...Cotton productions estimates for 2012: 200,000 metric tons of lint in the season to July 2012
...2011 Cotton Production Figures: 55,000 metric tons
...Nsanje District is: 150 kilometers (94 miles) south of Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital.
...Amount of Cotton Land in Malawi: 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres).
...Amount Spent by the Malawi Government Towards Cotton Subsidy in 2011/12 Season: 1.6 billion Malawian kwacha ($9.7 million).
...Who initiated the cotton subsidy programme: President Bingu wa Mutharika, who told parliament in June 2011 that government wanted to promote the crop.
...Why? To counter the worldwide anti-smoking lobby
...Goal: Develop cotton as Malawi's main foreign exchange earner.
...Current Position of Cotton: Malawi’s fourth-largest cash crop.
...Which crops lead: Tobacco, tea and sugar.
...Who said so?: The National Statistical Office and Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Cotton Development Association of Malawi, Development Media Africa, The Country Register/Malawi.
...2011 cotton price: 190 Kwacha per kilogram (2.2 pounds), more than double the government-set price of 75 Kwacha per kilogram.
...The future of cotton: Promising, according to Agriculture and Food Security Ministry Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga.
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
No Rains in Chikhwawa, as Country Braces for Hunger
Maize is wilting in some parts of Malawi, with Chikhwawa leading the fray.
A visit to the district on Thursday revealed that the maize crop in most gardens is drying up.
Most Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation depots are also dry, with no maize, rice or groundnuts crops in stock.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has responded to reports of hunger in some parts of Malawi by ordering that food be distributed in areas hard-hit.
Agriculture and Food Security Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga, has said her ministry will respond to the president's call.
Malawi has become a success story following her successful food security programme, an initiative that has helped the Southern African Development Community member state register bumper yields for six consecutive years.
Mutharika has made it his government's policy goal to turn Malawi from a net importer to dominant producer and exporter.
A visit to the district on Thursday revealed that the maize crop in most gardens is drying up.
Most Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation depots are also dry, with no maize, rice or groundnuts crops in stock.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has responded to reports of hunger in some parts of Malawi by ordering that food be distributed in areas hard-hit.
Agriculture and Food Security Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga, has said her ministry will respond to the president's call.
Malawi has become a success story following her successful food security programme, an initiative that has helped the Southern African Development Community member state register bumper yields for six consecutive years.
Mutharika has made it his government's policy goal to turn Malawi from a net importer to dominant producer and exporter.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2011 Recap: The Issue of Homosexulity Made Headlines Again; What Did Malawian Religious Leaders Say?
...REITERATING MALAWI COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’ POSITION ON HOMOSEXUALITY
Our Concern
The Daily Times of Monday 10th October 2011, headlined ‘ACCEPT GAYS OR FORGET UK AID’, reported by Madalitso Musa, that:
‘Poor African countries including Malawi must abandon their rigidity against
same sex marriages as a condition for receiving British.’
‘Britain’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell is quoted in UK’s The Daily Mail of yesterday through his spokesperson that Britain has resorted to cut aid to African countries that are against gay marriages.’
‘The British Government said it had cut aid of about 19 million pounds (MK4.8 billion) to Malawi because of government’s position regarding homosexuality particularly the conviction and sentencing of gay couple Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza’.
Our Mandate
Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) is a fellowship of 24 Protestant Member Churches and 20 affiliates which is committed, faithful, transparent, accountable and financially sustainable in the advancement of God’s mission, transforming humanity after the image of Christ, promoting holistic human development and fostering communities in the communion of peace, justice and love.
The Council, in this regard, has engaged itself in socio‐economic development issues including the thorny issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) as a global matter that needs sober and serious attention.
Our Stand
Seeking to address the controversial issue of homosexuality, the Malawi Council of Churches first engaged national church leaders and other stakeholders to a consultative workshop gathered at Sun ‘n’Sand Holiday Resort in Mangochi from the 15th to 18th March 2010, to deliberate on the Contemporary Issues Affecting the Church and Society including Homosexuality.
From this gathering, it was agreed to:‐
1. Affirm the authority of the Bible to regulate the belief and practice of Christians and the Church
2. Recognize the divergent interpretation of the Holy Scriptures
3. Trust on the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the meaning of Scriptures
4. Recognize the universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all human beings that go with corresponding duties and responsibilities
5. Note the fact that homosexuality is influenced by a variety of factors
Pursuant to this, members of the Malawi Council of Churches agreed to:‐
1. Hold that homosexual acts and or practices, are a violation of the revealed truth of the complementarily of males and females (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:18‐25)
2. Uphold the current penal code provision that criminalizes homosexual acts and or practices, in as far as they bring about reform
3. Hold that the Church should treat practicing and self affirming homosexuals as sinners just as any other persons engaged in persistent unrepentant acts of sin. They should be loved and ministered to. The Church therefore must accompany the homosexuals in their struggle to transform their lives.
Our Call
The Council, as it earlier stated in its Press Statement of 18th March 2011, fully and strongly calls against legalizing homosexuality because the practice is a defined contradiction with the teachings of the Lord; a threat to the family unit which was institutionalized by God; and a contradiction to Malawi’s rich traditions and culture.
We wish to call on all stakeholders to the Scripture:‐ Leviticus 20:13; "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable,” and 1 Corinthians 6:19‐
20 (NLT); “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
Our call to all Christians, Malawians at large and all stakeholders is to take part and convince upon proponents of homosexuality to exercise reasonableness in calling for cultures that will only alienate the general citizenry. The Council understands and believes that Malawi needs aid, and therefore asks that homosexuality should not be used as a benchmark to penalize and put to risk the lives of millions of
innocent Malawians.
3 We therefore call upon all donor partners to reconsider their demands for poor African countries,including Malawi, to embrace homosexuality as one of the tenets to accessing the much needed aid, and pray that development partners refrain from using aid to enforce negative lifestyles in poor countries.
In Conclusion
The Malawi Council of Churches therefore wishes to categorically state that the Christian Church, in line with the revealed Scripture, advises that homosexuality should not be made legal in Malawi. This is an alien and immoral culture that denigrates human dignity, contradictory to God’s teaching – and in itself,
a human rights violation where poor people are denied an opportunity to realize their full potential.
God bless Malawi.
Signed:
Bishop Dr. Joseph BVUMBWE Rev. Dr. Osborne Lukiel JODA‐MBEWE
Board Chairperson General Secretary
Our Concern
The Daily Times of Monday 10th October 2011, headlined ‘ACCEPT GAYS OR FORGET UK AID’, reported by Madalitso Musa, that:
‘Poor African countries including Malawi must abandon their rigidity against
same sex marriages as a condition for receiving British.’
‘Britain’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell is quoted in UK’s The Daily Mail of yesterday through his spokesperson that Britain has resorted to cut aid to African countries that are against gay marriages.’
‘The British Government said it had cut aid of about 19 million pounds (MK4.8 billion) to Malawi because of government’s position regarding homosexuality particularly the conviction and sentencing of gay couple Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza’.
Our Mandate
Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) is a fellowship of 24 Protestant Member Churches and 20 affiliates which is committed, faithful, transparent, accountable and financially sustainable in the advancement of God’s mission, transforming humanity after the image of Christ, promoting holistic human development and fostering communities in the communion of peace, justice and love.
The Council, in this regard, has engaged itself in socio‐economic development issues including the thorny issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) as a global matter that needs sober and serious attention.
Our Stand
Seeking to address the controversial issue of homosexuality, the Malawi Council of Churches first engaged national church leaders and other stakeholders to a consultative workshop gathered at Sun ‘n’Sand Holiday Resort in Mangochi from the 15th to 18th March 2010, to deliberate on the Contemporary Issues Affecting the Church and Society including Homosexuality.
From this gathering, it was agreed to:‐
1. Affirm the authority of the Bible to regulate the belief and practice of Christians and the Church
2. Recognize the divergent interpretation of the Holy Scriptures
3. Trust on the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the meaning of Scriptures
4. Recognize the universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all human beings that go with corresponding duties and responsibilities
5. Note the fact that homosexuality is influenced by a variety of factors
Pursuant to this, members of the Malawi Council of Churches agreed to:‐
1. Hold that homosexual acts and or practices, are a violation of the revealed truth of the complementarily of males and females (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:18‐25)
2. Uphold the current penal code provision that criminalizes homosexual acts and or practices, in as far as they bring about reform
3. Hold that the Church should treat practicing and self affirming homosexuals as sinners just as any other persons engaged in persistent unrepentant acts of sin. They should be loved and ministered to. The Church therefore must accompany the homosexuals in their struggle to transform their lives.
Our Call
The Council, as it earlier stated in its Press Statement of 18th March 2011, fully and strongly calls against legalizing homosexuality because the practice is a defined contradiction with the teachings of the Lord; a threat to the family unit which was institutionalized by God; and a contradiction to Malawi’s rich traditions and culture.
We wish to call on all stakeholders to the Scripture:‐ Leviticus 20:13; "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable,” and 1 Corinthians 6:19‐
20 (NLT); “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
Our call to all Christians, Malawians at large and all stakeholders is to take part and convince upon proponents of homosexuality to exercise reasonableness in calling for cultures that will only alienate the general citizenry. The Council understands and believes that Malawi needs aid, and therefore asks that homosexuality should not be used as a benchmark to penalize and put to risk the lives of millions of
innocent Malawians.
3 We therefore call upon all donor partners to reconsider their demands for poor African countries,including Malawi, to embrace homosexuality as one of the tenets to accessing the much needed aid, and pray that development partners refrain from using aid to enforce negative lifestyles in poor countries.
In Conclusion
The Malawi Council of Churches therefore wishes to categorically state that the Christian Church, in line with the revealed Scripture, advises that homosexuality should not be made legal in Malawi. This is an alien and immoral culture that denigrates human dignity, contradictory to God’s teaching – and in itself,
a human rights violation where poor people are denied an opportunity to realize their full potential.
God bless Malawi.
Signed:
Bishop Dr. Joseph BVUMBWE Rev. Dr. Osborne Lukiel JODA‐MBEWE
Board Chairperson General Secretary
Malawians and Mozambicans are Friends!!!
Malawians and Mozambicans are friends: In Mozambique without a passport or any traveling documents. It is so simple to understand: Malawians and Mozambicans are friends!
Malawians and Mozambicans are friends: In Mozambique without a passport or any traveling documents. It is so simple to understand: Malawians and Mozambicans are friends!
