There is no signs of peace in the Opposition Democratic Progressive Party. Just a day after Regional Chairperson Charles Mchacha told Nankhumwa to get approval from the Party President Peter Mutharika before holding any rally in Blantyre- Vice President for the South Kondwani Nankhumwa has vowed to proceed with his planned mega rally at Nyambadwe ground in Blantyre slated for July 31, 2022.
Nankhumwa has since described as surprising a call by his regional governor, Charles Mchacha, for him to seek consent first from party leader Professor Peter Mutharika, before proceeding with his intentions.
“I have been a DPP vice president for the south since 2018. I have conducted several rallies across the country and I have never asked for a consent from the party president, why this call now,” questioned Nankhumwa.
Nankhumwa has on a number of occasions defiled Mutharika orders. He is largely seen by the Mutharika faithfully as working with ruling administration to frustrate the work of the opposition
President Lazarus Chakwera has described the Malawi National Data Centre as a critical building block in the digital future of the the country.
Launching the first ever digital centre facility located at Mandala in Blantyre, on July, 21,2022, President Chakwera said the completion of the facility will enable the country to better manage and secure data that is critical for decision-making and targeting in the implementation of important programmes.
“Now that this National Data Centre has been completed, we can begin cutting costs by enhancing coordination between different digitalization projects by the government. Now that this National Data Centre has been completed, we can better manage and secure data that is critical for decision-making and targeting in the implementation of such programmes as IFMIS, AIP, MaITIS, and National IDs.
Now that this National Data Centre has been completed, we can guarantee information security to those we invite to invest in our manufacturing, financial, retail, and service sectors, thus making Malawi a location of choice for investors”. Said President Chakwera.
Further, President Chakwera urged Malawians to stand up and hold hands in rebuilding the broken walls of the country with positive mindsets after years of destruction by those who did not wish it well.
“This National Digital Centre is therefore a perfect example of the progress we are determined to make against all odds through phases of preparation, partnership, and perseverance over the period of time Malawians have given us”. Added the President.
But President Chakwera was quick to tell the nation that such infrastructure needs proper process, hence a need for Malawians to persevere. Here President Chakwera challenged his critics who think his administration will fail, saying it will succeed, and that the success needs to be protected.
“Even now as we are engaged in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to restore a development focused Extended Credit Facility, they have already declared that our ongoing negotiations are doomed to fail. But only thing that is doomed to fail are their prophecies of doom against us”. Lamented Chakwera.
President Chakwera then warned that the administration will not allow any advocate of anarchy to succeed in the country.
“And now that their prophecies of doom have not come to pass, they have resorted to threats, intimidation, and violence just like Sanballat and Tobiah did, but this too will fail, because we will never allow the work of rebuilding Malawi to stop or be left defenseless.
We will never allow a few advocates of anarchy to turn the order we are steadily restoring to this country back into the chaos of the past”. Warned Malawi leader.
Digitalization is one enabler to the aspirations towards vision 2063, and among the priorities of President Chakwera.
Malawians hopes have been crashed once more after star striker Gabadinho failed to win the CAF Africa Cup of the Nation goal of the year award. Senegalese player Pape Ousmane Sakho won the award.
Mhango spectacular goal when Malawi faced Morocco made him get into the top three and expectations were high for the talented striker. Many Malawians are still proud of Mhango and what he achieved by getting into the top three.
Gabadinho’s goal against Morocco
Football Association of Malawi President Walter Nyamilandu was in attendance at the event that took place in Rabat , Morocco
Other winners include Wydad AC of Morocco as CAF club of the year, Mamelodi sundowns are the CAF Womens Club of the year, Senegal won the CAF Team of the year, Aliou Cisse Won Coach of the year
Senegalese player Pape Ousmane Sakho won the Award
Senior Chief Fukamapiri, Traditional Authority Zilakoma , Village Headman Wilson VH Chagiwo paid a courtesy call on their beloved Member of Parliament Dr Ken Zikhale Ng’oma on Tuesday to thank and encourage him to continue with developmental works in his constituency.
The Senior chiefs thanked the Legislator for the magnificent Kande bridge which many of his predecessors hardly managed to construct. They also thanked him for pushing to have piped water in the constituency- a project that will reach Tukombo where late Aleke Banda came from.
Hon Ken Zikhale Ng’oma- Chiefs happy with his perfomance
The chiefs also took time to ask their legislator to consider constructing bridges in Mazembe and Mkuluzi of which the MP has assured them that it will be done since the Chakwera administration has increased Community Development Fund 9CDF) to K100,000,000. Zikhale also assured then that noone will steal the money like it was the case in the past where projects were being full funded but failed to to be completed like the Kawiya project and Kande bridge.
. Zilakoma openly told the MP that he had wrong perception about him at the start but that in the two years he has been the legislator for the area, he has proved that he is a lovely MP who is so focused in developing the area. Zikhale became the MP for Nkhatabay South in 2019 election after defeating Chinthu Phiri. His term so far has been known for many development projects and people in the area are convinced that they made the right choice in electing him.
