The 2025 Karonga-Chitipa Cultural Festival is scheduled to take place on October 31 and November 1,2025 at the Mbande Hills Cultural Heritage Site in Karonga,organizers have confirmed.
In an interview with 247 Malawi News, the festival Organising Secretary Ndongolera Mwangupili said a planning committee has been established and that consultations are currently underway.
“We are engaging with our chiefs, who are the custodians of our culture. We have also planned several review meetings to reflect on previous festivals and identify areas for improvement,” he said.
He said this year’s festival will introduce new features, including urban entertainment on the evening of October 31.
Held annually, the festival celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Karonga and Chitipa districts, showcasing their shared historical roots and traditions.
Vice President Michael Usi, who is also the leader of the Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu party, says he cannot apologize for his allegations that there are corrupt leaders in the current government despite pressure to provide proof.
Speaking during a political rally he held at Nyambadwe Primary School Ground in Blantyre on Monday, Usi said the current government is failing to make things happen because its top officials are corrupt.
The remarks prompted Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Jessie Kabwila to organize a press briefing in Lilongwe on Tuesday challenging Usi to present evidence to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to substantiate his claims.
Usi
Kabwila warned that if Usi fails to do so, he should resign from his position for making baseless accusations against a government from which he benefits.
However, responding to Kabwila at a political rally in Ulongwe, Balaka, on the same day, Usi said he knows the identities of those involved in corruption but is hesitant to name them publicly out of fear of legal repercussions.
He questioned why prosecutors and law enforcement agencies have been unable to identify and apprehend these corrupt individuals despite ongoing investigations.
“Why don’t the police and the ACB ask me to provide names so they can arrest these people?.Those responsible for law enforcement should find me, and I will tell them who is involved in corruption. I will not, however, throw names around recklessly without evidence,” said Usi.
Commenting on the matter, political analyst George Chaima emphasized the need for Malawians to come forward with evidence to assist the ACB in prosecuting all corrupt individuals.
The analyst acknowledged that while some critics claim the ACB currently lacks sufficient authority to effectively arrest suspects, this challenge is largely due to how the institution is being managed by its senior officials.
On July 20, 2024, President Lazarus Chakwera, who is also leader of the ruling MCP, appointed Usi as his vice president following the death of late Vice President Saulos Chilima, who tragically died in a plane crash alongside eight others in Chikangawa Forest in Mzimba on June 10, 2024.
At the time of his appointment, Usi was the vice-president of the late Chilima’s United Transformation Movement (UTM) party.
An interdenominational group called Women in Faith has organised a worship event aimed at uniting believers across the country in prayer ahead of the September 16 general elections.
The event is scheduled for Friday, 15 August, along Presidential Way near the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Women in Faith team leader Pastor Priscilla Kafakoma emphasized the importance of unity among believers during this critical period.
“When we come together, things work better. We are one people with one God. Malawi is a peaceful country, and we want to give thanks to God for this peace and pray that it continues to protect us. We want to declare peace ahead of the upcoming elections,” she said.
Kafakoma said the worship gathering will also feature performances by several gospel musicians, promising an inspiring and uplifting atmosphere for attendees.
Malawi continues to experience intense growth in political violence as it approaches the September 16 general elections.
Political violence often leads to human rights abuses, including physical attacks, destruction of property, and suppression of freedom of speech and association and assembly as we have witnessed several times; peaceful demonstrations being violently disrupted.
When political leaders fail to condemn violence, they send a dangerous message that intimidation and coercion are acceptable tactics.
This emboldens party supporters to use violence as a tool for political gain, eroding Malawi’s democratic culture and fostering a legacy of intolerance.
An interdenominational group called Women in Faith has organised a worship event aimed at uniting believers across the country in prayer ahead of the September 16 general elections.
The event is scheduled for Friday, 15 August, along Presidential Way near the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Women in Faith team leader Pastor Priscilla Kafakoma emphasized the importance of unity among believers during this critical period.
“When we come together, things work better. We are one people with one God. Malawi is a peaceful country, and we want to give thanks to God for this peace and pray that it continues to protect us. We want to declare peace ahead of the upcoming elections,” she said.
Kafakoma said the worship gathering will also feature performances by several gospel musicians, promising an inspiring and uplifting atmosphere for attendees.
Malawi continues to experience intense growth in political violence as it approaches the September 16 general elections.
Political violence often leads to human rights abuses, including physical attacks, destruction of property, and suppression of freedom of speech and association and assembly as we have witnessed several times; peaceful demonstrations being violently disrupted.
When political leaders fail to condemn violence, they send a dangerous message that intimidation and coercion are acceptable tactics.
This emboldens party supporters to use violence as a tool for political gain, eroding Malawi’s democratic culture and fostering a legacy of intolerance.
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has urged Malawians to remain vigilant against cybercrime as more people embrace technology in their daily lives.
Speaking in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of a two-day Cybersecurity Workshop held at the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Thyolo on Tuesday,MACRA Head of the Malawi Computer Emergency Response Team (MwCERT), Christopher Banda, said increased technology use comes with heightened exposure to cyber threats and stressed the need for public awareness and caution.
“As more people adopt technology, they must also understand the risks involved. Being informed and vigilant is key to protecting themselves from cybercriminals,” he said.
On his part,MUST Head of the Computer Science and Information Technology Department, Associate Professor Bennett Kankuzi, said the university runs academic programmes designed to equip students with skills to defend against cybercrime.
In his remarks,MUST Computer Systems and Information Technology Society president, Gareth Chimimba, described the workshop as an invaluable learning opportunity.
“The knowledge and experience gained during the cyber drill will make our work much easier once we leave university,” he said.
Through MwCERT, MACRA is conducting cyber drills in academic institutions across the country to enhance awareness and strengthen the technical capabilities of young and emerging cybersecurity professionals.
Cybercrime is crime that happens in the digital world, often involving the theft of information, money, or privacy through electronic means.