Malawians and Mozambicans are friends: In Mozambique without a passport or any traveling documents. It is so simple to understand: Malawians and Mozambicans are friends!
High Cost of Living Undermining Poor People’s Access to Food- Centre for Social Concern
In September 2000, 147 heads of State and government, and 189 nations in total, convened for the Millennium Summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. They adopted the Millennium Declaration, committing themselves to halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015. Currently, there are more than 800 million people worldwide who do not have adequate access to food. In Malawi, exact figures are not known, however with the widespread poverty and unemployment, most urban poor people are struggling to adequately access food. This, despite a long-standing acknowledgement by the countries of the world, that everyone has a “right to have access to safe and nutritious food.”
For Centre for Social Concern (CfSC), the right to food is a crucial element in the fight against poverty and social injustice. Food and nutrition security are foundations for development. Nutritional status of children is used as one of the key indicators for poverty reduction in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This reflects the insight that policies, programmes and processes to improve nutrition outcomes have a role to play in poverty reduction and national development. Without access to food, there can be no development.
There are a number of key elements required in enabling people to have access to food. Actualising the right to food means that people should have access, to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that is culturally appropriate, at prices that they can afford. Hence people that are unable to satisfy their basic needs – for example, food, health, water, shelter, primary education and community participation are considered to live in (absolute) poverty.
As the CfSC Social Conditions Research Programme Officer, Mr. Alex Nkosi observes, “the current trend in Malawi of sustained rapid food price inflation poses an enormous challenge in enabling poor people to access food because prices for staple foods are rising well beyond the reach of most Malawians, more especially the poor. What is surprising is the fact that this increase in maize prices is happening at a time when Malawi has had bumper yields for a couple successive years. What has happened to the abundant harvest?”
The CfSC Cost of Living Survey for December in the Cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Zomba and Blantyre has shown unrelenting rapid price increase for food commodities. In December, maize has registered an average 7% increase in all the cities. While Mzuzu was the hardest hit in the month of November, this month the price of maize is hitting hard the Lilongwe city residents. In the capital city the staple food has gone up by 11% (K2, 236 in November to K2, 514 in December per 50kg bag) while Mzuzu has seen the maize price increase by 10.2%. In Blantyre the price of maize has stabilised remaining at K2, 500 per 50kgs in the months of November and December while in Zomba it has gone up by 7% - from K2, 083 in November to K2, 242 in December. In November, there were reports that Kenyan and Somali bulk-buyers had swarmed the markets of Mzuzu City and were offering better rates than the locals, consequently inducing the price of maize to surge upwards. In Lilongwe maize is becoming a rare commodity in the face of the ever-increasing demand and the prices are responding accordingly. It is important to note that this survey was conducted days before Government decide to increase its price through ADMARC by 50% from K2000 to K3000 per 50 kg bag. With this development it means that all the highlighted prices in this statement will automatically surge upwards.
Similar trends have been observed with other items in the food basket. Beans, for instance, has gone up by 5.5% in Lilongwe from K259 per kilogram in November to K279 in December. In Zomba beans have notched a 3% increase while in Blantyre and Mzuzu the prices have remained the same from November. The average price of Tomato per Kilogram in Zomba is K175 from K88 in November – representing a 49% increment. In Lilongwe Tomato has gone up by 24% while in Mzuzu and Blantyre the commodity has upsurged by 7.7% and 1.8% respectively. For the past couple of months, all items in the food baskets have shown a steady rise in prices. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET, December 21, 2011), a body that monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity has also observed that maize prices in Malawi have been increasing slightly faster than in the rest of the SADC region. FEWS NET attributes the price rise to cross-border flows of grain towards the deficit markets of Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
In summary, the cost of living continues to go up in all the cities of Malawi. The average December food basket (the cost of essential food items) for Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Zomba and Blantyre went up by 5.7%. Zomba witnessed the highest increase (10%) from K30, 800 in November to K34, 602 in December. In Lilongwe the food basket went up by 6.5% while in Blantyre and Mzuzu the basket rose by 1.3% and 5.2% respectively. Regarding the entire Basic Needs Basket (comprising of food and non-food items) the survey has disclosed that the cost of living for the four cities has gone up by 3.3% on average. With a 5.5%, Zomba has registered the highest increase in the cost of living – in November a family of six people needed K56, 727 to live a minimum dignified life, now the bill is at K60, 080. In the Capital City, the cost of living went up by 3.3%, Mzuzu 3.2% and in Blantyre by 1.2%. Having said this, Lilongwe remains the most expensive city with the current Basic Needs Basket standing at K69, 303.
Mr. Alex Nkosi further notes that “with this rapid food price inflation and the current economic slowdown, there are two main channels through which households are affected: (a) the ensuing food price inflation has made it increasingly difficult for low-income households to afford their food baskets – their take-home pay is not even enough to cater for the essential food items. Further, the fluctuating agro-food markets have exposed people who were perceived as food-secure at one moment to enormous risks, and it has therefore raised their vulnerability to unanticipated livelihood shocks. (b) The knock-on effects of the economic slowdown have occasioned an increase in job losses (especially in the private sector) which has practically obliterated the income of the households where their breadwinners are victim of jobs losses”.
This increase in the cost of living is taking place at a time when the income for low and middle earners is inadequate and has stagnated for a while. For instance, the Salary Survey carried out by CfSC (August, 2011) in the cities of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu for low-income and middle-income earners revealed that Police officers (Grade PM 1 to Grade PL6) receive a gross monthly salary in the range of K19, 887.00 to K28, 858.00. At the end of the month, domestic workers (Nannies, Housemaid, Garden boys etc...) rake-in a measly range of K2, 500 - K12, 000 per month. Nurses & health personnel (Grade O to I) are in the range of K12, 833 to K64, 860. General workers (cleaners, office assistants, shop assistants) receive a gross salary in the range of K9, 000 - K39, 741 while Journalists hover between K30, 000 and K49, 364 per month. Teachers in Primary and Secondary (PT4 to Grade I) get a monthly gross salary of K23,000 to K46,000 in the private sector while those in government schools are in the range of K25,870 to K47,000.
“With these unmatched increases in food prices”, points out Mr. Alex Nkosi, “it means that low and middle income earners are practically required to spend all of their income on the food basket if they are to live a minimum dignified life. In fact, for most low-income earners, their income falls far short from meeting their monthly basic needs. Thus even the slightest increase in food prices can have devastating consequences on low-income earners’ ability to access food”.
As the scarcity of foreign currency supply continues to contribute to an unstable economy, traders are struggling to purchase and import essential commodities such as fuel and fertilizer. Problems in importing fertilizer into the country and difficulties faced in distributing the imported fertilizer to rural areas will likely negatively affect harvests in April-August 2012. Looking at the ascending trend that the price of maize has taken for the past 12 months (January 2011 to December 2011) CfSC is concerned if the staple will be within the reach of poor households in the coming months. Our concern is heightened especially that Government has decided to increase the price of maize by 50%. Of particular worry is the fact that Malawians are approaching the lean months of January, February and March when, judging from experience, maize prices are always at their peak. This period is especially tough for many households because families usually grapple with extra responsibilities in the range of paying for school fees to meeting the costs of farm inputs. While CfSC appreciates the touted benefits that market liberalization brings, our concern focuses on the fact that maize is the life-line commodity in Malawi and as such, it needs to be safeguarded. CfSC applauds the Government for approving a humanitarian food assistance intervention plan for southern Malawi covering all people identified by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC). In the same spirit CfSC urges government to put up measures that will enable the poor to have access to the staple including those in very low paying jobs by among other things reconsidering the recent maize price hike.
We at CfSC have a preferential option for the poor and express our deep concern regarding the debilitating impact that the cost of living is having on poor people. Our primary purpose of this special commitment to the poor is to enable them to become active participants in the life of society. It is to enable all persons to share in and contribute to the common good. The economic insight of the principles of the Universal Destination of Goods is that each person needs to benefit from how social output is divided. It does not claim that each person has the right to an equal share, but that each has a right to sufficiency. It does assert that wealth and poverty are socially created categories, and those who have a surplus above their needs have an obligation to help those who have less than what they need. ‘Option for the poor,’ therefore, is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. The extent of their suffering is a measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons.
For Centre for Social Concern (CfSC), the right to food is a crucial element in the fight against poverty and social injustice. Food and nutrition security are foundations for development. Nutritional status of children is used as one of the key indicators for poverty reduction in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This reflects the insight that policies, programmes and processes to improve nutrition outcomes have a role to play in poverty reduction and national development. Without access to food, there can be no development.
There are a number of key elements required in enabling people to have access to food. Actualising the right to food means that people should have access, to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that is culturally appropriate, at prices that they can afford. Hence people that are unable to satisfy their basic needs – for example, food, health, water, shelter, primary education and community participation are considered to live in (absolute) poverty.
As the CfSC Social Conditions Research Programme Officer, Mr. Alex Nkosi observes, “the current trend in Malawi of sustained rapid food price inflation poses an enormous challenge in enabling poor people to access food because prices for staple foods are rising well beyond the reach of most Malawians, more especially the poor. What is surprising is the fact that this increase in maize prices is happening at a time when Malawi has had bumper yields for a couple successive years. What has happened to the abundant harvest?”
The CfSC Cost of Living Survey for December in the Cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Zomba and Blantyre has shown unrelenting rapid price increase for food commodities. In December, maize has registered an average 7% increase in all the cities. While Mzuzu was the hardest hit in the month of November, this month the price of maize is hitting hard the Lilongwe city residents. In the capital city the staple food has gone up by 11% (K2, 236 in November to K2, 514 in December per 50kg bag) while Mzuzu has seen the maize price increase by 10.2%. In Blantyre the price of maize has stabilised remaining at K2, 500 per 50kgs in the months of November and December while in Zomba it has gone up by 7% - from K2, 083 in November to K2, 242 in December. In November, there were reports that Kenyan and Somali bulk-buyers had swarmed the markets of Mzuzu City and were offering better rates than the locals, consequently inducing the price of maize to surge upwards. In Lilongwe maize is becoming a rare commodity in the face of the ever-increasing demand and the prices are responding accordingly. It is important to note that this survey was conducted days before Government decide to increase its price through ADMARC by 50% from K2000 to K3000 per 50 kg bag. With this development it means that all the highlighted prices in this statement will automatically surge upwards.
