Police in Karonga have arrested seven people for allegedly killing a 63-year-old Wickson Siliwonde on November 5, 2021 at Phaniso village in the district.
The Police have identified the seven as Julius Siliwonde, 38, Amon Siliwonde, 20, Wesipe Siliwonde, 38, Steven Siliwonde, 38, Silver Siliwonde, 37, Tinkhani Siliwonde, 35 and Penjani Siliwonde, 36. All from Phaniso Village in Traditional Authority Kilupula in Karonga District.
“During the night of November 5, 2021, Siliwonde went out of the house to answer a call of nature, whilst there, he was attacked by unknown criminals and killed him,” Enock Livasoni, Karonga Police public relations officer said.
He further added that postmortem conducted at Karonga District Hospital revealed that death was due to head injury secondary to trauma. Police instituted investigations which have led to the arrest of seven people and they will appear before the court of law soon to answer a murder charge.
The fate of Motivational Speaker Henry Kachaje appointment as chief executive officer for the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) will be known this Wednesday as the office of the Ombudsman is ready to announce its findings. This follows the complaints that the office received when Kachaje was appointed, with suggestions that the well known economist is not qualified and does not hold a masters degree as claimed.
The report which is titled “An Investigation in The Matter of The Alleged Unproccedural And Irregular Recruitment of The Chief Executive Officer of The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA): Henry Kachaje.”is expected to reveal if Kachanje is indeed the right man for the job.
Chief Executive Officer of The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA): Henry Kachaje
According to a statement from the Office of the Ombudsman, the report will be released at 10am and thereafter will be made available to all concerned parties
Henry Kachaje was appointed MERA chief in August this year
The vacancy for the post mentioned a Master’s Degree as one of the requirements and there are claims that Kachaje does not possess one hence was not qualified for the role.
President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has said the state visit to Kenya and Malawi’s participation at global conferences in Dubai and Scotland has yielded more benefits to the citizens.
President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has made these remarks today [Tuesday] at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe during a press briefing. “The state visit to Kenya, Malawi’s participation at the United Arab Emirates at the Global Sustainable Technology and innovation (GSTIC) Expo 2020 and finally our participation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference the Conference of Parties (CoP26) is of great importance.” “We used these international platforms to woo investors to come and invest in Malawi in sectors of trade, agriculture and energy. Malawi expects both short term and long term benefits which should have not been realized if we could not physically have participated,” he said.
President Chakwera
Chakwera said his administration will leave no stone unturned to bring trade and investment into this economy so that the sacrifices the citizens are making now must one day pay dividends, while other investors have already started knocking at the doors. Among other benefits the president said he signed eight agreements with Kenya that saw the two countries long standing bilateral relationships being cemented farther and enhance trading activities. “Malawi cannot make huge strides in fighting climate change impacts because it requires huge sums of billions of United States dollars. Using sustainable energy and restoring its glory back to its place minus donors it’s not possible, may be the best we can achieve using our resources is five per cent. This is why the global village wants to take the adoption of sustainable energy and reversing climate change impacts as one unit,” he said.
Hon Mkaka
He then advised Malawians to be patient as the leadership was now working on fixing the development ailments that the country inherited from the previous political administrations, referring to his previous speech he delivered on his inaugural address on Independence Day last year, on the expected pains that Malawians would go through in addressing challenges.“I knew at the time that Malawi was a nation in critical condition and suffering multiple organ failure, and that the battery of treatments to be administered would be a bitter pill for all of us to swallow. That is why I also gave a warning of the sacrifices we would all have to make to nurse our failing economy back to health. In fact, my exact words on that occasion were the following: “We must not imagine that it is possible to make these corrections without pain. We must accept that the national bones we have dislocated cannot be corrected without suffering…We must have the courage to face and endure the pain of systemic surgery if we ever want to enjoy wholeness as a nation. That season of national surgery is now upon us now,” he said.
To maximize opportunity at the COP26, he said some ministers are still in Scotland to ensure that the country is represented at every meeting to harvest much. The president added that time for telling lies to citizens is over as that would only create more work on his table. “I cannot be here today to share lies with the nation, you saw how lying has cost us, when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank visited us, where it was discovered that Malawi was not reporting the truth on foreign currency cover and other things. But I promise you that, all this will be history after we will have painfully nursed these wounds,” he added.
The president then assured citizens that his administration will not bring laws that do not benefit the country, and further said any laws that are not rated well may be repealed to equal with the constitution. The president was flanked by Ministry of Information, Gospel Kazako and Minister of Foreign affairs Hon Mkaka.
