As a Christian and a social commentator, I have decided that my first article should give an insight on the country’s major prophet Shepherd Bushiri. I know I may not fully agree with his style, but I have taken it on myself to be sober at heart and inscribe “The Unwritten Story of Prophet Shepherd Bushiri.” I am not here to write about this young person as one of great philanthropist emerging in Malawi. Rather, I zoom my focus on his prophetic ministry. I agree, I may be biased towards Bushiri because I am a Christian or against Bushiri because I am from a traditionalistic rather than a Pentecostal background.

As regards my values in this: 1 John 4:1 affirms, my beloved readers, I don’t see anything wrong in putting the prophets through the microscopic lenses to see if the authorities they use in prophesying are from God in this era where prophets have gone viral. But, without being judgmental myself, I just want to remind my fellow Christians that those who spend sleepless days and nights with the intent of bringing down those anointed to serve the Lord are not our ENEMIES. Rather, the evil spirit that works in them as the bible says we are not fighting against flesh and blood.

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”.

The scripture makes it certain for us to understand that the power of the devil is so extensive that it is over all the nations of the earth. He can influence men in such a way that they are not even aware that they are being influenced towards evil. The devil can give disinformation and stirs up our spirit. He can alter people’s attitudes by moving their reasoning processes toward satisfaction of the self , thus, forging their ego even against God and humanity.

It is against this background that I have decided to dedicate this piece as a form of advice for my readers and other believers to always remember in prayers those people questioning the power of God through His anointed ones just as they keep on exposing the works of the devil in their lives because salvation is of God and not of man.

The Devil’s Propagandas

Propaganda remains one of the potential weapons used by the devil to capture the minds of the world to himself since biblical times. Remember Prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal? And what does Christmas remind me? That Jesus Christ was loathed from the very first day that he was Born. It is therefore not surprising to see some tabloid media outlets waging war on prophets and other anointed men and women of God.

For example, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his ministry have recently been subjected to a sea of insults. What those of us who are forging this war tend to ignore are the fact of Bushiri’s precision in prophecies and spiritual deliverances as many have been saved through his work.

There are some cases when Shepherd Bushiri has been mocked for prophesies that did not come to fulfillment in time. I know quite well that each time Bushiri prophesies about some loss of Life in one way or the other, he pleads with Malawians to join him in prayers to ask God not to let the prophecy come to pass. But do we rejoice and thank God for that possibility of not allowing that prophetic event from happening. Why do we often forget that God can be moved by the prayers of believer?

During the time of Prophet Jeremiah, there was a prophecy that God was intent of destroying the whole of Jerusalem. But Jeremiah, in Chapter 5, pleaded with God not to carry on with his punishment, for the sake of one righteous person. Abraham did the same when he pleaded with God to spare Sodom: But Abraham remained standing before the LORD and asked, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (Genesis 18:22-23). Yet, when such Prophecies come to pass here in Malawi, we join in arms calling Bushiri names as a prophet of doom and sometimes saying: He randomly ‘guesses’ prophecies to match events.

The major part that this young prophet has gone through is that some quarters went as far as advocating the satanic ideology to deceive Malawi that Bushiri’s faith-healing in Christ Jesus is not possible except medical healing. Is it not by this argument that we, despite being ‘Christians’ who believe that nothing is impossible with our Lord Jesus Christ who lives dispute God’s power and our own faith in the Lord? Or does it mean we are now advocates of anti-Christ’s if we can hardly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord in action rather than just mare words.

Lives have been saved through Prophet Bushiri’s massive faith healing in his ECG. Is this not enough evidence that Bushuri promotes the supremacy of Christ above human capacity and thereby work towards building our faith in Christ as Christians. It is deceptively propagated by sectors the Prophet is against Medication.

It is so unfortunate that people are looking for one error out of a thousand perfections to nail Bushiri to the wall. (Fault -Finders: one of the outstanding Features of the devil. This approach was used even against our Lord Jesus – see Matthew 21:25; Luke 20:25)
Their purpose is to ridicule the body of Christ against true salvation and deliverance. They want to destroy the faith of the church against the healing power of God. They monitor the work of God in ECG just to look for a mistake among the millions of good deeds which continue to transform lives, nations and the world.

Apparently, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his ECG ministry, one can reason, is forging Christ’s message in a way that has poised as a greater threat to the devil whose main intent is steal and kill and destroy to the extent that he is much intent to use some Christians in seeing an end, not only to Bushiri’s ministry, but all Christian movements out there.

Thus, Christians have to be vigilante in worshiping the Lord and spreading his word without centering on personal vendettas and squabbles. What does the word say about these people who want to discredit divine intervention or power or unity? Romans 16:17-18 “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve”.