Similar trends have been observed with other items in the food basket. Beans, for instance, has gone up by 5.5% in Lilongwe from K259 per kilogram in November to K279 in December. In Zomba beans have notched a 3% increase while in Blantyre and Mzuzu the prices have remained the same from November. The average price of Tomato per Kilogram in Zomba is K175 from K88 in November – representing a 49% increment. In Lilongwe Tomato has gone up by 24% while in Mzuzu and Blantyre the commodity has upsurged by 7.7% and 1.8% respectively. For the past couple of months, all items in the food baskets have shown a steady rise in prices. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET, December 21, 2011), a body that monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity has also observed that maize prices in Malawi have been increasing slightly faster than in the rest of the SADC region. FEWS NET attributes the price rise to cross-border flows of grain towards the deficit markets of Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
In summary, the cost of living continues to go up in all the cities of Malawi. The average December food basket (the cost of essential food items) for Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Zomba and Blantyre went up by 5.7%. Zomba witnessed the highest increase (10%) from K30, 800 in November to K34, 602 in December. In Lilongwe the food basket went up by 6.5% while in Blantyre and Mzuzu the basket rose by 1.3% and 5.2% respectively. Regarding the entire Basic Needs Basket (comprising of food and non-food items) the survey has disclosed that the cost of living for the four cities has gone up by 3.3% on average. With a 5.5%, Zomba has registered the highest increase in the cost of living – in November a family of six people needed K56, 727 to live a minimum dignified life, now the bill is at K60, 080. In the Capital City, the cost of living went up by 3.3%, Mzuzu 3.2% and in Blantyre by 1.2%. Having said this, Lilongwe remains the most expensive city with the current Basic Needs Basket standing at K69, 303.
Mr. Alex Nkosi further notes that “with this rapid food price inflation and the current economic slowdown, there are two main channels through which households are affected: (a) the ensuing food price inflation has made it increasingly difficult for low-income households to afford their food baskets – their take-home pay is not even enough to cater for the essential food items. Further, the fluctuating agro-food markets have exposed people who were perceived as food-secure at one moment to enormous risks, and it has therefore raised their vulnerability to unanticipated livelihood shocks. (b) The knock-on effects of the economic slowdown have occasioned an increase in job losses (especially in the private sector) which has practically obliterated the income of the households where their breadwinners are victim of jobs losses”.
This increase in the cost of living is taking place at a time when the income for low and middle earners is inadequate and has stagnated for a while. For instance, the Salary Survey carried out by CfSC (August, 2011) in the cities of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu for low-income and middle-income earners revealed that Police officers (Grade PM 1 to Grade PL6) receive a gross monthly salary in the range of K19, 887.00 to K28, 858.00. At the end of the month, domestic workers (Nannies, Housemaid, Garden boys etc...) rake-in a measly range of K2, 500 - K12, 000 per month. Nurses & health personnel (Grade O to I) are in the range of K12, 833 to K64, 860. General workers (cleaners, office assistants, shop assistants) receive a gross salary in the range of K9, 000 - K39, 741 while Journalists hover between K30, 000 and K49, 364 per month. Teachers in Primary and Secondary (PT4 to Grade I) get a monthly gross salary of K23,000 to K46,000 in the private sector while those in government schools are in the range of K25,870 to K47,000.
“With these unmatched increases in food prices”, points out Mr. Alex Nkosi, “it means that low and middle income earners are practically required to spend all of their income on the food basket if they are to live a minimum dignified life. In fact, for most low-income earners, their income falls far short from meeting their monthly basic needs. Thus even the slightest increase in food prices can have devastating consequences on low-income earners’ ability to access food”.
As the scarcity of foreign currency supply continues to contribute to an unstable economy, traders are struggling to purchase and import essential commodities such as fuel and fertilizer. Problems in importing fertilizer into the country and difficulties faced in distributing the imported fertilizer to rural areas will likely negatively affect harvests in April-August 2012. Looking at the ascending trend that the price of maize has taken for the past 12 months (January 2011 to December 2011) CfSC is concerned if the staple will be within the reach of poor households in the coming months. Our concern is heightened especially that Government has decided to increase the price of maize by 50%. Of particular worry is the fact that Malawians are approaching the lean months of January, February and March when, judging from experience, maize prices are always at their peak. This period is especially tough for many households because families usually grapple with extra responsibilities in the range of paying for school fees to meeting the costs of farm inputs. While CfSC appreciates the touted benefits that market liberalization brings, our concern focuses on the fact that maize is the life-line commodity in Malawi and as such, it needs to be safeguarded. CfSC applauds the Government for approving a humanitarian food assistance intervention plan for southern Malawi covering all people identified by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC). In the same spirit CfSC urges government to put up measures that will enable the poor to have access to the staple including those in very low paying jobs by among other things reconsidering the recent maize price hike.
We at CfSC have a preferential option for the poor and express our deep concern regarding the debilitating impact that the cost of living is having on poor people. Our primary purpose of this special commitment to the poor is to enable them to become active participants in the life of society. It is to enable all persons to share in and contribute to the common good. The economic insight of the principles of the Universal Destination of Goods is that each person needs to benefit from how social output is divided. It does not claim that each person has the right to an equal share, but that each has a right to sufficiency. It does assert that wealth and poverty are socially created categories, and those who have a surplus above their needs have an obligation to help those who have less than what they need. ‘Option for the poor,’ therefore, is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. The extent of their suffering is a measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Prayer for Malawi; Prayer for 2012
"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.
"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.
"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Get Out of The Vehicle, Get Us Out of This Economic Mess, This National Misery We See in Children's Eyes
Malawi's President, Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa Mutharika.: The devil sat on our back in 2011; 2012, I assure you, will be better.
"As we prepare to enter the New Year, our prayer should be: 'God, as you bless other nations, do not forget us. Do not forget Malawi"- Malawi's President, Ngwazi President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Towards the Abyss
The Way Things Are,
The Way They Go These Days;
The Journey Has Come,
The Journey is Here.
Just Like That.
The Way They Go These Days;
The Journey Has Come,
The Journey is Here.
Just Like That.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tereza Mirovicova: Singing Malawian Songs Away From Home
By Richard Chirombo
What love is greater than this: A young lady aged 24, fully aware of
her position as the only child to a loving Czech family, falls into
the pit of curiosity and decides to go to an unknown country in the
deep of Africa.
In The Heat of Things: Tereza. She is also a movie-maker, having produced the Chichewa firm, 'Zione'in 2010, and is currently working with Tawonga Nkhonjera's Dikamawoko Arts producing a new firm called 'Bella'. The firm is being shot in Chadzunda with local Secondary School students.
She had no idea about the country she was about to set foot on. The
two things she knew were that this country was in Africa, and that she
very much wanted to be a volunteer.
And, so, started Tereza Mirovicova’s journey to Malawi- a journey
sparkled by a newspaper advert in Czech’s Dhes (Today) newspaper
calling for people interested to work as Development Aid from People
to People (Dapp) Volunteers in 2002. Tereza was working as secretary
for a company based in the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague.
“I immediately applied because I wanted to experience something
different,” says Mirovicova with a grin.
That decision did two things. On one hand, it marked the end of her
blossoming secretarial career. It also broke her parents’ hearts, on
the other.
“It was hard on my parents because I am their only child,” says Mirovicova.
But Tereza was resolute in her decision to sample the unknown that was
Africa, in part because she knew she had not, like many youths,
dropped into a vacuum of childish objectives but took the right path.
Hers was the courage and passion of a daughter caught up in the net of
a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Tereza never regrets ever making that decision, more so because “I
could not have positively impacted on people’s lives in my position as
secretary the way I have done here by contributing towards early
childhood development efforts in Malawi”.
But it was not easy to make her decision as it required a great deal
of blending moral courage with other traits which make up character:
honesty, deep seriousness, a firm sense of principle, candour, and
resolution.
Convinced that she had these traits- a position strengthened by the
realization that, everywhere in the world, people liked good things
and placed an equal valuation upon character and intellect- Tereza
visited Malawi on a tour of duty in 2002.
Tereza had lived in her native Czech Republic for 22 years the time
she made the decision work for Dapp between October 2002 and March
2003. Of course, she was at the peak of her life, and- while other
youths sailed with the winds in her home country, making merry and
enjoying youth hood’s great offerings- Tereza had reached the decisive
moment when her conscience, life events, and circumstances propelled
her into the centre of passion’s storm.
”When I first came to Malawi, I went to work in Chiradzulu. My work
there influenced my decision to come back. This is after I learned
that it is possible- in a rural setting, and without much money- to
contribute towards high quality early childhood education,” says
Tereza.
That is how Tereza’s journey back home differed from other volunteers.
The others went back with mixed memories about the people of Malawi-
in terms of the ideals they lived for and the principles they fought
for, their virtues and their sins, their dreams and their
disillusionment, the praise they earned and the abuse they endured,
and , of course, their ever-present smiles even in the middle of
adversity.
“But I was going back home with a wish: to come back at all costs,” says Tereza.
Indeed, she raised US$ 90,000 and came back with some two Czech
friends for their Malawi project. One of those friends, Simone Fuchs,
still works with her as the Education Director for boNGO (Based On
Need-Driven Grassroots’ Ownership), their organisation. This is how
the Dapp story of 2002 is not wholly separate from the story of
Tereza’s present.
boNGO’s work is a celebration of local proverbs, says Tereza, and
centres on the Chichewa proverb m’mera mpoyamba.
“This Malawian proverb represents the importance of the first years of
a child’s life. 80 percent of the brain develops before the age of
eight, and it is these years that lay the crucial foundation for a
child’s physical, intellectual, and emotional development in life.
“There is urgent need for quality care and education for Malawi’s five
million children under the age of eight,” says Tereza of Bongo.
BoNGO, which started in 2005, and runs Umodzi-Mbame Model Care Centre
in Juma Village, T/A Somba, Blantyre, occupies much of Tereza’s time.
But it is boNGO, also, that has brought Tereza into the music
limelight as a Chichewa music singer.
The sight of a ‘white’ lady singing in vernacular at the Lake of
Stars, Blantyre Arts Festival, College of Medicine’s multi-purpose
hall, old mutual and Doogles puzzles many people. This puzzlement
amazes Tereza.
“I sing in Chichewa out of passion, and also the zeal to fundraise for
boNGO. I want Malawians stop, think and smile,” says Tereza.
She is a multitalented movie-maker, and plays the role of poet,
story-teller, dramatist, and musician for Dikamawoko- owned by Taonga
Nkhonjera.