Founder of Mikozi network and a market leader in the domain of arts promotion in Malawi, Bright Chiligo on Monday moved on to recognize talent by presenting writer and poet Joseph Daniel Sukali with an Honorary Award on Social Activism and Behavior Change through Writing at an an event that took place at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre.
The award came on merit following the writer’s unanswering efforts and consistency in using writing as a weapon for social change and behavior alternation on the Malawian Scene.
Speaking during the award presentation, Chiligo said Sukali is s rare gem in the world of writing since he has been using his art to address different social issues with a mental health as his central theme. He said ” It is all there for you to appreciate his first book ‘ dealing with a heartbreak’. ‘Therapy for Broken’ has proved to be one of the most relevant digital copy sel-published by a Malawian youngsters. His recently published book ‘ Hannessing Inner Tranquility’ has mental health as its central theme puts much emphasis on self-development. ” It is due to his relentless efforts and consistency embodied in his craftsman that has proven to be impactful on society at large that we have decided to honour this mental health advocate”.
Sukali being recognized
Chiligo said there has been a generational gap in the writing circles that had to be filled. ” We want fill generational gap that has existed for so long in the writing industry. The old legends are are still modern legends. You are the future and it starts now. We believe in what you are doing and we believe with necessary support you will be a legend of the next generation. It’s time we diversify the talents and art we promote”, he said.
In his remarks when receiving the award, Sukali said he was very grateful when he received the good news considering how impactful Mikozi network is at the moment on arts promotion in Malawi.
Sukali urged Mikozi network to continue supporting and promoting art in general and not stick to music industry only. He said the award came at a perfect time and give him more strengths to do more in writing. ” The award has come at a perfect time. I love writing and I love addressing mental health and and social issues. This award will just refuel me and remind me when I feel like giving on the art that there are some people that find my work worthwhile”, he said.
He urged Malawians to start cultivating reading culture in themselves and their children if they are not to miss important things in life. ” There is more we miss in life if we ignore books.We need to read more than we watch movies or TV if we are to be mentally liberated”, said Sukali. On government part in art promotion, Sukali said the government is doing its best and that there is now revolution in art industry than before. ” There is now a revolution in art. The government is doing enough in promoting the art. I see dawn of new generation and and writing will take roots again. I see hope and keep writing as you love the art. We need to share our perspectives of the world we live in to the next generation “, he said.
A 26 year old Joseph Daniel Sukali is a Mzuzu University graduate who hails from Zomba. Over 40 of his poems and books namely Dealing with a Broken Heart, Whispers of the Beating Heart, Therapy for Broken and others have been published in the Best New African Poet 2020 Anthology, African and Eastern European Languages Anthology and Writers Global Movement. He is currently working on his first novel” A Dance in the Mud”.
Hip hop dazzler Slessor Munthali is ready to launch his biography titled “A walk into Slessor’s Music” on December 5.
In an interview, the rapper said he is aware of the impact a biography can have and what a a difference it would make to his music career, either in the immediate or long run. The star is targeting possible corporate deals in the near future and making dividends out of music.
“I am aware that corporate brands are always interested in image of the artist before setting an endorsement deal in motion. Corporates are happy with numbers when it comes to using artists in product branding. By and large, I’m eager to give my fan-base and corporates the picture of an artist who is into empowering and inspiring lyrics for the betterment of the Malawian community, on wholesale,” Slessor said.
Slessor Munthali
He said he is eager to take his music to a different dimension in a bid to make an impression on the musical global scene and to attract the interest of corporates and civil society institutions that are interested in social change.
“A Walk into Slessor’s Music is a biography that brings to fore my walk to stardom, my love life and my academic background. In addition, the book also provides professional insights on how artists can elevate their brands to greater dimensions and how they can successfully commercialize their art,” said the gifted rapper.
The book was published by Likhula publications under Sambalikagwa Mvona, written by award winning poet And writer Richard Chilango Jr and edited by Edith Gondwe together with Joseph Daniel Sukali.
The biography will be launched at Golden Peacock hotel in Blantyre.
In a separate interview, Richard Chilango the book author, said arts-lovers should come and witness the birth of a magnum opus on a night that promises nothing less of a razzle dazzle.
“we are working towards an event of resplendent colours as we have engaged some of the country’s most sought after artists including Smacks, Saint, Baxxy, Princess Matiki, Bouncy, just but to mention a few,”. He said.
