COMMENT - Free the Malawi Gold.
ACB officer arrested for cultivating Indian Hemp
By Catherine Chimzimu, Nyasa Times
January 12, 2012
Police in Mzuzu made a lunch hour arrest of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Investigations Officer for allegedly cultivating Indian Hemp at his Katoto yard.
Mzuzu Police Spokesperson Edward Longwe confirmed the arrest of Kondwani Zulu, 35, of Kachilenga Village, Traditional Authority Mzukuzuku in Mzimba district who is currently in Police custody pending investigations.
Longwe said Zulu was arrested after Police discovered eight plants in a garden at his yard.
Zulu: Arrested
“Police had gone to crime scene in Katoto Township. Unfortunately the crime scene turned to be a place next to Zulu’s house. Afterdoing their job. Our CID officers decided to take a short cut that passes through his yard.
“That is when they discovered eight well tendered plants. They appeared pruned suggesting that harvesting did take place,” the Police spokeman said.
Longwe said the CID then called Zulu, who was at the office, to come home.
“They arrested him at home and took him to Police,” he said.
He has been charged with an offence of cultivating Indian hemp which is contrary to regulation 4 of the Dangerous Drugs Regulations.
Malawi Police Service faces a lot of challenges which expose the country to continued drug production and trafficking.
Legalise?
In 2000, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Joe Manduwa surprised MPs in the august House when championed Indian hemp's legalisation.
Manduwa argued that Malawi stood to gain a great deal from cultivating the plant, which he said was a much-sought-after commodity on the world market and could be a valuable alternative to tobacco.
A recent World Bank study says Malawi's cannabis has a street value of $8.5 million (K1.4 billion) about 0.2 percent of the country's GDP.
Since Malawi farmers receive only about a fifth of the price for which its being sold on foreign consumer markets, the positive effect of the production of cannabis on the overall Malawi economy is negligible, says the Bank in a study done in last year.
Labels: CANNABIS, MZUZU
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Bingu concerned with high rate tobacco rejection
By Nyasa Times
May 9, 2011
President Bingu wa Mutharika has expressed deep concern over this year’s high rate of tobacco rejection and the low prices the crop is currently fetching at the country’s tobacco auction floors. Mutharika made the remarks on Monday when he officially opened this year’s tobacco marketing season at Mzuzu Auction floors.
The President said he was disappointed and concerned that
about 70 per cent of tobacco was being rejected at the auction floors despite the tobacco being of good quality.
“I do not understand why the leaf is rejected by buyers, yet the buyers say Malawi burley is one of the best in the world. I will not allow the buyers to sabotage the economy of the country through rejection and buying the good leaf at low prices,” he said firmly.
The Malawi leader said he will continue to protect the country’s citizens by ensuring that buyers do not exploit tobacco farmers who face a lot of challenges growing the crop.
“Tobacco farmers continue to be poor and poorer, yet they toil night and day but do not benefit in the end,” he explained.
To avoid some unscrupulous tobacco buyers with intentions to exploit Malawians, the President advised tobacco farmers to desist from mixing their tobacco with unwanted objects, saying the tendency gives some buyers excuses to reject and/or buy the crop at very low prices.
“There is no way your tobacco can be sold if you put unwanted objects such as charms and eggs in the tobacco because if you do so, your crop will be rejected at the auction floors,” he told the farmers.
Despite the low prices the tobacco farmers are experiencing at the auction floors, Mutharika affirmed farmers in his country will continue growing tobacco, saying the crop is of national strategic importance and significant in the country’s economy.
He then called on all players in the country’s economy namely; tobacco buyers, growers, experts in the tobacco industry, religious institutions and Non Governmental Organizations to cooperate with government in finding solutions to end the current problem and assist to strengthen the country’s economy.
Earlier, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Professor Peter Mwanza, commended President Mutharika for fixing minimum prices for tobacco at the auction floors.
He, however, expressed concern over the high rejection rate at the auction floors which he attributed to poor grading by farmers and over conditioning of tobacco.
