An angry mob on wednesday night killed a police officer in Mbayani township in Blantyre. It has since been extablished that it was a case of mistaken identity.
National Police publicist, James Kadadzera has confirmed the incident and said, the deceased is a Sergeant, Harry Frank Mashonga.
National Police publicist James Kadadzera
Residents of Mbayani have disclosed to us, the mob had apprehended late Sergeant Mashonga after he was found on a roof of one of the houses in the location. Unaware of his intentions, neighbours apprehended him and on their way to police another group of residents intercepted them and brutally assaulted him to death.
According to Kadzadzera , more investigations are ongoing but in the mean time the body of the deceased is at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority ( MERA) says the fuel prices in the country will increase by February, 2022 due to an increase in fuel transportation costs and depreciation of Kwacha against major foreign currencies such as United States Dollar.
In a statement, the regulatory body says since the determination of the ruling prices in October, 2021, the Malawi Kwacha has slightly deprecated against the United States Dollar by 0.12%, from an average of K832. 49/USD to the current average of K824. 48/USD.
MERA Chief Henry Kachaje
On the other hand, MERA says the Free On Board ( FOB) prices of Petrol, Diesel and Paraffin have increased by 7.15%, 14. 87% and 15. 99% respectively.
” The combined effect of the performance of the key determinants may result in higher landed costs of petroleum products in the month of February, 2022. To date, the landed costs of Petrol, Diesel and Paraffin have increased by 6.04%, 13.35%, and 13.91% respectively.
As at 25th January, 2022, the Price Stabilization Fund( PSF) balances for Petrol, Diesel, and Paraffin averaged K0. 9 billion against the recommended minimum of K5 billion,” reads the statement.
MERA adds that under the Automatic Fuel Pricing Mechanism, pump prices qualify for an adjustment when the landed costs of petroleum products move beyond £ 5% trigger limit.
The body says, in the upcoming energy prices review, it will consider the following: changes in landed costs, the PSF status, the need to enable importing companies to recover importation costs, and the goal of promoting consumers’ interests with respect to fuel prices and continuity of supply.
The statement comes the time as the citizenry is nursing the wounds of high fuel prices, a development that has caused the prices of other goods and commodities go up.
In exercise of the powers coffered upon him by Section 94(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, President Lazarus Chakwera has appointed 12 initial cabinet Ministers with effect from Wednesday, January 26, 2022.
In his initial Cabinet, it is with a surprise that many Ministers have maintained their Ministerial positions such as Health Minister, Gender Minister, Agriculture Minister, Culture and Tourism Minister, Justice Minister Education Minister, just to mention some.
In a statement, Secretary to the President and Cabinet Zanga-zanga Chikhosi says, the rest of appointees to cabinet will be made soon owing to Chakwera’s simultaneou preoccupation with national emergency.
According to the statement, below is the list of 12 initial Cabinet Ministers:
1. Honorable Lobin C. Lowe, M.P., Minister of Agriculture 2. Honorable Michael Bizwick Usi, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife 3. Honorable Patricia Annie Kaliati, Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare 4. Honorable Titus Mvalo, Minister of Justice 5. Honorable Agnes Nyalonje, Minister of Education 6. Honorable Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, M.P, Minister of Health 7. Honorable Jacob Hara, M.P, Minister of Minister of Transport and Public Works 8. Honorable Blessings Darlo Chinsinga, Minister of Local Government 9. Honorable Vera Kamtukule, Minister of Labour 10. Honorable Abida Sidik Mia, M.P, Minister of Water and Sanitation 11. Honorable Mark Katsonga Phiri, M.P, Minister of Trade and Industry 12. Honorable Samuel Kawale M.P, Minister of Lands
The new cabinet comes barely few days after Chakwera dissolved his old cabinet.
Vendors plying their trade at Karonga Boma main market have given Karonga District Council a seven-day ultimatum to resolve grievances over market state threating to boycott paying market levy if the council fails to meet their demands.
According to a letter addressed to the council chairperson, Belliam Msukwa, which 247 Malawi News has seen indicates that the market committee has been wanting to present their grievances over the state of the market to the council but the later showed disinterest. “It was our intention to engage you on matters of the state of the market but since you are not interested to see us, this serves as a seven-day notice to your office to resolve them.
Failure to resolve them, the committee will mobilise all market vendors to boycott payment of market fee from Wednesday, February 2.” Reads part of the letter. The grievances include, floodlights that are not working due to failure of the council to purchase electricity units for floodlights, blackout over two years because the council is unable to replace a faulty fuse and failure of cleaners to ably clean the market and failure to remove waste from strategic bins.
When asked to comment on the matter, Msukwa asked for more time to see full content of the letter.
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has expressed its preparedness in dealing with disasters by activating early warning system clusters that deal with such issues in the prone areas.
Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs, Charles Kalemba, said in Lilongwe on Monday during a press briefing under the banner Government Faces the Press that the search and rescue cluster, headed by the Malawi Defence Force, has already been activated to be on alert.”We have all the necessary resources needed in terms of maize, equipment for search and rescue, boats among other things.”What we may not have now, if need arise, is the air equipment but we are sure that we will get assistance from our neighboring countries under SADC,” said Kalemba.
Deputy Director of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, Lucy Ntilatila, said the Cyclone is in Mozambique channel from where it is going to move towards Malawi particularly through Mulanje.She added that although the centre is far from Malawi, it has already started affecting the country and the effects are huge.
She, therefore, advised the public to move to safer and higher areas, avoid crossing flooded rivers and walking through running water as well as staying away from power lines and electrical wires among other measures to reduce damages due to disasters.
