A 12-year-old Zambian is reported to have died while three police officers and four passengers sustained serious injuries after a Toyota Landcruiser MP2642 was involved in an accident at Cheyadi area along the Lilongwe-Mchinji road on Friday evening.
According to police report this publication has in possession, the vehicle was coming from the direction of Lilongwe heading towards Mchinji, carrying eight passengers including suspects.
Upon arrival at Cheyadi, in the course of overtaking a salon car, the driver lost control of the motor vehicle and it swerved to a verge and overturned.
The Motor vehicle was being driven by Sub Inspector Christopher Mtambalika aged 40, of Kandota Village, Traditional Authority Kwataine in Ntcheu.
Reports reaching 247 Malawi News indicate that opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials have sucked out of the party one of their own Members of Parliament for Chikwawa North Constituency Owen Chomanika over his decision to join Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government as deputy minister.
According to the Presidential spokesperson in the party, Shadric Namalomba despite that, Chomanika, who was on Thursday sworn-in as Deputy Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, had informed party leader Peter Mutharika of his impending appointment he is no longer fit to continue be with the party.
Chomanika
“He communicated to Professor Mutharika that because of the appointment, may he be allowed to quit in all forums for DPP, and that included the NGC, says Namalomba
He adds “As a party that advocates for civil liberties and freedom of association, we couldn’t stop him, much as the president gave him some words of wisdom to think twice about his decision.”
Namalomba says Chomanika’s appointment is tricky as it was not discussed at central executive meeting held in Mangochi last week.
“In effect, it is a constructive resignation because even he, himself cannot be comfortable participating in the affairs of the DPP.
“Of course, legally, he has not crossed the floor as he has been appointed into Cabinet. But politically, he has crossed the floor.”
On Wednesday, Chomanika confirmed accepting the Cabinet portifolio, where he will deputise Richard Chimwendo Banda.
“I have accepted the appointment and notified the party president [Peter Mutharika] on the same,” he said.
President Lazarus Chakwera announced a 25-member Cabinet, excluding the Presidency, comprising 19 Malawi Congress Party members, four UTM Party members, and one each from People’s Party and DPP.
The Principal Resident Magistrate Court sitting in Lilongwe on Friday set aside the order to revoke bail for former National Food Reserve Agency’s (NFRA) Deputy CEO Gerald Viola until hearing of the matter on Monday February 6, 2023.
This follows application by the defense for the revocation of the order and restoration of bail.
Gerald Viola
According to court summons, dated February 2, 2023, that 247 Malawi News has in possession, the matter will be heard in the chamber at 10 am and both parties, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the defense team are expected to attend.
On Monday February 30,2023,the court revoked bail for Viola after he failed to attend court for delivery of judgement.
Viola alongside businessperson Chrispin Chingola, were found with a case to answer in March 2022 on offences under the Corrupt Practices Act and Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.
He is accused of unilaterally issuing an LPO number 6750 to a company called Missies Trading Supply to supply 10,000 metric tonnes of maize to NFRA.
The joint coalition of Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) have sent a warning shot to the government that they will conduct demonstrations if President Lazarus Chakwera will not reinstate Martha Chizuma as Director of Anti Corruption Bureau within ten days.
One of the activists in the joint CSOs, Boni Kalindo says if Chakwera fails to reinstate Chizuma they will never hold their patience but mobilise Malawians to the streets across the country to demonstrate and shut down Malawi.
Kalindo says Chizuma’s issue is completely ridiculous and that as human rights activists,they will not sit down and watch this happening in a democratic disposition of governance.
While commenting on the same, Redison Munlo who is also one of the activists says they are now in the process of telling the donors to stop supporting this country due to increasing number of corruption cases.
Munlo says Chakwera should be removed from the Presidency because he has failed to run the country and has also destroyed everything.
He adds that as activists, they will continue protecting Chizuma’s office and democracy saying ACB should be independent in this country.
The Joint CSOs were planning to meet the members of parliament on Friday in Lilongwe to preside over petition to the Parliament on the interdiction of Chizuma.
They were blocked to meet the mambers of parliament because the law does allow them to do so.
Central Investigation Department (CID) police officers and other intelligence department officials were also present at the meeting.
247 Malawi News has been informed Peter Dimba is now no longer chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament as he announced leaving the post on Thursday February 2,2023.
In a letter addressed to Speaker of Parliament, Dimba cited the effort to frustrate the committee’s effort in the fight against corruption as the main reason of his resignation.
Dimba
Reads the letter in part “Despite the gains we have registered in the time of his chairmanship, our efforts to provide checks and balances to the excesses of the executive particularly in the fight against corruption has proved futile.”
In the letter, Dimba also expressed his dissatisfaction for failing Malawians in the fight against corruption during his tenure.
The move comes just a couple of hours after the committee through Dimba had expressed surprise with the interdiction of ACB Director General Martha Chizuma.
