National Statistics Office(NSO) has announced that the annual inflation rate in the country has increased to 33.1 percent from the previous month’s rate of 26.9 percent.
This is the highest inflation rate recorded since January 2023.
However, the year-on-year rate stands at 25.9 percent.
According to NSO, the inflation rate has been steadily rising in the past few months, reaching 26.7 percent in February, 27 percent in March, 28 percent in April, and 29.2 percent in May.
Commenting on this, an economic expert, Colleen Kaluwa attributed the hyper-inflation to the scarcity of food and the increasing fuel prices in the country.
Kaluwa suggested that the government should prioritize the implementation of railway lines to facilitate fuel transportation.
Kaluwa also urged the commercial banks in the country to lower the interest rates charged to the business community which could potentially provide some relief to businesses struggling with the high inflation rates.
Earlier, projections by the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) estimated the average annual inflation rate for 2023 to be 28.2 percent.
However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised their projection for Malawi’s average inflation in 2023 to 30.3 percent from the initial estimate of 24.8 percent.
Government social and political commentator Raymond Likambale has hailed President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera led Government for food distribution during this critical time of the season.
Likambale said this will help citizens who are suffering from hunger following cyclone devastation.
Likambale said there are more people affected by hunger than the estimated 4 million.
“Let the Government finds additional resources and reach out to all those affected, ” he said.
Likambale appealed to the Government to distribute maize to only those in need of such assistance.
Chakwera, through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in collaboration with various development and humanitarian partners, started providing food assistance in November this year.
Likambale
The program is under the 2023-24 Malawi Vunerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme and targets more than 4.4 million Malawians in all the 28 districts and four cities of the country.
Districts for the initial delivery include Machinga, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nkhotakota and Ntcheu Districts. President Chakwera has been speaking that no one will die of hunger in Malawi.
An estimated 4.4 million Malawians are likely to face hunger in the 2023/24 consumption period, representing 22 percent of the country’s projected population of 19.6 million. Malawi Government committed K167.55 billion for support mechanisms.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) annual food security assessment results shows that the current projection represents a 15 percent increase compared to the previous consumption period when 3.9 million people faced hunger.
The report came at a time when there is maize scarcity on the market which has led some traders to sell a 50 kilogramme bag of the staple grain at prices ranging from K30 000 to K40 000.
Reads Mvac’s Report: “In order to protect livelihoods, the vulnerable population will require humanitarian food assistance that has been estimated at 219,023 metric tonnes [MT] of maize with an estimated cash value of K167.55 billion.
“The food assistance will be required for a period ranging from two to six months.”
Out of the estimated food insecure population, 470 000 are from the four cities of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu while 3.9 million are from rural areas across the country.
Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s court has on December 29, 2023 convicted and sentenced a 40-year-old Prophet and founder of Supernatural Embassy Ministry, Christopher Phiri for having sexual activity with his 16-year-old biological daughter.
During court proceedings, Mangochi Police Station Prosecution Officer Inspector Amos Mwase jointly with Brenda Khwale, Counsel for Centre for Human Rights, Education, Advice and Assistant and Rehabilitation (CHREAA) told court that, Phiri committed the an abominable act between September to November, 2023, at Kela village under Traditional Authority Mponda in the district.
Prophet Phiri to serve jail
The victim had been staying with her mother after her parents divorced when she was 2-years old until September this year when the convict requested the victim to be staying with him.
The court also heard that earlier in November, rumours started speculating that the victim was being forced to perform wife duties.
On November 28, Police were tipped by members of the community about the incident which prompted them to summon the two separately for interrogations.
During the process, it was discovered that the rumours were true after police found nude pictures and pornographic videos of the two in their mobile phones leading to his arrest.
Appearing in court, Phiri who was represented by Counsel Smart khalifa pleaded guilty to the charges of having sexual activity with a child and indecent assault respectively.
In mitigation, the convict asked for court’s leniency saying he is the first offender while blamed his daughter for seducing him.
In submissions, the state reminded the court to reflect the seriousness of the crimes committed.
Additionally, the convict’s behavior was so vile and became a danger to his own child by depriving sexual pleasure on her hence prayed for a custodial sentence.
Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Muhammad Chande concurred with the state and cited that the convict’s behavior is contrary to godly behavior.
He therefore, sentenced him to 19-years for having sexual activity with a minor and 13-years imprisonment with hard labour for indecent assault.
All sentences to run concurrently.
Phiri hails from Manjawira village, Traditional Authority(T/A) Phambala in Ntcheu district.
Fired State House Horticulture Assistant (Gardener) Tiyanjane Mlangeni, has vowed to serve President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera with her whole heart beside her services been terminated at the State House. State House terminated Tiya’s employment contract as a Horticulture Assistant following a warning letter dated 13th July, 2023 that some members at the State Residences were disgruntled on how Christmas hampers were packed in December, 2022.
In the letter of terminating her employment contract says State House was surprised to note that a recent report received from the Chief of Staff indicated that in the month of December, 2023, Tiyanjane also authored and circulated in the social media several voice notes castigating senior members of State Residences and this has brought disrepute to the State Residences.
Ex State House Employee Tiya Mlangeni
“Your services as Horticulture Assistant (Grade M] Gardener are no longer required and have consequently been terminated with effect from 27th December, 2023, you will be given one month’s salary in lieu of notice,” reads the termination letter to Tiyanjane.
Speaking through an audio clip circulating in various social media platforms, Tiyanjane said she has accepted the termination of her employment contract even though she was not invited for her views to be heard.
Tiyanjane thanked President Chakwera for appointing her to be one of working with State House saying she has no problem with her President and even no time to insult him claiming that Chakwera is a president who has come to stay to build Malawi.
She said she sees no problem with her being fired, there is no office without problems saying she is MCP forever, she was not fighting with the party or insulting President Chakwera saying President Chakwera has told her to be hard working and she will continue from where she has stopped.
Tiyanjane has claimed that she had no peace of mind working at the State House as she did not want to go with men as other women are doing expressing her sadness that she has been fired while those who were caught stealing and going about with their bosses are still working.
She claimed to have been fired on 1st January, 2023 and was only waiting to receive an official communication saying she received a letter of going back to the State House and was sent back at the State House gate by the one who signed for her termination of employment contract letter.
“The country can speak more of me but I am now happy, I did not want to work under pressure, I have to protect my body and not to let everyone touch it,” said Tiyanjane.
However, Tiyanjane has claimed that she is receiving death threats assuring Malawians that no one can kill her saying MCP is a party while State House is Government advising the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to find time to investigate State House.
They say every road comes to an end, but sometimes the end feels just like the beginning. Even when you think you’ve come a long way, you can suddenly find yourself right back where you started. Because every journey is fraught with twists and turns. Life is a journey full of challenges and marked with twists and turns. It is also very unpredictable – full of fun, success, disappointments, joy as well as sorrows. The most intriguing part of life is ‘Unpredictability’! You never know what is going to happen tomorrow.
The Judgement
On Thursday 20 December 2023, High Court Judge Howard Pemba put spanners in Kondwani Nankhumw’a political ambitions of ever becoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President as his ruling released strengthened the Arthur Peter Mutharika DPP camp where APM is seeking to be Presidential candidate in 2025. Fast backwards, Grezelder Jeffrey, Kondwani Nankhumwa, and Cecelia Chazama had been serving as the Secretary General, Vice president South and Director of Women respectively for the DPP until early this month when they were assigned to other positions by Peter Mutharika. As a matter of fact, Jeffrey was assigned to the position of Vice President Central and she received her letter and notice of communication to that effect on 8th December 2023.
The claimants wanted an interlocutory order suspending the decision of Peter Mutharika to remove them from their positions as Secretary General, Vice President South and Director of women of the party and/or assign them to the positions of Vice President Central, and presidential advisors until the determination of the matter in court or a further order of the Court .
“Listening to the arguments from both parties, and having thoroughly read the skeleton arguments motivated by the Sworn Statements filed in support as well as in opposition to the application herein, this Court is convinced on the balance of probabilities that the Claimants have failed to convincingly demonstrate to this Court that they have a good and arguable claim against the Defendants,” in part reads the ruling of the court.