But always remember Ephesians 4:27 “And give no opportunity to the devil” and James 4:7 adds: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.
Christ told the believers to resist the devil, don’t even think at all when he attempts to drive you astray from Salvation. Retain your focus on Christ. I urge you not to submit your thought to the elemental spirit of this world for the devil has the powers to manipulate our thoughts through I different cunning ways. And together, let us all stand up for those ministering the words of God and help and encourage them to save many souls from hell’s destruction. Yes, war against any Christian ministry is for us all believers to fight.

Before I conclude, I urge my dear readers not to be deceived as many in our government kiss with the devil in the secret, and the institutions they run are against God. They want us to believe that there is no God, they are working tirelessly to promote the cause of the devil. Sodomy, they want us to believe is natural, immorality they want us to believe is natural while, faith-healing they want us to believe is dangerous and not in existence. Which side of the coin are you standing on dear readers because none can claim to be lukewarm when it comes to believing.

This is the world for you. Remember Christ told us to be wise as a serpent and harmless like a dove. Or should I take great solace in Mark 6:4 that “a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown” and that this could be the reason that most Malawians including those in “Cash-Gate Positions” are travelling long distance to other countries to seek prophetic deliverances and Spiritual healing. Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you all.

Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily indicate the views of MaraPost.

The adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words” applies here as ruling People’s Party (PP) supporters in full attire  could not contain themselves as they mobbed Professor Peter Mutharika, President of opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at Kamuzu International Airport who was on his way to the United States for a well-deserved R and R.

Apparently the Peoples Party ladies were at the Airport to see Off President Joyce Banda who is on her way to Nigeria for a short vacation. According to a story on Marapost the President is going to Nigeria to consult her Nigerian oracle T. B Joshua on the upcoming 2014 Presidential Elections.

Arthur Peter Mutharika (born 1940) is a Malawian politician, author, educator, lawyer, advisor and consultant. He has worked in the area of international Justice internationally. He is an expert on international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He is rumored to have powerful friends in the Barack Obama administration and will likely get their endorsement as the elections get closer.

The DPP unlike past opposition parties  has a hefty war chest and will compete on an even keel with the ruling PP.

This picture above cannot bring comfort in the bowels of the Peoples party. 

BLANTYRE (MaraPost)—Courtesy of mobile service operator Airtel Malawi, the country’s top musicians including Piksy, Lucius Banda and man of the moment, Skeffa Chimota have produced a song dubbed ‘Mwezi Wawala (Tithyole Dansi)’ which will be released on the New Year’s Eve, December 31.

Mwezi Wawala is a musical anthem comprising over 20 of the country’s top musicians.

The song, produced by renowned Blantyre based producer, Tapps Bandawe, also features urban artists Blasto and Tigris, Black Missionaries Band’s lead vocalist Anjiru Fumulani and gospel musician Faith Mussa, among others.

Speaking to journalists in Blantyre, Airtel Malawi’s Brands and Communications Manager Isabel Kachinjika said ‘Mwezi Wawala’ is a celebration of the Airtel brand and embraces the values of the brand.

“As a brand, Airtel’s vision is to enrich lives by helping our customers achieve their dreams. Through our network we also want to enable our customers to be themselves, and express themselves freely in order to explore their full potential regardless of their race, beliefs or geographical boundaries,” stated Kachinjika.

“Through this song we believe Malawians will feel the heartbeat of the Airtel brand and come to understand what we are all about,” said Kachinjika adding; “ This is also something that has never been done before in Malawi; bringing together the best of the best to compose a song that will touch many lives”.

Apart from creating unparalleled entertainment, according to Kachinjika, the song will also touch the lives of less fortunate people in the country and the proceeds from this song would be channeled to different causes so that those who don’t have a reason to smile can now celebrate because “Mwezi Wawala”

Taxpayers are to finance a K62.5 million compensation the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) has awarded former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) director general Bright Malopa for unfair dismissal.

Malopa was MBC boss until the death of former president Bingu wa Mutharika in April 2012 when the then vice-president Joyce Banda ascended to the presidency in line with the constitutional order. The Banda administration dismissed Malopa and replaced him with veteran broadcaster Benson Tembo.

IRC deputy chairperson Jack N’riva yesterday confirmed that Malopa was awarded some compensation.

Said N’riva: “Mr. Malopa indeed won the case, but I cannot recall the amount of money he was awarded. Check with his lawyer.”

Malopa’s lawyer Patrick Mpaka confirmed that his client was awarded the K62.5 million. He could, however, not divulge more information as he was in a meeting.