Born on December 6, 1978, Tereza fell in love with music at the tender
age of eight. This was at the peak of Communism, a time when Czechs
were not allowed to listen to Western music. So worse was the
situation, in a country so totally given up to the spirit of
communism, that not to follow blindfolded was an expiable offense.
”However, I found an old Western music tape with songs from the 50s
and 60s. I so liked the music that I started dancing to it. In fact,
songs of the 60s remain my main weakness, “she says.
It is a sense that came to her when he first listened to Chichewa
music, too. In fact, the musician has just finished recording an
11-track Chichewa album. It has songs like Chikondi, a celebration of
love between two people of different cultures. The addition of the
Mbira introduces melodies that make the heart sparkle.
There is also Chimphongo - a song inspired by Tom Jones’ She’s a lady,
is a depiction of a young lady’s pride and joy in her new found love,
Bwera Apa, Serenoa, Titsate Mwambo, Simuzasiabe, and Ku Ghetto, among
others.
“My favourite Malawian musician is Ndirande-based singer and
guitarist, Muhanya. I also love old Malawi music, the likes of Bambo
aTereza,” says Tereza.
In the Czech Republic, Tereza is thrilled by the songs of Raduza and Karel Gott.
“My message to Malawians is that they should value their culture;
culture gives people a sense of what they are. Lastly, let me say that
we are all one. I just want Malawians to treat me as one of them, not
(as) a white lady. We are all equal,” says Tereza.
This message resonates with Tereza’s songs. Common humanity furnished
the beat; love provides the theme. She also urges people to share
with others.
When we give to others, she enthuses, we are making the immeasurable
world measurable through our deeds.
Malawi was, before 2002, an immeasurable world to Tereza. But,
through her courage, Malawi became measurable in connection with her,
that she now feels happy to divide her year in two parts: nine months
in Malawi, three months in the Czech Republic.
What love is greater than this: A young lady aged 24, fully aware of
her position as the only child to a loving Czech family, falls into
the pit of curiosity and decides to go to an unknown country in the
deep of Africa.
In The Heat of Things: Tereza. She is also a movie-maker, having produced the Chichewa firm, 'Zione'in 2010, and is currently working with Tawonga Nkhonjera's Dikamawoko Arts producing a new firm called 'Bella'. The firm is being shot in Chadzunda with local Secondary School students.
She had no idea about the country she was about to set foot on. The
two things she knew were that this country was in Africa, and that she
very much wanted to be a volunteer.
And, so, started Tereza Mirovicova’s journey to Malawi- a journey
sparkled by a newspaper advert in Czech’s Dhes (Today) newspaper
calling for people interested to work as Development Aid from People
to People (Dapp) Volunteers in 2002. Tereza was working as secretary
for a company based in the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague.
“I immediately applied because I wanted to experience something
different,” says Mirovicova with a grin.
That decision did two things. On one hand, it marked the end of her
blossoming secretarial career. It also broke her parents’ hearts, on
the other.
“It was hard on my parents because I am their only child,” says Mirovicova.
But Tereza was resolute in her decision to sample the unknown that was
Africa, in part because she knew she had not, like many youths,
dropped into a vacuum of childish objectives but took the right path.
Hers was the courage and passion of a daughter caught up in the net of
a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Tereza never regrets ever making that decision, more so because “I
could not have positively impacted on people’s lives in my position as
secretary the way I have done here by contributing towards early
childhood development efforts in Malawi”.
But it was not easy to make her decision as it required a great deal
of blending moral courage with other traits which make up character:
honesty, deep seriousness, a firm sense of principle, candour, and
resolution.
Convinced that she had these traits- a position strengthened by the
realization that, everywhere in the world, people liked good things
and placed an equal valuation upon character and intellect- Tereza
visited Malawi on a tour of duty in 2002.
Tereza had lived in her native Czech Republic for 22 years the time
she made the decision work for Dapp between October 2002 and March
2003. Of course, she was at the peak of her life, and- while other
youths sailed with the winds in her home country, making merry and
enjoying youth hood’s great offerings- Tereza had reached the decisive
moment when her conscience, life events, and circumstances propelled
her into the centre of passion’s storm.
”When I first came to Malawi, I went to work in Chiradzulu. My work
there influenced my decision to come back. This is after I learned
that it is possible- in a rural setting, and without much money- to
contribute towards high quality early childhood education,” says
Tereza.
That is how Tereza’s journey back home differed from other volunteers.
The others went back with mixed memories about the people of Malawi-
in terms of the ideals they lived for and the principles they fought
for, their virtues and their sins, their dreams and their
disillusionment, the praise they earned and the abuse they endured,
and , of course, their ever-present smiles even in the middle of
adversity.
“But I was going back home with a wish: to come back at all costs,” says Tereza.
Indeed, she raised US$ 90,000 and came back with some two Czech
friends for their Malawi project. One of those friends, Simone Fuchs,
still works with her as the Education Director for boNGO (Based On
Need-Driven Grassroots’ Ownership), their organisation. This is how
the Dapp story of 2002 is not wholly separate from the story of
Tereza’s present.
boNGO’s work is a celebration of local proverbs, says Tereza, and
centres on the Chichewa proverb m’mera mpoyamba.
“This Malawian proverb represents the importance of the first years of
a child’s life. 80 percent of the brain develops before the age of
eight, and it is these years that lay the crucial foundation for a
child’s physical, intellectual, and emotional development in life.
“There is urgent need for quality care and education for Malawi’s five
million children under the age of eight,” says Tereza of Bongo.
BoNGO, which started in 2005, and runs Umodzi-Mbame Model Care Centre
in Juma Village, T/A Somba, Blantyre, occupies much of Tereza’s time.
But it is boNGO, also, that has brought Tereza into the music
limelight as a Chichewa music singer.
The sight of a ‘white’ lady singing in vernacular at the Lake of
Stars, Blantyre Arts Festival, College of Medicine’s multi-purpose
hall, old mutual and Doogles puzzles many people. This puzzlement
amazes Tereza.
“I sing in Chichewa out of passion, and also the zeal to fundraise for
boNGO. I want Malawians stop, think and smile,” says Tereza.
She is a multitalented movie-maker, and plays the role of poet,
story-teller, dramatist, and musician for Dikamawoko- owned by Taonga
Nkhonjera.
Born on December 6, 1978, Tereza fell in love with music at the tender
age of eight. This was at the peak of Communism, a time when Czechs
were not allowed to listen to Western music. So worse was the
situation, in a country so totally given up to the spirit of
communism, that not to follow blindfolded was an expiable offense.
”However, I found an old Western music tape with songs from the 50s
and 60s. I so liked the music that I started dancing to it. In fact,
songs of the 60s remain my main weakness, “she says.
It is a sense that came to her when he first listened to Chichewa
music, too. In fact, the musician has just finished recording an
11-track Chichewa album. It has songs like Chikondi, a celebration of
love between two people of different cultures. The addition of the
Mbira introduces melodies that make the heart sparkle.
There is also Chimphongo - a song inspired by Tom Jones’ She’s a lady,
is a depiction of a young lady’s pride and joy in her new found love,
Bwera Apa, Serenoa, Titsate Mwambo, Simuzasiabe, and Ku Ghetto, among
others.
“My favourite Malawian musician is Ndirande-based singer and
guitarist, Muhanya. I also love old Malawi music, the likes of Bambo
aTereza,” says Tereza.
In the Czech Republic, Tereza is thrilled by the songs of Raduza and Karel Gott.
“My message to Malawians is that they should value their culture;
culture gives people a sense of what they are. Lastly, let me say that
we are all one. I just want Malawians to treat me as one of them, not
(as) a white lady. We are all equal,” says Tereza.
This message resonates with Tereza’s songs. Common humanity furnished
the beat; love provides the theme. She also urges people to share
with others.
When we give to others, she enthuses, we are making the immeasurable
world measurable through our deeds.
Malawi was, before 2002, an immeasurable world to Tereza. But,
through her courage, Malawi became measurable in connection with her,
that she now feels happy to divide her year in two parts: nine months
in Malawi, three months in the Czech Republic.
Remembering Malawi's 2009 Elections' Preparations
Mussa Paulo, DPP, nearly banged into an on-coming lorry ON august 27, 2007, as he attempted to duck Dyson Misomali, a United Democratic Front (UDF) director of youth for Blantyre- Kabula constituency.
Paulo, also from Kabula, is no stranger to politics, or politicians. Not merely because he currently serves as Democratic progressive Party constituency governor for youth; he has over the years been bodyguard to a myriad of notable politicians who, from an observer's point of view, have little in common other than the common string that is politics, and being Malawian.
Talk about Malawi Congress Party (MCP) President John Tembo, New Republican Party (NRP) president Gwanda Chakuamba, Stanley Masauli of the resuscitated Republican Party, and Steve Ching'ang'a, among other notable politicians- he has served them all as bodyguard- either as a single individual or part of a security detail.
"The reason I nearly got run over was political; many Malawians have a long-held view that people who belong to other political parties, other than their own, are their sworn in rivals, that there should be no interaction whatsoever. I might have shared in this misconception, but now I know (what politics is all about). Politics, in the developed world, means campaigning in the run-up to federal or national elections, and then holding hands for the sake of national development thereafter. Not in Malawi," says Paulo.
He defends his case by adding that a majority of Malawians have taken politics beyond its traditional meaning, perhaps because of its Chichewa translation of Ndale which, literally translated into English, comes to mean 'slashing one's legs at one go' (as in cutting of grass)-a martial arts technique that sees someone falling over himself from the sudden effect of a slash-like movement of the legs.
Yet, in his own words, he also reveals that on so many occasions, in his other life as bodyguard, he came to learn about the behind-the-podium-life of politicians. He saw his (former) bosses screech to resounding halts whenever they saw their perceived political 'enemies' embroiled in the delay-tentacles of an auto-mobile break-down.
After which, he says, they would agree on where they would meet for one-too-many, or beer, sessions. 'Why can't we learn from this, as we approach the May (19, 2009) general elections, that the polls may be peaceful, that in the end we will all agree to concentrate on development until one's term of office expires? There is a lot to be done to transform our lives, and all these things depend on purpose of unity".
Politicians do it at night.
A lot, it seems, needs to be done, and the signs were bounty recently at Namatete Primary School, in Blantyre, where constituency-level politicians drawn from various political parties met to discuss unity as we approach the May 19, 2009 general elections, equally expected by many a politician and political analysts to be the most challenging Malawi has ever braced since the advent of the Third Republic.
