Malawi’s popular female footballer Tabitha Chawinga has on Tuesday named 2022/23 Italy Women’s Footballer of the Year.
This follows her exploits with Italian Serie A Women’s League side Inter Milan where she won the Golden Boot Award with 23 goals during her loan stint.
She was the first African to achieve that feat.
The Scorchers captain was also named the best forward and is in the best 11.
Tabitha Chawinga receiving the award
She confirmed the exciting news on her Facebook Page.
“This is for you Tabitha fans! Last night AIC – Associazione Italiana Calciatori organised a Gran Galà del Calcio AIC for the 2022/23 Serie A feminille season and after a 1 year loan stint with Inter Milan, we have been awarded with the following: Best Player (women calciatrice) of the year, Best Forward (Top 11 of the season), Top Scorer,” wrote Chawinga on her page.
The 27-year-old forward currently plays for Paris Saint Germai in France where she is tied up with Louise Fleury of Paris FC as they both have netted six goals in the French Women’s League this season and they are all one goal behind leading goal scorer Eugenie Le Sommer of Olympique Lyon who has currently scored seven goals of the the season.
Last month, Tabitha together with her young sister Temwa Chawinga, made headlines after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) named them among the 30 nominees for the 2023 Player of the year Award.
Malawians living in Diaspora have for the very first time after 59 years of the country’s independence come and working together in one group-Concerned Citizens currently Living in the Diaspora (COCIMADIA) as a united front to positively contribute towards the transformation of their country politically, socially and economically through various possible means at their disposal.
COCIMADIA is a collective decision which has been arrived at after a lengthy and thorough consideration of various factors behind the prevailing hard political and socio-economic conditions the country is currently undergoing.
The organization has appealed to all Malawians of goodwill and genuine love for their country both at home and in the Diaspora to join and support it to enable it achieve its set objectives, goals, mission and vision within a specific period of time having in mind that there is power in unity of purpose and together towards a better Malawi for all.
Willy Nyirenda-corruption in Malawi has not spared a single public office
In a statement released from Johannesburg-South Africa signed by its Secretary General Willy Nyirenda, COCIMADIA says Malawians are subjected to extremely poor living standards with sky-rocketing cost of living which mainly has been caused by corruption by the elites and also the recent devaluation of the Kwacha currency.
COCIMADIA says the members have realized that the country’s leaders lack the political will that is required to root out corruption which is the chief cause of the national problems observing that corruption has been an on-going pandemic in Malawi and unfortunately, it has not spared a single public office.
The organization says their collective aspirations as Concerned Malawians in the Diaspora is to see a better Malawi to which all Malawians have contributed towards through this vehicle- a safe living environment for all people who are also equal before the law.
“We want to see Malawi becoming a food secured nation where all necessary human basic needs are affordable and also ensure that there’s equal employment opportunities for all people,” reads the statement in part.
COCIMADIA’s main office is domiciled in the Republic of South Africa where the majority of Malawians in the Diaspora lives and is regarded as Malawi’s number 29th district, it will also have its second office in Malawi where its coordinating members on the ground will be operating from.
Both offices in Malawi and Republic of South Africa will be duly registered for smooth running of its operations in both countries, all these arrangements are currently underway with the current leadership as follows; Chairperson Chris Bulakwacha, Vice-Chairperson Nelson Kamija, Secretary General Willy Nyirenda and Director of Operations is Collings Chitsulo.
The Dowa District executive committee (Dec) has approved Umodzi project; Promoting social cohesion and peace-building in the context of the refugee relocation exercise to be implemented by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in the district.
The project will be implemented for 5-month basing on the issues identified since refugees and asylum seekers arrivals at the Dzaleka Camp in the district through international durable solutions such as voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement.
Dzaleka Refugee Camp comes at the backdrop of the Luwani Camp in Mwanza which hosted over one million refugees who fled from Mozambique’s 16-year civil war between Frelimo and Renamo forces 1977 and 1992.
Dowa Dec members being briefed on Umodzi project at the Dzaleka Camp.
