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Chimulirenji visits victims of Blantyre market fire

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Malawi’s Vice President Everton Chimulirenji on Thursday assured victims of the inferno that gutted down part of Blantyre market of full Government support, after touring the charred section of the market and interacting with the vendors.

The Veep said President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika was “deeply saddened with the loss of merchandise and knows its effects on their households.”

“I have been delegated to convey a message from President Mutharika. As President for all Malawians he says he will not leave you alone, as you grieve for the lost merchandise he grieves with you,” he said.

Chimulirenji speaking to BT market fire victims

The VP added: “This is the more reason we have come with officials from Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (Medef) to assess the impact of the financial loss and to appraise those who can get soft loans from the organisation to restart their businesses.”

The fire coincides with a statement released by government earlier this month alleging that HRDC and opposition members were planning to torch markets in the country.

The Vice President said it is the wish of the Mutharika administration that Malawians should be economically self reliant hence Government’s prompt intervention to the fire accident.

He said: “The current administration under the leadership of President Mutharika seeks to ensure that the citizenry is self reliant economically. For this reason we will come again to monitor the impact of the support you will receive.”

Chimulirenji disclosed that Government will provide 200 bags of rice to the 120 victims of the fire accident.

Blantyre City Council is yet to establish the total loss of merchandise and part of the market infrastructure.

Representatives of the vendors Konley Kamnonyere said vending brings food on their table and the damage caused by fire has left them devasatated.

UK based Malawian author releases first book

There are many ways on how people want to preserve culture. It is well known that as the years pass, some old traditions begin to vanish, replaced by modern norms. For most Malawians however, memories of growing up in the village, sitting down while attentively listening to the elderly narrating stories just before going to bed , still lingers in their minds. For one Malawian writer  however, seeing the tradition of the elders sitting down and telling stories to their kids  back in the villages  ,is one thing she was determined to revive or let alone to capture so that all should not be lost . Yes, the children of the future should relive of the wonderful stories that their great grandparents used to tell.

Patricia Kulipa Chimangeni

As a seasoned writer , Patricia  Kulipa Chimangeni’s work has been read by many as she has written short stories and poetry that has been published in some  of Malawi’s publications in  the past. But the Malawian born, Manchester resident has completely managed  to seek a completely new readership as she has released her debut book, The Whirlwinds of Ndonda.

Chimangeni has drawn inspiration from her childhood in Malawi to craft a book that is a collection of those sweet stories that the elders used to tell to their young ones that blends fictional and historical characters and events. The book is set in the village of Ndonda

“Ndonda  is an actual village In Malawi,  it was time we needed to preserve those interesting stories that our elders used to tell us. Especially in modern days when we have a lot of Malawians living in diaspora, we needed something to connect the young ones to Malawi as a cultural preservation while at the same time reminding the elderly of the good old days “said Chimangeni

The book has been self-published and has already hit the shelves with copies being sold on Amazon , and for the technological savvy’s  able to purchase the book as a kindle version. The book was edited by one of Malawi’s great writers Charles Simango.

Chimangeni spoke highly of Malawian writers, encouraging the youths to never give up but continue the art of writing. “Malawi is blessed with writers, I myself got inspiration from the likes of Professor Chmombo, Sunduzwayo Madise in the early days” She also urged Malawians to be supportive by buying these books

The Whirwinds of Ndonda  will not be the first and last for the writer  as she is geared to work on more books that will aim at preserving and promoting Malawian culture.

Malawi dismisses reports of first Ebola case

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Health authorities in Malawi have dismissed as false reports that first Ebola case has been recorded in the country’s border district of Karonga.

The scare broke Sunday when health workers in the district that borders with Tanzania quarantined one person suspected to have Ebola signs and symptoms.

Louis Tukula, environmental health officer for the district, told local media Monday that the screening for the suspected 37-year-old man had shown that he had a bacterial infection and not Ebola.

However, Tukula said the patient would remain until he recovers fully.

“Rumors or information related to suspected Ebola cases are likely to be there, because in the district we have intensified surveillance and sensitization on the same since July when the disease was declared in DRC by WHO,” explained Tukula.

He said people were now aware of the signs and symptoms so they were likely to come out and report suspected cases just like the case in question was reported.