On his part, chairperson of Auction Holdings Limited, Dr Charles Matabwa said there were plans to extend Mzuzu auction Floors which will enable the company to sell about 8,000 bales per day from the current 5,000 a day.–(Reporting by Sarah Munthali, Mana)
Labels: BINGU WA MUTHARIKA, MZUZU, TOBACCO
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Quota System: Goodall Gondwe emulates his late father
By Nyasa Times
Published: November 2, 2009
Goodall Gondwe’s u-turn in the debate on quota system that has seen him bash his own godfathers of Livingstonia Synod, is not an extraordinary happening for those that have followed the Gondwe family.
At a press conference held at his Mzuzu residence on Saturday, Gondwe, said: “I have consulted and read widely about how the system is going to be implemented and I am convinced nothing can work better for tertiary education in Malawi.”
This is a departure from his earlier statement where he said he needed to be briefed about how the system would work.
Gondwe went further to admonish the Livingstonia Synod of the CCAP, which is against the implementation of the quota system, and condemned everyone agitating against the system.
A senior Ngoni chief confided in Nyasa Times reporter that Goodall Gondwe is only emulating his late father, who earned a famous name of being a traitor during the fight against colonialism, explaining further that the father of Goodall – Kayiwonanga Gondwe - was an avid supporter of colonialism and fought fervently against those that agitated for self-rule and independence.
“Whilst some people left this country because of the one-party regime, Goodall Gondwe left because of his family’s support for colonialism that placed him in collision course with Kamuzu. It is no wonder that today, Goodall Gondwe is supporting quota system, which he knows very well that is against his own people…he’s a traitor and he should not be given chance to see another parliament in 2014,” concluded the chief.
An academic at Mzuzu University said that both Gondwe and the President are myopic in pushing for a “bad system”.
“For example, Mzimba district has the following secondary schools: Mzuzu Government, Katoto, Viphya, Ekwendeni, Euthini, Mzimba, Lunjika, Robert Laws, St. John Bosco, Mary Mount; about 30 community day secondary schools; and about 15 properly run private secondary schools. How do you select 10 students or 20 students to go to the university?” queried the academic, asking for anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The academic further expressed surprise that Nkhoma Synod of the CCAP, with more than 50 academic institutions within just Lilongwe, would support such a system, explaining that in a normal year, Lilongwe Girls, Likuni Boys, Likuni Girls, St. John’s, William Murray, Bwaila, Mitundu, Dzenza and such others would take up the 20 places.
On the other hand, Mwanza district has one public secondary school; Phalombe has one secondary school; Chiradzulu has one; Mulanje has one secondary school; Nsanje has one or two; and the comparison can go on and on.
“The use of the quota system just based on districts disregarding the number of secondary schools and number of students qualifying for university entrance examinations is completely flawed so much so that educated people like Goodall Gondwe should not support such systems,” the academic concluded.
A Dwangwa-based political activist, Chance Nyirenda, has condemned Goodall Gondwe on his stance, calling him an “opportunist” whose interest is just ministerial position and the luxuries that go with being minister at the expense of the people that he so represents.
“People had a lot of expectations from Goodall Gondwe to be the person who should walk into Chihanas, Chisizas, the Kapotes, Chiumes, Orton Chirwas, Manoahs, among others; as a true son prepared to carry the weight of responsibility; but look he’s a fickle leader who’s even prepared to condemn his own Church leaders for political survival; we don’t do that and those that have done it have always paid a heavy price,” said Nyirenda.
The quota system was implemented during the one-party regime, with disastrous results that witnessed banishment of teachers from regions of posting to places of extraction. The system was later applied across the public service.
Labels: EDUCATION, GOODALL GONDWE, MZUZU
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Chinese to appear in court for assaulting Malawian
By Nyasa Times
Published: October 16, 2009
Police have said the Chinese national who had been arrested for severely beating a Malawian national in Mzuzu will appear at Magistrate Court in next week. Mzuzu police public relations officer Edward Longwe said the Wang Xin of Hualong Construction Company has been charged of an offence of assault.
