A dark cloud has engulfed the media fraternity following the untimely death of Journalist Oscar Njikho.
Njikho died at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe on Monday, September 11, 2023 after a long-term illness.
Meanwhile, MISA Chairperson Golden Matonga has described Njikho’s death as sadden and a great loss to the media industry.
“This news is devastating for the journalism fraternity because Oscar was a young journalist who was yet to fully fulfill his enormous potential.
The late Oscar Njikho
“He was bright and talented, but personally, I will remember Oscar as a friend; a great human being who was sociable, and shared with me a passion for sports. He was as much a gifted footballer as he was a journalist.
“Our condolences go to the Njikho family, friends and the entire media fraternity,” said Matonga.
He indicated that the vigil is in Chilinde (Newlines) and burial is on Wednesday at Chibazi in Dowa.
As a journalist, the late Njikho had a stint with Star Radio (Now Timveni Radio) before pursuing a solo career that saw him working in different consultancies.
He was in a team of local media practitioners who worked with MISA Zambia as Research Assistants in a Regional Trust in the Media research in 2020.
After failing to present their petition to President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera on two separate occasions, 30th August and 7th September, 2023, Malawi First crew members and concerned citizens will tomorrow September 12,2023 invade Lilongwe for the third time to reclaim the country’s hard-won democracy.
The tomorrow demonstrations will start at the entrance of the National Police Headquarters (Area 30) with a call to Malawi Congress Party (MCP) militias, thugs and police to eliminate them all for one-party state to come back to Malawi.
Malawi First group
The Group’s Vice President Charles Ben Longwe, says the Malawi Police Service (MPS) is not providing service to the citizens but to MCP claiming that police officers swear to serve the President of the day and the party of the day.
Ben Longwe says activists and demonstrators will not move out of Lilongwe until the Malawi Police Service (MPS) assures the citizens that now they have stopped siding with MCP thugs, militias and receiving orders from State House and Capital Hill.
He says activists are hearing reports that Bon Kalindo will be arrested as his court bail will be revoked saying they are ready for that, assuring the police and MCP that arresting and killing Kalindo will not stop Malawians from reclaiming their hard-won democracy from the hands of the MCP.
The Activist says it is sad that the National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe has now been turned into MCP gangsters’ headquarters appealing to patriotic Malawians to put pressure for the Inspector General of Police Madam Yolamu to resign for she has failed to run police in a professional manner.
“We need police to serve citizens, receiving orders from Area 30 and not State House and Capital Hill. The police we have from 2020 have declared war against activists and citizens,” says Longwe.
He says the police have the duty to serve the President of the day who in this case is President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera but this should not make them break the law assuring Area 30 that freedom to hold protests is enshrined in the Republican constitution.
Longwe has challenged the police that had it been that they were receiving orders from Area 30 those who abused K6.2 billion Covid-19 pandemic funds, those who shielded K17.5 billion from being audited, Pastor Martin Thom and his K93 billion back-door bill to Parliament would have by now been arrested and prosecuted.
He has finally urged his fellow comrades not to retreat but to move forward saying no matter how many times the police and MCP thugs will threaten and attempts to kill them, very soon Malawi will be liberated from the shackles of MCP dictatorship and one-party state.
Dowa West Parliamentarian Ephraim Abel Kayembe, has applauded President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and his government for committing various resources for development projects in constituencies including Dowa West.
Kayembe said the launch of Mdika Irish Bridge in his area is a dream comes true because the area had two wooden logs which people had been using to cross from one side to the other but now, construction of the bridge has reduced mobility challenges in the area.
Abel Kayembe
He said construction of Mdika Irish Bridge was designed to cost K50 million saying as the phase one has completed, it has spent K31 million meaning that he will go to the Dowa District Council for additional K10 million to finish the remaining portion for phase two of the project.
Speaking during the launch of the Bridge, Kayembe appealed to the communities to keep patience for the whole bridge to finish its construction works saying he is aware that some of the communities were thinking that the bridge will finish according to their expectations.
“Government is committing resources to many areas including that of Mdika Irish Bridge, let’s keep patience,” said Kayembe.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Principal Public Works Program Officer Justice Limula, said the council provide resources according to the needs of the community claiming that people of Mdika requested funds to finish their bridge.
Limula said construction of the Irish Bridge has helped children to be going to school even during the rainy season and business people to travel with their goods at ease saying the bridge has formed a link between two villages.
He said construction works was being done in phases saying at first K16 million was used from the District Development Fund {DDF) k6 million was again used from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the bridge was cut off due to heavy running water.
The Officer said an additional K9.9 million has been used to complete the construction works bringing to a total of K31,970 million saying had it not been for other challenges, the bridge was designed to last for 3 month but it has taken 6 month.
He said the project has taken long to be completed attributing this challenge to Mdika River which is more like a stream with a flat area and during rainy season, the river gets flooded saying this led to a section being washed away by running water.
“We are now happy as a council that people of Mdika have finally been assisted with a bridge to ease mobility challenges they have been going through,” said Limula.
The court battle that has been there between Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA ) and Multi Choice Malawi has now come to an end following the approval of a proposal by Multichoice Malawi to have their DSt services subscription fees raised.
In a communication that we have seen addressed to the Multi Choice Malawi general manager, MACRA says now that the proposed tariffs have been submitted and considered by the Authority they expect DSTV services to resume in Malawi.
“Having considered and reviewed your submissions, the Authority approves both your June 2022 and July 2023 tariffs for implementation,” reads the letter in part.
Suleman
In a separate interview, MACRA Director General Daudi Suleman said they have communicated to MultiChoice Malawi this morning on their approval on the tariff increase.
“Their reaction to the approval is interesting, we will wait for the court as they have also hinted and where necessary, undertake regulatory enforcement where some other aspects of the law and regulation are being breached by this unnecessary stand off my Multichoice Malawi,” he said.
But in an hour ago, MultiChoice Malawi released a statement saying that the resumption of their services will depend on the outcome of the court case between them and MACRA.
Multichoice Africa Holdings (MAH) withdrew the DStv services in Malawi after MACRA obtained a court injunction stopping it from raising subscription tariffs without adhering to the clearly spelt out legal provisions.
Reagan Dulani, a senior clinician at Mulanje District Hospital has reportedly died after taking drugs on an empty stomach, resulting into an overdosage.
The incident happened at Kumwamba village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mabuka in the district.
According to Mulanje Police spokesperson Innocent Moses, Durani, 39, was a well-known drug addict who used to inject himself with intoxicating drugs.
It is reported that the previous day, the deceased never took lunch and supper prepared by his sister whom he used to stay with.
“On the following day, Duran never came to his breakfast despite several calls by her sister.
“This prompted her to force-open the bedroom door only to find him dead with syringes and bottles of the drug on his side,” explains Moses.
Postmortem established that death was due to over-dose drug consumption on an empty stomach.
Durani who has been laid to rest today hailed from Kangamkundi village in the area of Traditional Authority(T/A) Nsamala in Balaka District.