The primary school lies at a distance of 900 metres, East of Chirimba bus stage as one goes towards Blantyre City Centre. There, at Namatete, is a wall two-metres tall, that swallows linear-constructed, but dilapidated all the same, blocks christened classes. These walls also serve as classrooms. In fact, over six chalkboards cover every ten metres of this wall (sorry, classroom!) and, every school day, pupils sit down on stones facing this brown wall.
Every school day, teachers bid their homes bye saying 'we are going to school', yet it is a wall they mean. All they do, and know at this school, ironically constructed in one of Malawi's highly esteemed cities, Blantyre, is stand in front of the wall- the pupils, some can hardly afford soap, watch both the teacher and the wall. Of course they listen to the teacher and not the wall, but environments can also talk. The wall cries for help, in form of classrooms, enough teachers and quality education, on behalf of the pupils.
But, according to UDF's Misomali and Ephraim Pofera, MCP constituency secretary for Kabula, the school remains in such state because people are pre-occupied with politics: the opposition always against, the ruling party always dictating. People are the ones who suffer.
"They (innocent people) are denied their right to development. The problem affects children hard; in this case, pupils have to brace the rain, sometimes so heavy, wind, and the October sun. It's unfair, really. Tit-for-tat politicking, on every side, both the opposition and the ruling party, is retarding social-economic development," says Misomali.
This has largely been detrimental, he enthuses, as some people go about removing other parties' flags and political insignia. Where has sanity gone, when Malawi was supposed to be a boat? One boat.
In fact, in the words of Pofera, what has gone haywire with multiparty politics in Malawi, that it now means enemies to the point of shedding innocent blood? Multiparty politics were supposed to be at the individual person's discretion, whether to join this party or that, just as it happens with churches. He rightly points out that some are catholics, presbyterians, protestants, restorationists, muslims, hindus, among other religious affiliations. But they don't stone each other for their beliefs, they live in peace.
"After all, after all", exclaims Pofera, as if powered by the virtuoso of a newfound revelation, " were we not all members of one political party during the late Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda's regime. Were we not all MCP? The institution of a multiparty politics' system simply meant we now had a choice, and making one's choice doesn't mean violence or muzzling of other views. No, that is anathema to democracy," explains the MCP constituency secretary.
But all the three grassroots' political officials agree that the key to peaceful 2009 elections is not success on the voting day. Rather, the key rests in the processes initiated in the run-up to the same, and that this means political involvement of communities and their leaders. They say, at the moment, politicians only use people at the grassroot to propagate their political ambitions, mostly using violence against perceived political enemies. This is exacerbated by deep-rooted poverty, high illiteracy levels, lack of clearly spelt out ideologies and ignorance about world political systems among rural and peri-urban dwellers.
The future, however, is bright, the way MCP campaign director for the constituency Duncain Hora sees it. Hora says the first solution to any political impasse lies in the realisation that before politics and whatever it means, there was kinsmanship among all and sundry in Malawi; that brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmothers and fathers, even good neighborliness first lived before politics.
So, as we approach the 2009 elections, people should put these considerations first before thinking of politics. That way, Malawians will come to take politics and elections as only a process through which people who love each other tell those who have failed to impress and have failed electorates' expectations that "well, you will do better than this next time, from the experience you have, let us help the one we now want to fill in your weaknesses. Anyone who chooses someone, or allows themselves to be elected to fill the gaps in other people's weaknesses, is a friend in deed," says Hora.
Edward Chaka, executive director for Peoples' Federation for National Peace and Development (Pefenap), an organisation that has been holding discussions on civil and political rights in the districts of Blantyre and Thyolo, with much emphasis on freedom of assembly and association, says imparting knowledge on grassroots leaders and community members is one plausible approach to solving the probable problem of political violence during the 2009 general elections, among the country's political players.
Lack of knowledge is one weakness that has, for a long time, been exploited by politicians to use villagers as tools of political discourse. But with the requisite knowledge that comes from realizing that every citizen has a constitutionally-enshrined right to form or join a political grouping of their choice; that this right goes with the freedom to assemble as a means of achieving political ends, may be the genesis of much needed political tolerance necessary to achieve sustainable social-economic development.
"In the end, resolving political issues at national level should be a process that begins at community level; it is a local responsibility. It is at this level that people are exploited and engaged to be castigating political opponents," according to Chaka.
Paulo, also from Kabula, is no stranger to politics, or politicians. Not merely because he currently serves as Democratic progressive Party constituency governor for youth; he has over the years been bodyguard to a myriad of notable politicians who, from an observer's point of view, have little in common other than the common string that is politics, and being Malawian.
Talk about Malawi Congress Party (MCP) President John Tembo, New Republican Party (NRP) president Gwanda Chakuamba, Stanley Masauli of the resuscitated Republican Party, and Steve Ching'ang'a, among other notable politicians- he has served them all as bodyguard- either as a single individual or part of a security detail.
"The reason I nearly got run over was political; many Malawians have a long-held view that people who belong to other political parties, other than their own, are their sworn in rivals, that there should be no interaction whatsoever. I might have shared in this misconception, but now I know (what politics is all about). Politics, in the developed world, means campaigning in the run-up to federal or national elections, and then holding hands for the sake of national development thereafter. Not in Malawi," says Paulo.
He defends his case by adding that a majority of Malawians have taken politics beyond its traditional meaning, perhaps because of its Chichewa translation of Ndale which, literally translated into English, comes to mean 'slashing one's legs at one go' (as in cutting of grass)-a martial arts technique that sees someone falling over himself from the sudden effect of a slash-like movement of the legs.
Yet, in his own words, he also reveals that on so many occasions, in his other life as bodyguard, he came to learn about the behind-the-podium-life of politicians. He saw his (former) bosses screech to resounding halts whenever they saw their perceived political 'enemies' embroiled in the delay-tentacles of an auto-mobile break-down.
After which, he says, they would agree on where they would meet for one-too-many, or beer, sessions. 'Why can't we learn from this, as we approach the May (19, 2009) general elections, that the polls may be peaceful, that in the end we will all agree to concentrate on development until one's term of office expires? There is a lot to be done to transform our lives, and all these things depend on purpose of unity".
Politicians do it at night.
A lot, it seems, needs to be done, and the signs were bounty recently at Namatete Primary School, in Blantyre, where constituency-level politicians drawn from various political parties met to discuss unity as we approach the May 19, 2009 general elections, equally expected by many a politician and political analysts to be the most challenging Malawi has ever braced since the advent of the Third Republic.
The primary school lies at a distance of 900 metres, East of Chirimba bus stage as one goes towards Blantyre City Centre. There, at Namatete, is a wall two-metres tall, that swallows linear-constructed, but dilapidated all the same, blocks christened classes. These walls also serve as classrooms. In fact, over six chalkboards cover every ten metres of this wall (sorry, classroom!) and, every school day, pupils sit down on stones facing this brown wall.
Every school day, teachers bid their homes bye saying 'we are going to school', yet it is a wall they mean. All they do, and know at this school, ironically constructed in one of Malawi's highly esteemed cities, Blantyre, is stand in front of the wall- the pupils, some can hardly afford soap, watch both the teacher and the wall. Of course they listen to the teacher and not the wall, but environments can also talk. The wall cries for help, in form of classrooms, enough teachers and quality education, on behalf of the pupils.
But, according to UDF's Misomali and Ephraim Pofera, MCP constituency secretary for Kabula, the school remains in such state because people are pre-occupied with politics: the opposition always against, the ruling party always dictating. People are the ones who suffer.
"They (innocent people) are denied their right to development. The problem affects children hard; in this case, pupils have to brace the rain, sometimes so heavy, wind, and the October sun. It's unfair, really. Tit-for-tat politicking, on every side, both the opposition and the ruling party, is retarding social-economic development," says Misomali.
This has largely been detrimental, he enthuses, as some people go about removing other parties' flags and political insignia. Where has sanity gone, when Malawi was supposed to be a boat? One boat.
In fact, in the words of Pofera, what has gone haywire with multiparty politics in Malawi, that it now means enemies to the point of shedding innocent blood? Multiparty politics were supposed to be at the individual person's discretion, whether to join this party or that, just as it happens with churches. He rightly points out that some are catholics, presbyterians, protestants, restorationists, muslims, hindus, among other religious affiliations. But they don't stone each other for their beliefs, they live in peace.
"After all, after all", exclaims Pofera, as if powered by the virtuoso of a newfound revelation, " were we not all members of one political party during the late Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda's regime. Were we not all MCP? The institution of a multiparty politics' system simply meant we now had a choice, and making one's choice doesn't mean violence or muzzling of other views. No, that is anathema to democracy," explains the MCP constituency secretary.
But all the three grassroots' political officials agree that the key to peaceful 2009 elections is not success on the voting day. Rather, the key rests in the processes initiated in the run-up to the same, and that this means political involvement of communities and their leaders. They say, at the moment, politicians only use people at the grassroot to propagate their political ambitions, mostly using violence against perceived political enemies. This is exacerbated by deep-rooted poverty, high illiteracy levels, lack of clearly spelt out ideologies and ignorance about world political systems among rural and peri-urban dwellers.
The future, however, is bright, the way MCP campaign director for the constituency Duncain Hora sees it. Hora says the first solution to any political impasse lies in the realisation that before politics and whatever it means, there was kinsmanship among all and sundry in Malawi; that brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmothers and fathers, even good neighborliness first lived before politics.
So, as we approach the 2009 elections, people should put these considerations first before thinking of politics. That way, Malawians will come to take politics and elections as only a process through which people who love each other tell those who have failed to impress and have failed electorates' expectations that "well, you will do better than this next time, from the experience you have, let us help the one we now want to fill in your weaknesses. Anyone who chooses someone, or allows themselves to be elected to fill the gaps in other people's weaknesses, is a friend in deed," says Hora.
Edward Chaka, executive director for Peoples' Federation for National Peace and Development (Pefenap), an organisation that has been holding discussions on civil and political rights in the districts of Blantyre and Thyolo, with much emphasis on freedom of assembly and association, says imparting knowledge on grassroots leaders and community members is one plausible approach to solving the probable problem of political violence during the 2009 general elections, among the country's political players.
Lack of knowledge is one weakness that has, for a long time, been exploited by politicians to use villagers as tools of political discourse. But with the requisite knowledge that comes from realizing that every citizen has a constitutionally-enshrined right to form or join a political grouping of their choice; that this right goes with the freedom to assemble as a means of achieving political ends, may be the genesis of much needed political tolerance necessary to achieve sustainable social-economic development.