He attacked Burnet Nyirenda in a storeroom where he and some of his colleagues were alleged to have beaten him with metals Nyirenda was rescued by students from Mzuzu University.
“The Chinese will appear in court next week to answer charges of assault at the Magistrate’s Court,” said police spokesman in Mzuzu.
Nyirenda is battling for his life at Mzuzu Central Hospital which was constructed by the Taiwanese.
Labels: CHINESE, COURTS, LABOUR, MZUZU
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Chinese arrested for attempted murder of a labourer in Mzuzu
By Nyasa Times
Published: October 14, 2009
A Malawian is battling for his life after Chinese contrcator nearly killed him when he beat him with a hammer in Mzuzu. The man, Burnet Nyirenda of Chiputula in Mzuzu working as a labourer at Hualong Construction Ltd, was harmed by contactor Wang. “Wangumutimba pachoko kufwa. Wakamutimba chomene [He was severely beaten and nearly died],” said an eye witness at construction project of school blocks in Mzuzu.
According to an eye witness, Nyirenda was fixing some metal things at lunch time and took some pieces of steel which he thought would not be used. Upon reaching the gate he showed them to the gateman who advised him not to get them.
He is reported to have obliged with gateman’s order but on his way leave them back he met a security guard who accused him of stealing and reported the matter to Wang. The Chinese locked Nyirenda in the storeroom where he gave him a corporal punishment. Students from Mzuzu Unviersity heard Nyirenda crying for help and broke the storeroom to find him unconscious.
Mzuni students chanted against the Chinese and started throwing stones and timber until police came to take Nyirenda to hospital and arrested the Chinese.
Chinese Ambassador to Malawi ,Ling Songtian (pictured) recently complained against the country’s press for capitalizing on negative stories against his kinsmen living in the country.
However negative activities practiced by some Chinese nationals continue to haunt Malawians despite development projects Beijing is implementing in Malawi.
Labels: CHINESE, MZUZU
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Water shortage hits Mzuzu city as residents protest
By Nyasa Times
Published: June 26, 2009
Water crisis hit hard in Blantyre City
Some residents of Zolozolo in Mzuzu City on Wednesday gathered in the area to protest and demand an explanation from Northern Region Water Board on the water shortage problem which has recently become persistent in the area.
The angry residents who grouped at Zolozolo clinic in the area threatened to smash any NRWB car found in the area and to deal with any NRWB official found disconnecting water or taking meter readings.
The residents complained that they are spending sleepless nights waiting for the water as the taps start running at dawn and the water supply is unpredictable. They also complained that most of the times the taps run just for thirty minutes, yet the water bills are rising.
“It’s surprising to hear them [NRWB] going around the area using their public address system and announcing they are going to disconnect water, what are they going to disconnect when there is no water?” wondered Preacher Mgabadere.
Responding to some of the queries the residents raised, NRWB public relations officer, Edward Nyirenda, attributed the irregular supply of water to the intermittent power supply and the fast growing population in the city for the past five years which he said has put pressure on the board’s infrastructure capacity.
“About 70 percent of our customers are connected to the main pipe from our treatment works, which means any pumping interruption due to loss of power supply has a direct effect on the consumer,” said Nyirenda.
While accepting the query that some houses in the same area do not experience frequent dry taps as others do, Nyirenda said this is because “such houses are connected to one of the four storage tanks in the city which sustain water supply during electricity black-outs when we are unable to pump water.”
Earlier, the discontented residents had chased away the Board’s meter reader who was taking the readings.
However, a few representatives of the disgruntled residents were chosen to discuss the matter with the NRWB Management at the institution’s premises. The discussion lasted about two hours.
After the meeting, the two parties agreed that the board should soon hold a meeting to explain to the residents why there is persistent water shortage, the billing process and what the board is going to with big volumes of dirty water that comes out just as soon as the water starts running which the residents say they do not use.
Meanwhile, NRWB is reported to have held talks with Escom management where it was agreed that the treatment plant should have power supply at all times, including times of load shedding to minimize water shortages.
Labels: MZUZU, WATER
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