.
Where will these institutions get the power to force Malawians to lock
down for 21days, will it be through a regulation from a department of health?”
Health Minister Jappie Mhango: giving his Covid19 updates
The Nkhatabay South legislator,
who is also opposition Malawi Congress Party Chief strategist has described what the government is doing as
unconstitutional as the regulation time limit for a disasters, does not exceed
7 days hence the Executive is required to call for an emergency parliament to
seek the mandate to do.
He has also questioned the government,
the strategy used is not complete to quantity application of 21days lockdown
Zikhale says he expects the president to call for an emergency
parliament to regulate Corona virus operations and procedures
He urged the government and ministry of health to look critically at measures
they are proposing for the lockdown. “ A
number of factors need to be considered
so that Malawians should be helped. , the levels of economy whether is
supportive or not, levels of poverty in the country considering the fact that Malawians
leave under a Dollar per day, their risks to malnourishment that could be
caused by not having access to balanced diet with vitamins proteins iron
and other minerals within the 21days lockdown which could result to more deaths”
He also added that other aspects of life such as spiritual, pregnant women and
those with other underlying issues such as HIV, diabetes should be considered prior to a lockdown
being implemented