"In the end, resolving political issues at national level should be a process that begins at community level; it is a local responsibility. It is at this level that people are exploited and engaged to be castigating political opponents," according to Chaka.
Blantyre City Assembly in HIV, AIDS Fight
Blantyre, founded in 1876, was supposed to be an old man, ceaselessly
churning out lessons to all institutions, people, and other cities
established before it.
Dr. Emmanuel Kanjunjunju, Health Services Director at Blantyre City Assembly
The city has passed through so many stages- from becoming a British
consular in 1883, attaining municipality status in 1895, to, at one
time, becoming the preferred abode of the Father and Founder of the
Malawi Nation, Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. So old is it that it
even pre-dates such cities as South Africa’s Johannesburg, Zimbabwe’s
Harare, and Kenya’s Nairobi.
With such a rich back ground, one would be made to believe that
Blantyre is a learning place.
Surprise! Officials from Blantyre City Assembly say the city is,
contrary to popular opinion, a ‘student’ of HIV and AIDS.
In fact, says Dr. Emmanuel Kanjunjunju- Blantyre City Assembly’s
Director for Health and Social Services- Blantyre has been a student
of HIV and AIDS “for as long as HIV and AIDS have been in existence”.
Says Dr. Kanjunjunju: “HIV and AIDS took everyone by surprise and we,
as city officials, are no exception. I am happy to say that, every
year, our knowledge on HIV and AIDS has been growing. In fact, we have
been trying various mechanisms in our response to the HIV and AIDS
pandemic.”
Dr. Kanjunjunju adds that HIV and AIDS have ‘taught’ city officials
one big lesson: “to listen and value the input of other stakeholders,
notably the Community Based Organisations (CBOs) we work with”.
“These CBOs have helped us successfully scale up preventive and
treatment programmes. Through them, we have been able to identify
causes of discrimination and continued deaths due to HIV and AIDS,”
Dr. Kanjunjunju says, adding that Blantyre will continue to learn from
scientists, World Health Organisation reports, media coverage and CBOs
monitoring and evaluation reports on immerging issues.
Dr. Kanjunjunju sums up by saying Blantyre has not been a student of
HIV and AIDS in vain.
“From the lessons we have learned from others, we are happy to say
that we have positively contributed towards decreased cases of HIV and
AIDS prevalence. We have also managed to give funding, through the
National AIDS Commission, to CBOs and people living positively with
HIV and AIDS. All these efforts now put us in a better position to
meet the three thematic areas for this year’s HIV and AIDS
Commemoration Day,” Dr. Kanjunjunju says.
churning out lessons to all institutions, people, and other cities
established before it.
Dr. Emmanuel Kanjunjunju, Health Services Director at Blantyre City Assembly
The city has passed through so many stages- from becoming a British
consular in 1883, attaining municipality status in 1895, to, at one
time, becoming the preferred abode of the Father and Founder of the
Malawi Nation, Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. So old is it that it
even pre-dates such cities as South Africa’s Johannesburg, Zimbabwe’s
Harare, and Kenya’s Nairobi.
With such a rich back ground, one would be made to believe that
Blantyre is a learning place.
Surprise! Officials from Blantyre City Assembly say the city is,
contrary to popular opinion, a ‘student’ of HIV and AIDS.
In fact, says Dr. Emmanuel Kanjunjunju- Blantyre City Assembly’s
Director for Health and Social Services- Blantyre has been a student
of HIV and AIDS “for as long as HIV and AIDS have been in existence”.
Says Dr. Kanjunjunju: “HIV and AIDS took everyone by surprise and we,
as city officials, are no exception. I am happy to say that, every
year, our knowledge on HIV and AIDS has been growing. In fact, we have
been trying various mechanisms in our response to the HIV and AIDS
pandemic.”
Dr. Kanjunjunju adds that HIV and AIDS have ‘taught’ city officials
one big lesson: “to listen and value the input of other stakeholders,
notably the Community Based Organisations (CBOs) we work with”.
“These CBOs have helped us successfully scale up preventive and
treatment programmes. Through them, we have been able to identify
causes of discrimination and continued deaths due to HIV and AIDS,”
Dr. Kanjunjunju says, adding that Blantyre will continue to learn from
scientists, World Health Organisation reports, media coverage and CBOs
monitoring and evaluation reports on immerging issues.
Dr. Kanjunjunju sums up by saying Blantyre has not been a student of
HIV and AIDS in vain.
“From the lessons we have learned from others, we are happy to say
that we have positively contributed towards decreased cases of HIV and
AIDS prevalence. We have also managed to give funding, through the
National AIDS Commission, to CBOs and people living positively with
HIV and AIDS. All these efforts now put us in a better position to
meet the three thematic areas for this year’s HIV and AIDS
Commemoration Day,” Dr. Kanjunjunju says.
Malawi Will Never Forget...
...Evison Matafale.
Matafale died mysteriously under the brutal hand of Bakili Muluzi's Administration on 27 November, 2001.
Every year, Malawians from all walks of life gather in Chileka, his home village in Blantyre, to commemorate those few years he lived, and us bewildered.
There, in Chileka, lies the breathless body of a man who was forced to die!
May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace, until that day when Evison Matafale shall stand face-to-face with his bad-wishers!
Remembering Siku's Bangwe Fiasco in March 2009!
One of Zachimalawi's followers wrote the following, in response to an article that appeared here. He wrote Zachimalawi on September 1, 2009.
Here it went:
In defense of Siku owners
By Owen Linganani
Wednesday, July 6, 2009: A man drives to Blantyre’s Bangwe Township and is mobbed by residents for having three dead chickens on him. Within hours, talk is common around town- not only about the man, but the company vehicle he was allegedly using.
From nowhere, the word Siku becomes synonymous with dead chickens in Bangwe. The way the issue has been blown out of proportion smacks of something more than meets the eye. There has to be some invisible hand from somewhere, possibly people who would love Siku, and some of its directors’ reputation, thrown in the mud.
It serves, sadly once again, as a reminder of how as a nation we are so much affiliated to jealousy and its ugly machinations. No wonder our wonderful National Anthem throws a chord over the issue of jealousy.
The truth of the matter is that there is no fuss around the issue of rituals. Rituals are as old as life itself, practiced all over the world. It has always been an integral part of the history and cultural heritage of many people around the world. In Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe and elsewhere, rituals are common place.
In Southeast Asia, for example- with its heavy seasonal rains, the diversity of flora and the abundance of metal ores, agricultural communities have had their rituals since the 4th Millennium BC.
Archaeological and cultural records from Java, known for its favourite geological conditions, have proved beyond reasonable doubt that rituals, religious and cultural beliefs sustained the people there, and gave them some common heritage. Not only in Asia has this happened, elsewhere, too.
Abundant archaeological and cultural evidence from as many as six continents indicates, clearly, that what has come to be known as modern life is merely a combination of immerging trends and our ritualistic past- a past so full of invaluable traits and life colours. This overwhelming evidence, whose force of truth became more powerful in the Late Pleistocene period, and mainly from sites in limestone mountains. Among the best known are Than Khuong and Nguom in Northern Vietnam, Lang rongrien in Thailand, Leang Burung in Celebes, Tabon Curve in the island of Palawan in the Philippines, as well as in neighboring Zambia and Mozambique.
This was of life reached its peak in the 6th millennium BC, with changes in the tool kit from Flake tools to pebble choppers. This was called the HOabinhian tradition, called after the region in North Vietnam where rituals were common place.
This only affirms that rituals remain an integral part of society, even as Neolithic and African people begun to pave way for complex societies and cultures some 6000 years ago.
Dr. David Livingstone himself wrote in one of his letter to Scotland, how the Mang’anja people in Malawi would perform long, arduous rituals on end at the death of one of their own- a trend whose picture got more magnified during the death of traditional leaders. But this was just a part of the larger picture.
When the rains failed, their were specific rituals performed, something continued today by traditionalist like Fred Kwacha.
The Ngoni, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, among other tribes in Malawi, have their own rituals embedded like born marrow in their existence.
It is thus myopic to prism a simple act done to fulfill a dignified ritual as an atrocious act- simply because, as people would love us believe, it was performed by one of the best-performing citizens of this country.
The incident has nothing to do with Siku. It is something to do with an individual and his beliefs. That is not prohibited under Malawi laws. It is part of our heritage as a common society with one purpose in mind: to develop our beautiful nation.
It is wrong to put BM 5754 or Siku Car Hire Manager Omar Ali- even James Mdogo- into this distorted picture of accidents. The two are not related at all.
Let us, as Malawians, respect traditions of fellow citizens and not take advantage of that to tarnish their image. That way, tourists will be able to even come just to appreciate some of our cultural beliefs.
Here it went:
In defense of Siku owners
By Owen Linganani
Wednesday, July 6, 2009: A man drives to Blantyre’s Bangwe Township and is mobbed by residents for having three dead chickens on him. Within hours, talk is common around town- not only about the man, but the company vehicle he was allegedly using.
From nowhere, the word Siku becomes synonymous with dead chickens in Bangwe. The way the issue has been blown out of proportion smacks of something more than meets the eye. There has to be some invisible hand from somewhere, possibly people who would love Siku, and some of its directors’ reputation, thrown in the mud.
It serves, sadly once again, as a reminder of how as a nation we are so much affiliated to jealousy and its ugly machinations. No wonder our wonderful National Anthem throws a chord over the issue of jealousy.
The truth of the matter is that there is no fuss around the issue of rituals. Rituals are as old as life itself, practiced all over the world. It has always been an integral part of the history and cultural heritage of many people around the world. In Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe and elsewhere, rituals are common place.
In Southeast Asia, for example- with its heavy seasonal rains, the diversity of flora and the abundance of metal ores, agricultural communities have had their rituals since the 4th Millennium BC.
Archaeological and cultural records from Java, known for its favourite geological conditions, have proved beyond reasonable doubt that rituals, religious and cultural beliefs sustained the people there, and gave them some common heritage. Not only in Asia has this happened, elsewhere, too.
Abundant archaeological and cultural evidence from as many as six continents indicates, clearly, that what has come to be known as modern life is merely a combination of immerging trends and our ritualistic past- a past so full of invaluable traits and life colours. This overwhelming evidence, whose force of truth became more powerful in the Late Pleistocene period, and mainly from sites in limestone mountains. Among the best known are Than Khuong and Nguom in Northern Vietnam, Lang rongrien in Thailand, Leang Burung in Celebes, Tabon Curve in the island of Palawan in the Philippines, as well as in neighboring Zambia and Mozambique.