Some of the flagship projects in the area include: piped water and the street lights that are glowing at Tukombo Trading Centre. Village headman Wilsons wants the entire Chifira to have access to electricity and have a women development centre built near the school so that women from that area can learn modern ways of doing businesses and managing their homes
An analysis of all the cases involving the Mulli bothers-Leston and Feston reveals that in total the two fraudulently owe Malawi Government a total of K930 billion.
Almost all the transactions that led to the two brothers owing government that much, have been dubious with the new Tonse Administration through the Attorney General now pursuing them to pay back.
Therefore, it is not surprising that information points to Leston Mulli teaming up with the Vce President Saulosi Klaus Chilima to bankroll former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadet Silvetser Namiwa to stage demonstration on July 28 aimed at pushing for the amendment of the constitution to remove Presidential Immunity.
Mulli days ago was also mentioned as the one who sponsored the Phalombe demonstration where the Lhomwe’s raised concerns that the Tonse Administration is side lining them.
Mulli using DPP MP for Thyolo South West Chimwemwe as the coordinator, is also said to be the main financier of the flopped Anti-Judiciary demonstration which were to take place on July 20 but only turned into a violent event characterised by theft and looting of private property.
At least 80 people have since been arrested after they defied a court order restraining them from going ahead with the demonstration.
During the DPP adminstration Leston Mulli was one of the most feared businessman due to his connection with the party and the quasi-political tribal grouping Mulhakho wa a Lhomwe as a main financier of the two. In the process he dubiously got contracts and money from government and now the Tonse Administration has taken him to task to answer for his sins.
In the first case he is accused of fraudulently getting a K5 billion loan from the defunct Malawi Savings Bank (MSB). Through a court judgement the amount has since accumulated to more than K10.4 billion which the current administration is questioning the legality of having a 50 year repayment period at the rate of K5 million per month.
The Attorney General Thabo Nyirenda has said that it is believed that Mulli fraudulently got a total of K15 billion from MSB. Mulli was weeks ago arrested along former Chief Secretary to the President Lloyd Muhara for the MSB matter.
He is also being accused of fraudulently getting a K4 billion compensation through his Mulli Brothers Limited despite a court ruling being in favour of government and refused to award him such a compensation which was for the alleged damage of property during the July 20, 2011 demonstrations.
Again the businessman is embroided in another scandal involving K2.350 billion which he obtained from the Reserve Bank of Malawi by fraudulently obtaining letters of credit from the central bank on pretext that they will import or purchase fertiliser but never purchased the products for the farmers on behalf of SFFRFM, forcing RBM to settle their liabilities of the amounts stated.
In this case he is accused along his brother Felton Mulli and others. His brother owes RBM K789 billion.
Mulli is also at the moment tussling with government over the ownership of bus depot which belonged to former Shire Bus Lines. Mulli is being accused of fraudulently owning the bus depots as part of his National Bus Service which acquired Shire Bus Lines of which government is saying the deal did not include the depots.
In this matter Mulli is expected to pay billions of kwachas which he has been fraudulently correcting from the buss depots across the country.
On the other hand, Chilima has so far put the removal of the Presidential Immunity as top on his agenda to get at President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera who recently withheld delegated duties to the office of the Vice President. This was following revelation that his deputy received huge amounts of money from businessman Zunneth Sattar to influence award of government business.
The main agenda of the July 28 demonstration include scrapping off of the Presidential Immunity through amendment of Section 91 of the Constitution or Chakwera to resign if he fails to do so. Ironically, it is only through Parliament and only after a two-thirds majority vote in the House that the said Section could be amended
Sources from Parliament and those within the UTM, Chilima’s party, have disclosed that of late there have been a horde of meetings involving Namiwa, Chilima and Mulli.
“Even as MP we were approached to support the demonstration and the amendment of the Constitution to remove the Presidential Immunity but some of us or I can say the majority of us are not supporting this idea because we feel laws should not be changed willy nilly to satisfy the political greed of individuals,” said an MP who did not want to be named.
A very senior member of the UTM also collaborated the story but added that in the party there are also division on the push for the removal of the presidential immunity.
“Most of us in the UTM feel that Chilima wants to use the party to fight his own battles and he wants to hide behind the issue of the Presidential Immunity to cover up his own involvement with Sattar. Our position is that this is wrongly timed and will greatly not get any support even in Parliament where UTM only has four MPs.
“Yes he can join hands with DPP but it seems the support on the removal of the Immunity is only from those not in Parliament. He is courting wrong people. As for Mulli, we know he just want to use us also to cover his many illegal activities which he did during the DPP era,” said the UTM senior official.
Following his recent arrest, Mulli mobilized and paid people from his home district Phalombe to stage demonstrations against government complaining that the Tonse Administration is only arresting people from the district and other Lhomwes. Most commentators have since described the use of tribes to evade justice as dangerous.
Some eye-witnesses have indicated that some of the Lilongwe July 20 demonstrators were ferried in truckloads from as far as Phalombe District, where Mulli comes from, and some parts of the southern region.
On the other Chilima’s known supporters on Facebook and other social media platforms have been vocal supporting the demonstrations.