Luwani Camp was closed in 2007 then reopened in 2016 to house Mozambicans fleeing fresh conflict between Frelimo and Renamo forces and when peace allowed the Mozambicans to return home, Luwani Camp closed again in 2019.
Introducing the project to the District executive committee (Dec) in Dowa at a meeting held at the boma, CCJP’s National Programmes Coordinator Tuntufye Simwimba, said Dzaleka Refugee Camp was established in 1994 in response to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 between the Hutus and Tutsi’s.
Simwimba said the Camp was designed to accommodate 10,000-12,000 people and now, it is supporting a population of 53,000 refugee and asylum seekers saying the population is keeping on growing -180 newborns and about 300 new arrivals every month.
He said Umodzi project will be implemented for 5- month with the objectives of providing a platform for dialogue to enhance social-cohesion, increasing public stakeholder’s awareness about human rights and conducting evidence-based advocacy on policy and legal reforms.
The coordinator said the project among other key interventions will strengthen community platforms for engagement, dispute resolution skills for community leaders, capacity building for traditional and religious leaders and media campaigns with Yetu Community Radio Station at the Dzaleka Camp.
“The project will use different approaches to achieve its intended outcomes such as conflict sensitive and human rights- based approaches, among others.” said Simwimba.
In his remarks, Acting District Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources for Dowa Martin Kamlomo, reminded partners implementing their interventions in the district to align their projects with the District Development Plan (DDP) saying this is a booklet which contain all the priority needs of the Dowa communities.
Kamlomo said it is also the requirement of the council to see to it that all partners have signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with the council and the CSO Network to enhance cooperation, transparency and accountability of projects as well as reporting to Dec on the projects progress in the district. The 5-month Umodzi project by the CCJP which is a governance, advocacy and human rights arm of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) will be implemented at the Dzaleka Camp in Dowa district with funding amounting to 40,000 Canadian Dollars (approximately M31 million).
Malawi Government has today received part of 5,200 tonnes of fertilizer from the Japanese Government all valued at MK7 billion.
Speaking during the handover ceremony Japanese Ambasador to Malawi , His Excellence Yoichi Oya commended the Japanese relationship with Malawi.
Kawale and Yoichi Oya
“We decided to donate fertilizer to Malawi Government which is equivalent of MK7 billion. You are aware that this initiative is based on a good relationship between Japan and Malawi at this moment, ‘no complex mother’existing between the two countries, ” he said.
Receiving the donation, Minister of Agriculture Sam Dalitso Kawale on behalf of President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, commended the Japanese Government for the timely donation.
Kawale said his Ministry will ensure that the fertilizer reaches the right people at the right time.
“We will make use of the fertilizer so that it reaches the beneficiaries and this fertilizer will go a long way in complimenting the AIP program,” he said.
Kawale said the fertilizer will ensure food security and economic stability.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) National Governing Council (NGC) meeting has on Wednesday elected the party’s Publicity Secretary and Mwanza Central lawmaker Nicholas Dausi, as chairperson of the party’s forthcoming elective convention scheduled for December 15 and 16,2023 at Natural Resources College (NRC) in Lilongwe.
Dausi is being deputised on the position by Baxter Kita.
The NGC meeting which was chaired by Cecilia Chazama has also,formed various organising sub-committees for the convention.
Nicholas Dausi
These are food and accommodation, transport and logistics as well as accreditation committees.
In his speech, Dausi said he believes the preparations for the elective convention will run smoothly as well-wishers have already expressed interest to provide financial support.
“We are ready for the convention and we will do it smoothly,” said Dausi.
But in a statement, DPP Spokesperson Shadric Namalomba is describing the the meeting as illegal and mere plays.
He says the party’s president, Peter Mutharika will soon call for a Central Executive Committee meeting to discuss and map the way forward.
While Grizelder Jeffrey believes they breached no law in the party’s constitution by holding the NGC meeting.
Court ordered the party to hold the convention in 90 days from September 29 this year.