This was of life reached its peak in the 6th millennium BC, with changes in the tool kit from Flake tools to pebble choppers. This was called the HOabinhian tradition, called after the region in North Vietnam where rituals were common place.
This only affirms that rituals remain an integral part of society, even as Neolithic and African people begun to pave way for complex societies and cultures some 6000 years ago.
Dr. David Livingstone himself wrote in one of his letter to Scotland, how the Mang’anja people in Malawi would perform long, arduous rituals on end at the death of one of their own- a trend whose picture got more magnified during the death of traditional leaders. But this was just a part of the larger picture.
When the rains failed, their were specific rituals performed, something continued today by traditionalist like Fred Kwacha.
The Ngoni, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, among other tribes in Malawi, have their own rituals embedded like born marrow in their existence.
It is thus myopic to prism a simple act done to fulfill a dignified ritual as an atrocious act- simply because, as people would love us believe, it was performed by one of the best-performing citizens of this country.
The incident has nothing to do with Siku. It is something to do with an individual and his beliefs. That is not prohibited under Malawi laws. It is part of our heritage as a common society with one purpose in mind: to develop our beautiful nation.
It is wrong to put BM 5754 or Siku Car Hire Manager Omar Ali- even James Mdogo- into this distorted picture of accidents. The two are not related at all.
Let us, as Malawians, respect traditions of fellow citizens and not take advantage of that to tarnish their image. That way, tourists will be able to even come just to appreciate some of our cultural beliefs.
Zachimalawi's Top Three Personalities for 2011!!!
Awana child-members in Malawi (above), Malawi's incumbent President, Bingu wa Mutharika, before he dumped the United Democratic Front, and (below) Tony Chimpukuso, Air Malawi's Commercial, Tariffs and Industry Affairs Manager
Awana Ministries for planting in children's psyche that attitude of helping others when hopes fall short. The adage that children are future leaders applies more to those within the age ranges of two to 18. That, exactly, is what Malawi's Awana Ministry is doing- teaching our children that 'giving is loving' and that 'sharing is serving'! Really, those who are called are not ashamed!
President Bingu wa Mutharika for putting a brave face in face of all the problems Malawi is facing.
And, lastly, Tony Chimpukuso for working around the clock- together with other Air Malawi officials- to make sure that Air Malawi's battered image does not suffer further damage by his insistence that "things will be alright" for the national flag carrier. Malawi needs men and women who can hope, and men and women who do not waver in the face of adverse circumstances.
Malawi's Flight Woes
The on-going crisis at the national flag carrier, Air Malawi, has left local air passengers at the mercy of market devices. Investigations carried out by The Sunday Times Business have revealed the spectacle of passengers starved of choice, a development compounded by findings that seats on almost all the planes are fully booked.
Some travelers who talked to The Sunday Times complained that some operators have hiked fares from as low as K112, 000 in November to K290, 000 by December 10 in the same category. Most observers have blamed the situation on the crisis at Air Malawi.
The national flag carrier has two out of its three birds grounded, with only the ATR 42 doing the rounds on domestic and regional routes.
Mathews Jeremiah Kalanda, who granted The Sunday Times an interview at Air Malawi premises on Wednesday, said he has been tossed from one airline office to another in the endless search for a seat to no avail.
“I was supposed to travel to the United Kingdom on December 17; however, I have so far failed to secure a seat because there are no available seats. Workers at one airline operator even told me that seats may only be available on February 9, 2012. I think all these problems are coming in because of government’s failure to bail Air Malawi,” Kalanda said.
The situation in the corridors of Air Malawi is said to have spurred a chain of fare price rises, with some operators reported to have hiked the cheapest economy class seats by almost 150 percent.
This was revealed by another passenger found at Air Malawi offices, Agness Philemon. She said she secured a seat on one of the airline operators, but “I have been forced to pay three times as much as I paid on October 16, when I traveled to Johannesburg. I paid K112, 000 in October and, now, I have been forced to pay K290, 000”.
When contacted to comment on the situation, Air Malawi’s marketing, tariffs and industry affairs manager, Tony Chimpukuso, acknowledged that other airline operators have taken advantage of the situation at the national flag carrier to rip passengers off.
Chimpukuso further admitted that passengers only have two choices at the moment: either to pay the higher fares or stay home!
“This is the reason we are working hard to have the (two) airlines operational again. What is happening now is that people are paying double the normal price and we want to bring normalcy to the industry. We are a national carrier; we are not in business to make money or punish the traveler,” Chimpukuso said.
Chimpukuso added that there were many advantages appended to traveling on the national flag carrier, among them the fact that all proceeds, including foreign exchange, are invested locally. He added that the airline operator also spends significantly on corporate social responsibility initiatives.
“Therefore, our current situation is translating into the loss of some advantages, especially those to do with Bilateral Air services Agreements (Basas). Basas allow foreign airline operators not to pay taxes. This means even Air Malawi does not pay taxes to governments of destinations it travels to, and that money is brought to Malawi.
“This means that, with Air Malawi not capitalizing much on Basas, foreign operators are enjoying the advantage over us, and externalizing forex,” said Chimpukuso.
Apart from failure to capitalize on Basas, Air Malawi has also been losing out on Code Share Agreements (CSA) following the collapse of its CSA with Zimbabwe Airways. However, the flag carrier still maintains Inter-Line Agreements with a horde of other airlines.
Chimpukuso said, however, that, in the face of escalating fares, some passengers were connecting to far-away destinations through ATR 42’s flights to Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
He also dispelled the notion that Malawi had a narrow airline industry currently; saying, instead, that 23 other off-shore planes also service Malawians.
In a related development, South African Airways (SAA) - one of the dominant airline operators on the domestic market- has dismissed reports that it was one of the operators cashing in on Air Malawi’s flight problems.
SAA country manager for Malawi, James Chikaonda, indicated in a written response that SAA was not one of the operators that have raised fares by almost 150 percent. He said the operator last reviewed fares between October and November, which saw fares rise by only between 3 and 5 percent.
“Just a little explanation as to how the pricing system airlines use (works). We do not sell the seats on the aircraft using one type of fare only. We have a number or a list of fares to any given point within the economy class or business class. And on each flight there are specific fares allocated to specific number of seats. So, date of travel and availability of what type of fare and seat on a particular flight determines the final fare to be charged.
“So you find people paying for different fares on the same flight and in the same class of travel. The cheapest fares or seats on any given flight are the fastest to be taken. Then as time goes the next higher ones get sold too until the highest fares/seats are eventually sold. This is explained better in yield management.
“So if you look at November as a month of reference, we had fares as low as MWK118,000 in economy class to as high as MWK327,000. Those cheapest seats/fares are no longer in the inventory. Meaning they are all sold out,” Chikaonda said.
Chikaonda also dismissed suggestions that SAA was now enjoying monopoly power over the local market.
“South African Airways is not a monopoly power on the market as we have many other players, too, that we call ‘online carriers’ that operate into Malawi and fly to the very destinations that South African Airways fly to. We have other players, too, that we call ‘offline carriers’ that offer services from hubs outside Malawi but have agreements with the online carriers to uplift their passengers from Malawi.
“So (put both, the online carriers and the offline carriers) we cannot call SAA as a monopoly power or player on the Malawi market. Consumers are spoiled with choice as to who they want fly with. We do not discount the ground operators as part of the players,” said Chikaonda.
But Chikaonda acknowledged that SAA flights were fully-booked, attributing the trend to school holidays and festivities. He said people’s increased movements push up the demand for seats.
On concerns that airline operators were making a killing out of the current situation, Chikaonda said: “Our customers may appreciate the fact that not all that they pay to the airlines is a fare and thus revenue to the airlines. Airlines have been mandated by respective governments to collect taxes on behalf of those governments.
“Taxes like airport departure taxes, security taxes are some of those taxes airlines collect on behalf of governments and differ from one country to another. The total amount paid to the airline consists of the fare and the taxes. The taxes may go up and affect the final amounts to be paid,” Chikaonda said.
He added that foreign exchange rate was another factor that influences fare prices. He said SAA fares are quoted in US Dollars and converted to Malawi Kwacha at a given rate of exchange.
“The rate of exchange may change and that affects the final amount to be paid,” he said.
Some travelers who talked to The Sunday Times complained that some operators have hiked fares from as low as K112, 000 in November to K290, 000 by December 10 in the same category. Most observers have blamed the situation on the crisis at Air Malawi.
The national flag carrier has two out of its three birds grounded, with only the ATR 42 doing the rounds on domestic and regional routes.
Mathews Jeremiah Kalanda, who granted The Sunday Times an interview at Air Malawi premises on Wednesday, said he has been tossed from one airline office to another in the endless search for a seat to no avail.
“I was supposed to travel to the United Kingdom on December 17; however, I have so far failed to secure a seat because there are no available seats. Workers at one airline operator even told me that seats may only be available on February 9, 2012. I think all these problems are coming in because of government’s failure to bail Air Malawi,” Kalanda said.
The situation in the corridors of Air Malawi is said to have spurred a chain of fare price rises, with some operators reported to have hiked the cheapest economy class seats by almost 150 percent.
This was revealed by another passenger found at Air Malawi offices, Agness Philemon. She said she secured a seat on one of the airline operators, but “I have been forced to pay three times as much as I paid on October 16, when I traveled to Johannesburg. I paid K112, 000 in October and, now, I have been forced to pay K290, 000”.
When contacted to comment on the situation, Air Malawi’s marketing, tariffs and industry affairs manager, Tony Chimpukuso, acknowledged that other airline operators have taken advantage of the situation at the national flag carrier to rip passengers off.
Chimpukuso further admitted that passengers only have two choices at the moment: either to pay the higher fares or stay home!
“This is the reason we are working hard to have the (two) airlines operational again. What is happening now is that people are paying double the normal price and we want to bring normalcy to the industry. We are a national carrier; we are not in business to make money or punish the traveler,” Chimpukuso said.
Chimpukuso added that there were many advantages appended to traveling on the national flag carrier, among them the fact that all proceeds, including foreign exchange, are invested locally. He added that the airline operator also spends significantly on corporate social responsibility initiatives.
“Therefore, our current situation is translating into the loss of some advantages, especially those to do with Bilateral Air services Agreements (Basas). Basas allow foreign airline operators not to pay taxes. This means even Air Malawi does not pay taxes to governments of destinations it travels to, and that money is brought to Malawi.
“This means that, with Air Malawi not capitalizing much on Basas, foreign operators are enjoying the advantage over us, and externalizing forex,” said Chimpukuso.
