First line of defense against COVID-19 is the general public itself — Chakwera

By Duncan Mlanjira While health care workers and health facilities are the last line of defense against infectious diseases like COVID-19, President Lazarus Chakwera reiterates that the general public itself is the first line of defense. The President announced this on Saturday during his weekly national address in which he was reporting on the status of the country’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic after meeting the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 to assess the situation. He reported that the number…

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Muslim community infuriated by removal of billboard deemed offensive by Christian community

By Duncan Mlanjira The controversial billboard that was erected by Islamic Information Bureau at Maselema near Toyota Malawi in Limbe and was removed by Blantyre City Council, has taken a new twist as the Muslim community is infuriated by its removal and is ‘demanding’ for its immediate restoration. In a letter to Blantyre City Council’s chief executive officer dated Thursday, July 30, the Islamic Information Bureau — through national coordinator Sheikh Ahmed Chienda — says it is appalled by…

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Total COVID-19 related deaths now at 120; Cumulatively Malawi has recorded 4,186 cases since April

By Duncan Mlanjira Saturday’s COVID-19 situation update says Malawi has registered 108 new COVID-19 cases, 39 new recoveries and six new deaths, bring the deaths to 120 since April when the country recorded its first three cases. A situation report from co-chairperson of Presidential Taskforce Force on COVID-19, Dr. John Phuka says two of the deaths are from Lilongwe and one from Likoma. The other three deaths are from Lilongwe — two occurred on 27th July and one occurred…

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ESCOM employees contributing to illegal power supply connections; Disconnects 20 houses in Bangwe

Maravi Express Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has disclosed that some of their employees, both active and former staff members, are contributing to illegal power supply connections. This was disclosed on Friday, July 31 by ESCOM’s Public Relations Manager, Innocent Chitosi when the power utility supplier disconnected a total 40 houses at Nthandizi in Limbe’s Bangwe township for illegal connections. In its ‘Random Inspections Exercise’ of electricity, ESCOM discovered that some of their customers, Horrace Khan and Mabvuto Kapyepye,…

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COVID-19 changes Ntcheu’s Makwangwala community’s burial ceremony practices

By Maston Kaiya, MANA Ntcheu’s Group Village Headman Makwangwala says the advent of COVID-19 has changed some of the burial ceremony practices in the district’s Traditional Authority Makwangwala’s communities. The local leader said cultural practices are usually hard to change, but the pandemic has forced communities to do things differently. “Not long ago, we would wait for as many people as possible to come to for funeral virgil before going for burial,” said he Group Village Head Makwangwala during…

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Malawi Speaker of Parliament distances herself from a Facebook account

By Duncan Mlanjira Malawi Speaker of Parliament,  Catherine Gotani Hara has declared publicly that a Facebook page that has been created is not her account and that she does not manage any other Facebook account. A public notice issued on Thursday, July 30 by the National Assembly’s chief public relations officer, Ian Mwenye says it has been established that it is someone else who has opened this account. Mwenye said it was in the public interest to alert people…

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Billboard that drew mixed public reaction removed; Majority describe it not offensive

By Duncan Mlanjira The controversial billboard that was erected by Islamic Information Bureau at Maselema near Toyota Malawi in Limbe, which attracted mixed public reaction, was removed last evening but a majority of Christians were of the opinion that it was not offensive. When the billboard was elected, Evangelical Association of Malawi petitioned Blantyre City Council to have it removed, saying it was “likely to incite religious strife” as “it is deemed offensive to the Christian faith”. The reported…

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COVID-19: Dr. Phuka urges those recovered to take extra preventive measures as new cases rise to 120 with 4 new deaths

  By Duncan Mlanjira Co-chairperson of Presidential Taskforce Force on COVID-19, Dr. John Phuka  said it is encouraging that a lot more people are recovering from the disease but strongly reminded those that have recovered to continue following all preventive measures to avoid getting re-infected. As of Wednesday, July 28, Malawi registered 120 new four COVID-19 cases with four related deaths and 32 recoveries, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,991 and deaths at 107. Cumulatively, the…

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Government ready to support local SMEs — Gwengwe

By Sylvester Kumwenda, MANA Government is ready to support young Malawians who would venture into small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) by introducing regulations to protect their local productions on the market. Minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe made the remarks Wednesday in Lilongwe when he announced the rolling out of the new Control of Goods Act agreed by Parliament in 2018 which became effective on July 10. The accompanying Control of Goods Regulations which are Control of Goods (Public…

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Community health structures to be strengthened for quality service delivery

By Tione Andsen, MANA Government has said community health structures need to be strengthened in order to improve its quality of service delivery amid COVID-19 pandemic.   Deputy director for community health in Ministry of Health, Doreen Ali said this Tuesday during the launch of strengthening of community health structures in response to COVID-19 by World Vision Malawi at Kambola Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Vuso Jere in Ntchisi. She said the Ministry Community Health Strategy…

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