Unknown people have killed a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was staying at Dzaleka refugee camp in the district.
Three other refugees were rushed to Dowa district hospital where they are battling for their lives amid reports that one of them has since died.
Daniel Mtaganda from the DRC who was killed this morning at the camp and the three others are alleged to have been castle rustlers who have been terrorizing the district.
Murdered DRC refugee
Mtaganda was hacked in the head with one eye severely damaged and has been rushed to Dowa District Hospital.
Dowa Police Publicist Sub-inspector Gladson M’bumpha has confirmed about the incident adding they are still investigating the matter.
Malawian Vice President Salous Chilima has publicly confirmed that UTM Party is in talks with Malawi Congress Party (MCP) for a possible electoral alliance for the forthcoming fresh presidential elections.
Earlier this week UTM Publicity Secretary Joseph Chidanti Malungu told the media that UTM has set up a committee to hold alliance talks with MCP.
Chilima at a rally in Mzuzu
And on Saturday, MCP released a statement that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has mandated its president Lazarous Chakwera to enter into alliance talks with his counterpart Chilima and also set up an MCP committee for the same.
Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd at upper Mzuzu Stadium on Sunday, Chilima said UTM and MCP are still discussing the alliance and that once a decision is made the nation will be informed.
” We are talking with our friends in MCP. The nation will be informed about the outcome of the talks and the decision to be on the alliance,” said Chilima.
He assured the people that the decision that will be made will be meant to help the UTM will the fresh elections.
Also UTM Secretary General Patricia Kaliati spoke on the alliance issue, assuring the nation that the discussions are going on and that the nation will be informed of the outcome.
Kaliati urged the youth to register enmasse when registration opens so as to enable UTM amass enough votes in the fresh elections.
Earlier, Chilima spend much of his time reminding the gathering and the nation about the UTM manifesto.
He said UTM was formed to give hope to all Malawians, regardless of age , region or party affiliation.
” We must constantly be reminded that the UTM came to ensure that people in Malawi are happy regardless of their political persuasion,” he stated.
Chilima said UTM manifesto is the best as it outlines transformational policies such as cheap fertilizer, fixing agriculture and health sectors as well as uplifting the welfare of the youth, women and the elderly.
” We still maintain that it is imperative that we fix agriculture in Malawi. We must start reducing the price of fertilizer from over K20,000 to K4,500 to allow more poor Malawians access the commodity,” he said. Chilima said there is a critical need to reform the public sector to ensure that public services are given to Malawians at the required standard.
This was the second rally Chilima has held since the Constitutional Court on February 3, 2020 nullfied the May 21, 2019 elections and ordered fresh elections within 150 days.
The first rally was held at Masintha ground in Lilongwe and was also attended by a multitude of people.
They were thrown into the limelight by the constitutional court case as they appeared as witnesses for the opposition Malawi Congress Party in the just ended election case. However , Daud Suleman, Anthony Bendulo and Peter Lackson have decided to utilise their new found fame to sensitize the youth on the need for them to get involved in politics . Travelling across the country as a group calling itself Kokoliliko , the trio are engaging in charitable works while using that interaction to drive through their message of youth engagements in both aspects of the political spectrum.
Kokoliliko were in Zomba this Saturday where they embarked on a number of engagements. The group started the day by attending prayers at Chanco SDA . They then took time to visit Passion Orphanage in Matawale where they shared the little goodies they had prepared to about 45 less privileged children who are cared for, at the orphanage. “ It is our aim, not just to focus on the politics but also to visit the underpriviledged , our message is about inspiring the new generation so thats why we felt necessary to bring a little something for these orphans” said Daud Suleman.
Part of the Kokoliliko group
Kokoliliko has been formed upon the realisation of lack of understanding of electoral process by a good number of Malawians. It is aimed at sensitizing the youths to have great understanding so that they can be used as effective monitors during the elections.The tours which started in the Northern Region a few weeks ago have aimed at explaining what happened in the constitutional court to have the court case won by the opposition parties as well as encouraging the youths to vote for Dr Lazarus Chakwera in the forthcoming elections
The Zomba tour also saw team have informal chats with small scale traders plying their trade in Chinamwali market before going on to conduct a rally Chinamwali Township. The climax of the trip was when several members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) , announced that they were defecting to Malawi Congress Party. The former DPP cadets were welcomed amidst jubilation and ululation.