Apart from failure to capitalize on Basas, Air Malawi has also been losing out on Code Share Agreements (CSA) following the collapse of its CSA with Zimbabwe Airways. However, the flag carrier still maintains Inter-Line Agreements with a horde of other airlines.
Chimpukuso said, however, that, in the face of escalating fares, some passengers were connecting to far-away destinations through ATR 42’s flights to Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
He also dispelled the notion that Malawi had a narrow airline industry currently; saying, instead, that 23 other off-shore planes also service Malawians.
In a related development, South African Airways (SAA) - one of the dominant airline operators on the domestic market- has dismissed reports that it was one of the operators cashing in on Air Malawi’s flight problems.
SAA country manager for Malawi, James Chikaonda, indicated in a written response that SAA was not one of the operators that have raised fares by almost 150 percent. He said the operator last reviewed fares between October and November, which saw fares rise by only between 3 and 5 percent.
“Just a little explanation as to how the pricing system airlines use (works). We do not sell the seats on the aircraft using one type of fare only. We have a number or a list of fares to any given point within the economy class or business class. And on each flight there are specific fares allocated to specific number of seats. So, date of travel and availability of what type of fare and seat on a particular flight determines the final fare to be charged.
“So you find people paying for different fares on the same flight and in the same class of travel. The cheapest fares or seats on any given flight are the fastest to be taken. Then as time goes the next higher ones get sold too until the highest fares/seats are eventually sold. This is explained better in yield management.
“So if you look at November as a month of reference, we had fares as low as MWK118,000 in economy class to as high as MWK327,000. Those cheapest seats/fares are no longer in the inventory. Meaning they are all sold out,” Chikaonda said.
Chikaonda also dismissed suggestions that SAA was now enjoying monopoly power over the local market.
“South African Airways is not a monopoly power on the market as we have many other players, too, that we call ‘online carriers’ that operate into Malawi and fly to the very destinations that South African Airways fly to. We have other players, too, that we call ‘offline carriers’ that offer services from hubs outside Malawi but have agreements with the online carriers to uplift their passengers from Malawi.
“So (put both, the online carriers and the offline carriers) we cannot call SAA as a monopoly power or player on the Malawi market. Consumers are spoiled with choice as to who they want fly with. We do not discount the ground operators as part of the players,” said Chikaonda.
But Chikaonda acknowledged that SAA flights were fully-booked, attributing the trend to school holidays and festivities. He said people’s increased movements push up the demand for seats.
On concerns that airline operators were making a killing out of the current situation, Chikaonda said: “Our customers may appreciate the fact that not all that they pay to the airlines is a fare and thus revenue to the airlines. Airlines have been mandated by respective governments to collect taxes on behalf of those governments.
“Taxes like airport departure taxes, security taxes are some of those taxes airlines collect on behalf of governments and differ from one country to another. The total amount paid to the airline consists of the fare and the taxes. The taxes may go up and affect the final amounts to be paid,” Chikaonda said.
He added that foreign exchange rate was another factor that influences fare prices. He said SAA fares are quoted in US Dollars and converted to Malawi Kwacha at a given rate of exchange.
“The rate of exchange may change and that affects the final amount to be paid,” he said.
Optichem supplies 5000 tonnes towards Fisp
Optichem Malawi, the only local company with a fertilizer granulation plant, has contributed 5, 500 metric tonnes towards the 2011/12 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) in what Productions Manager, Samuel Synoden, says is a sign that the local industry can meet local demand if well- supported.
Government introduced Fisp in 2004/05 agriculture season to improve the national food security situation and uplift production levels among smallholder farmers following years of poor harvests.
According to Agriculture and Food Security Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga, 1.6 million farmers received coupons to buy subsidized fertilizer during the 2010/11 season, as compared to the 2011/12 growing season following government’s decision to slash the number of beneficiaries to 1.4 million. This has led to a 30,000 reduction in procured tonnage this year, with only 140,000 metric tonnes of inputs procured, as opposed to 170,000 metric tonnes for last season.
Speaking in an interview Tuesday, Synoden said changes in the programme have not affected Optichem as the company has still contributed “significantly” towards the 2011/12 inputs programme.
“We are happy that, as a local company, we have been given a chance to contribute towards Malawi’s food security programme again. In fact, Optichem started operating in Malawi in 1969 because we wanted to be part of the country’s efforts to attain food security,” said Synoden.
Synoden said, however, that the company has the capacity to contribute more, citing the capacity of Optichem’s granulation and blending plants.
“We have the capacity to supply all types of fertilizer because our plants give us the capacity to cater for all types of fertilizer. For example, our granulation plant has the capacity to produce 50,000 metric tonnes per annum, while our blending machine produces 60, 000 metric tonnes a year. In total, we are producing 110, 000 metric tonnes a year,” said Synoden.
Granulation is a system where raw materials for fertilizer are melted (turned into liquid form) and, then, used to make free-flowing granules. Blending, on the other hand, involves the mixing of various raw materials to make one product. These raw materials, which may include Urea, D.A.P. and filler, are then used to meet any specification of fertilizer.
He added that the fact that the company produces a total of 110, 000 metric tonnes of fertilizer a year shows that Optichem can contribute even more fertilizer towards Fisp. Optichem has, during this year’s programme, supplied 23:10:5:+4s+1zn. This is fertilizer used for plant growth (basal).
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security inputs’ statistics indicate that Malawi needs 300, 000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to satisfy demand in the agriculture sector. Malawi fills the demand by importing fertilizer, a development Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito blamed in a separate interview for escalating fertilizer commodity prices.
Optichem is the only local company engaged in fertilizer granulation, with such other manufacturers as MFC engaged in blending of various fertilizer products. However, the capacity of Malawian companies remains low, prompting government to punch the gap up with foreign fertilizers.
Apart from chemical fertilizers, Optichem also manufactures organic manure.
“We manufacture manure because we want to be part of government’s efforts to mitigate climate change. The good thing about manure is that it retains soil fertility,” said Synoden.
Asked why the prices of locally-manufactured fertilizers were almost the same as those for imported fertilizer, Synoden said “this is not true because the price of locally-manufactured fertilizers is cheaper than that of imports”.
Said Synoden: “Prices for locally-manufactured fertilizers are much lower than those of foreign fertilizers. That is why we are saying that, if well-supported, local fertilizer manufacturing companies can help reduce fertilizer prices in the country. In fact, you will find that local-fertilizer prices are within the ranges of K7000 to K7,900 while some foreign fertilizers sell at as high as K10,000 .”
He said the other advantage is that locally-manufactured fertilizers are tailor-made to suit local climatic conditions. Synoden, therefore, asked Malawians to support local industries because they employ local people, do not externalize forex, and manufacture products that suit the local environment.
Speaking in a separate interview on progress in this year’s Fisp, Maganga said distribution work continues, and that most areas have since received farm inputs.
“Work is still going on. We want to make sure that all target beneficiaries receive the inputs in good time,” said Maganga.
Government introduced Fisp in 2004/05 agriculture season to improve the national food security situation and uplift production levels among smallholder farmers following years of poor harvests.
According to Agriculture and Food Security Principal Secretary, Erica Maganga, 1.6 million farmers received coupons to buy subsidized fertilizer during the 2010/11 season, as compared to the 2011/12 growing season following government’s decision to slash the number of beneficiaries to 1.4 million. This has led to a 30,000 reduction in procured tonnage this year, with only 140,000 metric tonnes of inputs procured, as opposed to 170,000 metric tonnes for last season.
Speaking in an interview Tuesday, Synoden said changes in the programme have not affected Optichem as the company has still contributed “significantly” towards the 2011/12 inputs programme.
“We are happy that, as a local company, we have been given a chance to contribute towards Malawi’s food security programme again. In fact, Optichem started operating in Malawi in 1969 because we wanted to be part of the country’s efforts to attain food security,” said Synoden.
Synoden said, however, that the company has the capacity to contribute more, citing the capacity of Optichem’s granulation and blending plants.
“We have the capacity to supply all types of fertilizer because our plants give us the capacity to cater for all types of fertilizer. For example, our granulation plant has the capacity to produce 50,000 metric tonnes per annum, while our blending machine produces 60, 000 metric tonnes a year. In total, we are producing 110, 000 metric tonnes a year,” said Synoden.
Granulation is a system where raw materials for fertilizer are melted (turned into liquid form) and, then, used to make free-flowing granules. Blending, on the other hand, involves the mixing of various raw materials to make one product. These raw materials, which may include Urea, D.A.P. and filler, are then used to meet any specification of fertilizer.
He added that the fact that the company produces a total of 110, 000 metric tonnes of fertilizer a year shows that Optichem can contribute even more fertilizer towards Fisp. Optichem has, during this year’s programme, supplied 23:10:5:+4s+1zn. This is fertilizer used for plant growth (basal).
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security inputs’ statistics indicate that Malawi needs 300, 000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to satisfy demand in the agriculture sector. Malawi fills the demand by importing fertilizer, a development Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito blamed in a separate interview for escalating fertilizer commodity prices.
Optichem is the only local company engaged in fertilizer granulation, with such other manufacturers as MFC engaged in blending of various fertilizer products. However, the capacity of Malawian companies remains low, prompting government to punch the gap up with foreign fertilizers.
Apart from chemical fertilizers, Optichem also manufactures organic manure.
“We manufacture manure because we want to be part of government’s efforts to mitigate climate change. The good thing about manure is that it retains soil fertility,” said Synoden.
Asked why the prices of locally-manufactured fertilizers were almost the same as those for imported fertilizer, Synoden said “this is not true because the price of locally-manufactured fertilizers is cheaper than that of imports”.
Said Synoden: “Prices for locally-manufactured fertilizers are much lower than those of foreign fertilizers. That is why we are saying that, if well-supported, local fertilizer manufacturing companies can help reduce fertilizer prices in the country. In fact, you will find that local-fertilizer prices are within the ranges of K7000 to K7,900 while some foreign fertilizers sell at as high as K10,000 .”
He said the other advantage is that locally-manufactured fertilizers are tailor-made to suit local climatic conditions. Synoden, therefore, asked Malawians to support local industries because they employ local people, do not externalize forex, and manufacture products that suit the local environment.
Speaking in a separate interview on progress in this year’s Fisp, Maganga said distribution work continues, and that most areas have since received farm inputs.
“Work is still going on. We want to make sure that all target beneficiaries receive the inputs in good time,” said Maganga.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)