According to The Ministry of Health in Malawi the country is on high alert and authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

A statement issued Monday by the ministry on the scare said the health workers in Karonga were doing all they could to ensure prevention of infection while as investigations continued.

“This is to inform the general public that there’s a patient admitted to Karonga Treatment Camp with fever and signs of infection,” wrote Principal Secretary for Health, Dr. Dan Namalika, adding that “there is no history suggesting contact or travel to any region with Ebola.”

Hundreds of people from DRC enter Malawi every month and Malawian soldiers are deployed to DRC for peace keeping missions.

Don’t divide Malawi on cultural lines- APM

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President Arthur Peter Mutharika says while there was nothing wrong in people celebrating their culture, but people should be on the look-out against politicians who are bent at using cultural identity to divide people.

The Malawi leader was addressing a mammoth croud that thronged Mulhako wa Alhomwe Headquarters at Chomwe in Mulanje for this year’s annual festival.

“Malawi’s cultural diversity makes this country beautiful. However, it becomes a problem when some failed politicians use culture to send people to beat or kill other people, that is not Malawian,” said Mutharika.

The President, therefore, urged Malawians to be peaceful and love each other saying people must live above hate.

Mutharika at Mulhakho

“I know there are some people who don’t want peace. They have gone on rampage destroying schools, burning them,” he said.

He then asked his supporters not to retaliate when attacked by people sent by what he called failed and frustrated politicians.

Held under the theme ‘Embracing Cultural Diversity and Unity among Tribes’, this year’s festival honoured Mulhako wa Alhomwe’s first patron, former president Bingu wa Mutharika, former chairperson Bright Mangulama, first

Lhomwe Paramount Chief Nkhumba of Phalombe and Paramount Chief Ngolongoliwa, all of whom are deceased.
 


The group’s chairperson Leston Mulli described the four as patriarchs of the Lhomwe Tribe in Malawi

“These people played different roles. Mutharika [Bingu], founded the cultural group and worked hard to make it what it is today. Mangulama was the driving force who ensured that it maintained the momentum while the late Paramount Chief Ngolongoliwa was instrumental in preserving our culture,” said Mulli.

Taking his turn, organising chairperson James Chuma hailed both local and international traditional who graced the occasion.

Among those who came were Ngoni Paramount Chief Mpezeni and Chewa chief Kalonga Gawa Undi both fromZamba.

MCP rubbishes DPP accusation of being ‘masterminders of violence’

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The Malawi government through its spokesmen today released a statetement in which they are accusing the Malawi Congress Party of being at the centre of organising political violence in the country. The tipping point of all this has been the death of a police officer who was stoned to death at Msundwe in Lilongwe. In a statement made available to 247Malawi, publicity secretary of MCP Reverend Maurice Munthali has been quick to rubbish those claims accusing DPP of wanting to score a political point “What is coming from DPP mouths is laughable, unfortunate and shameful. In actual fact they are only showcasing their lack of remorse and self assessment.
Reverend Munthali
The allegations they are levelling against MCP, UTM and HRDC are a clear sign that all they want is to bury their own brutality & lawlessness.Who does not know in this country that markets, factories, warehouses and many personal properties have been torched at the hands of DPP and their agents. Who doesn’t know in this country that innocent people have been brutally killed including Robert Chasowa, Njauju, albinos and many others under the vampiric eye of DPP? If they think that they can hide all the atrocities and acts of terror that are synonymous with their DPP, let them cheat themselves because Malawians know who the real culprit is. Soon they will all pay for their deeds.We know how they have tried to infiltrate the Malawi Police Service with cadets and we also know that they will always want to incite unnecessary violence by provoking peaceful unarmed demonstrators whose mandate to demonstrate is derived from the Republican constitution.Ours is a stern warning to the DPP and their agents. Let them advise their leader not to unleash civil unrest in this country with his divisive statements and let them not think that Malawi will continue watching our nation being thrown to the dogs.Malawi Congress Party under Dr Lazarus Chakwera will always preach peace as powered by #SUPER_Hi5 agenda” read the statement from Munthali Political tensiom has risen in Malawi as the constitutional court is about to conclude hearing in the ongoing election case where the opposition parties are accusing the incumbent Peter Mutharika and DPP of rigging the elections.