The group however had a minor setback as despite booking the use of the Great Hall at Chancellor College for their Public lecture , they were told last minute that the booking had been cancelled. “ We booked to use Great hall from 6pm but were surprised to be told our booking had been cancelled “ said Suleman. This however, did not deter the group as they managed to speak to the people that came to attend the lecture outdoors using the sport complex at the campus. Efforts to find out from the university administrators on why the booking was cancelled has proved futile.
The kokoliliko crew are scheduled to be in Blantyre this sunday where they have also planned a number of public lectures
Malawi Congress Party Campaign Director for the centre Madalitso Kazombo is leaving no stone unturned as he has embarked on whistle stop tours in the region trying to galvanise support for the party and its leadership as the country prepares for fresh elections scheduled for May 19th.
Kazombo who is also the first deputy speaker of Parliament, took time to travel along Kamuzu road in Salima where he meet and addressed hundreds of people. Speaking to the eagerly anticipating supporters, Kazombo reiterated that his mission is to remind people about the Chakwera Super Hi 5 agenda and to encourage them to go and vote in the forthcoming elections.
Kazombo , on whistle stop tours
Kazombo spoke highly of Chakwera and promised the people that the only leader who can rescue Malawi and bring development to the country is Chakwera. Kazombo who prides himself in being a son of Malawi Congress Party faced critisism prior to the whistle stop tour as some media houses claimed he had spoken highly of President Peter Mutharika at a government function that took place at BICC.
Addressing the issue through his social media handles, Kazombo has made it clear that he has no time for cheap propaganda that some people are trying to play . He said his focus in to hit the ground and campaign for Chakwera so that MCP should win the elections “ Learn to say the truth , I am not moved by lies and would encourage everyone to watch the rebrodcast of my speech, and let the journalists who wrote the story rewrite their story . I am MCP and I will die MCP “ said Kazombo.
Kazombo is optimistic that MCP will do even better and encouraged all members to tireless campaign for Chakwera.
The opposition Malawi Congress Party National executive has passed a resolution which opens the door for possible electoral alliance with United Transformation Party (UTM)
In a statement by the party’s publicity secretary Rev Maurice Munthali, that national executive met on Friday evening and in Pursuant to Article 3(12) of the Constitution of Malawi Congress Party on the need to work with other political parties with which MCP shares “a common vision”, they agreed to give the President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, full powers to enter negotiations with his UTM counterpart on the prospect of an alliance between the two parties.
This decision mirrors the step taken by UTM who a few days ago elected a working committer to work on possibility of electoral alliance with MCP. UTM leader Dr Saulos Chilima is on record having said he is open to working with other parties as long as it is good for Malawi.
MCP has previously used the same part of Constitutional to enter into alliances with Joyce Banda’s Peoples Party and Khumbo Kachali’s Freedom Party.
In giving further information, Munthali said “The resolution also gives the President full powers to constitute a qualified team to support his pursuit of an alliance through negotiations with the UTM team designated for that purpose. By implication, the President has been given the mandate to ascertain such terms of an alliance agreement as will be most beneficial for Malawi and its people”
MCP publicity secretary Rev Maurice Munthali
Since the Constitutional court ordered fresh elections, political parties have been busy repositioning themselves. The need for 50 plus 1 for the winner has seen the ruling Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) enter into an alliance with United Democratic Front (UDF)
On why Malawi Congress Party has opted for this decision, Mauric Munthali said “The MCP NEC believes that empowering the party President with this mission is the best way to harness the national gains that both parties have cultivated together with all patriotic Malawians over the last eight months in which the whole nation fixed its gaze on the Constitutional Court where the MCP and UTM presidents were both petitioners. Knowing that the court case was a fight for justice and the political rights of every voter aggrieved by MEC’s mismanagement of the 2019 presidential election, the MCP NEC is confident that the negotiations with UTM will be conducted in good faith and bear fruit to help galvanize the majority of the electorate towards victory and lasting change in the fresh elections scheduled for Tuesday, 19th May 2020”.
It is said that the National executive resolution conforms to the Malawi Congress Party’s well-established value of contact and dialogue, its inimitable sensitivity to the aspirations of Malawians, and its quest for A New Malawi.