The judge added:
“I have already made my finding that the Claimants herein have not been removed from their positions nor from the party. They are still members of the 3rd Defendant political party. What has happened according to the wording of Article 10 (8) is that they have been assigned different positions from the ones they were holding in the NGC of the 3rd Defendant. There is nothing substantial either showing that what has happened is a demotion as the Claimants want this Court to believe.
“I have gone through Article 10(8) of the 3rd Defendant’s Constitution and the clear wording of it is that the President has powers to assign a member of an NGC to any public or political office. The Claimants herein were members of the NGC by virtue of being the Secretary General, Vice president South and Director of Women of the 3rd Defendant respectively. Right now, they have been assigned to other positions of a Vice president Central and Presidential advisors within the same NGC. The Claimants would like to bring in some conditions to Article 10 (8) which do not exist. Going through the 3rd Defendant’s Constitution, there is no any subjection of Article 10 (8) to any other condition or Article within the Constitution. If the framers of the 3rd Defendant’s Constitution wanted Article 10 (8) to be subjected to any other condition such as that the member should be heard before being assigned to another position or that reasons should be given for the assignment; or that the Article should not be applicable to an elected position; and that it should only apply where the party is in government, the same would have been specifically included in the Constitution.”
Judge’s Conclusion
“On account of the reasons above, I am of the strong view that the balance of justice and convenience militates against the grant of the order of the interlocutory injunction sought by the Claimants. The Claimants’ application is accordingly dismissed with costs.”
Looking Back At The Long And Winding Road
In March 2022 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Member of Parliament Shadric Namalomba obtained an injunction that stayed the appointment of a shadow cabinet in Parliament and stopped Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa from appointing DPP spokespersons in Parliament without party approval . Nankhumwa appointed a 33-member shadow cabinet in February 2022 and later replaced DPP spokespersons on finance and legal affairs with his appointees. The decisions were rejected by the DPP and Namalomba who is Member of Parliament for Mangochi South West and DPP spokesperson obtained the injunction.
The order obtained from the High Court in Zomba restrained Nankhumwa from discharging the duties of the office of the leader of opposition without consultation and written approval of DPP. It also barred parliament from recognizing the decisions made by Nankhumwa as leader of opposition in the absence of proof in writing that the decisions were approved by the DPP. Nankhumwa’s decision to change seating plan of DPP MPs by allocating Namalomba to Seat Number 99 and later Seat Number 100 from Seat Number 25 has also been stayed by the court order. The court also stated that any person or entity affected by the court order and wishes to vacate it should give Namalomba a 48-hour notice.
In November 2020 Embattled Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa and his “DPP rebels” returned to the High Court in Lilongwe on December 9 to battle it out with their party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on the leader of opposition case. Nankhumwa’s lawyer Gilbert Khonyongwa has confirmed that Nankhumwa, Grezelder Jeffrey and Jappie Mhango will be in court on November 9 to ask the court to extend Nankhumwa’s court injunction which bars the party from firing him as Leader of Opposition in parliament.
In December 2020 The High Court sitting in Lilongwe adjourned indefinitely a case involving former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Southern Region vice president Kondwani Nankhumwa and three others to allow them exhaust their discussions outside court. Nankhumwa, Yusufu Nthenda, Jappie Mhango and the party’s Secretary General Gelzeder Jeffrey were kicked out of the party on disciplinary issues but the four obtained a court injunction against the party’s decision. Lawyers for DPP and Nankhumwa and others appeared before Lilongwe high court where they have asked the court to allow them resolve their disagreements outside courtroom failing to reach a compromise the court will proceed to hear the matter.
My opinion
Therefore let me say this, Nothing stands forever! Every battle must be fought and come to an end, no matter how long it takes and this is probably the end of a season of court injunctions by the embattled Presidential Advisor Kondwani Nankhumwa and newly appointed Vice President Grezelder Jeffrey. However, there are only two options remaining, it’s either Kondwani Nankhumwa and his camp go and apologize to Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika and start working together with the DPP as a team and stop this fruitless battle they have engaged themselves into or they should continue being defiant to their President and party then get kicked out forever at the convention. The choice is for Kondwani Nankhumwa and his team to decide now.