Sources told The Nation the court delivered its judgement on November 29 2013. The court gave MBC 14 days to comply with the order.

However, at the end of the 14 days, MBC failed to pay up and Malopa obtained a garnishee order where MBC accounts, including the salaries account, were reportedly frozen.

Commenting on the developments, Malopa said: “I am disappointed with the garnishee order. I wanted to seize transmitters, in particular the satellite uplinks at TV and Mpingwe and keep them at my farm for fun.”

However, MBC spokesperson Ruth Gama expressed ignorance about the court ruling and order.
“This is news to me and I am hearing it from you,” said Gama.

She said all staff have been timely paid and that everything is in order at MBC.
The court assessed Malopa’s claim for damages on August 2 2013 and judgement was delivered on November 29 this year.

When Banda ascended to power, she fired several functionaries that worked under her predecessor. These included presidential spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba, Reserve Bank of Malawi governor Perks Ligoya and secretary to the Treasury Joseph Mwanamvekha.

The Chief Mourner had just returned from the funeral of the venerable Nelson Mandela. Together with Magede si Wandale and the Wise One from The East, we tried to find comfort at the bottom of the masese gourd, but only succeeded in bringing to sharp focus some of the things that the old African patriarch represented.

The fact that Amai had spoken at the funeral in stead of the Chief Mourner, and that her speech had been received with nothing less than a standing ovation, should have cheered us up a great deal. If fact, it almost did exactly that when Magede si wandale reminisced about it. But it was only for a brief moment, for standing next to the Wise One from the East, Abiti Naliyera, who often at the bawo club only minds her own business suddenly stood up. Her slight stagger and the bibida glass she was holding suggested that she was perhaps a bit tipsy. But there was nothing tipsy about the fierce rebuke that she directed at Magede Si Wandale.

“Have we now here at the Bawo club sunk so low as to start cheering mediocrity and hypocrisy?” Abiti Naliyera said suddenly.” “That speech was the most narcissistic and hypocritical speech ever delivered under the pretence of a funeral eulogy. The much-touted speech lasted 12 minutes. The first five minutes was nothing but ME MYSELF and I; as usual: I’m forgiving (love me). I suffered, I was insulted and I was almost killed (seriously)- so feel sorry for me.

“Never mind I can sink so low to use Madiba’s funeral to tell the whole world of my suffering and forgiving heart – never mind I arrested and I’m prosecuting and persecuting all those that I believe wanted to take me down. Never mind I insult as well as well send my stooges to insult others for criticising me. Never mind the so-called love I have for the people is so embroiled in self-interest.

“Look at Malawi you will see what I mean!” Abiti Naliyera wanted no interruption. “How can any self respecting person use Madiba’s funeral to advance their own selfish political agenda?!! Seriously? Shamelessly? Now the rest of you can keep praising the speech, it’s your democratic right. But as for me, I piss my feministic pee on it. I condemn it. I despise it the way a cat despises its own poo!”

Totally stunned, the Wise One From the East almost involuntarily found himself clapping his wise hands in applause to Abiti Naliyera. Suddenly the whole bawo club, eyes opened as to how manipulative Amai had indeed been with her “I am a victim” speech, gave Abiti Naliyera the Bawo club version of a standing ovation, which consists of clapping and cheering for a few minutes, while a whole mbiya of Abiti Mwenye’s legendary sour brew is presented to the hero of the moment.

It was at this point that Gogo Sinsamala appeared and took the Chief Mourner aside. There were more issues to be documented and he wasted no time in informing the Chief Mourner of this.

“Are you aware that Laughter Kambala has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree?” he asked abruptly.

The Chief Mourner admitted that he had heard of the mysterious award, and that along with most of the legal practitioners in the country, he had questioned how any institution worth its salt could award a criminal suspect with a list of skeletons in his closet as long as Amai’s shoulder sashes and whose suits had become the standard of poor style on the common, such an honourable accolade. Indeed, many had wondered as to who could ever make a recommendation to any institution for Kambala to be awarded such a distinction.

“There is more to it than meets the eye.” Gogo Sinsamala explained curtly. “It is a tactic aimed at deflating and unsettling Amai. As you know, ever since she organized to be awarded an honorary doctorate in economics by that obscure Korean Polytechnic, Amai has been prancing about with the underserved title, adding it to her name and claiming that in spite of the bankruptcy that she is causing the country through her looting and all this cashgate business, she can still in her capacity as doctor call it a breakthrough. Kambala has figured out that Amai is in awe of educated people and especially afraid of PhDs. This is why she has tried so hard to count herself among their number with this stupid honorary degree. And remember, in spite of his many sins, Kambala has some achievements and is at least qualified in the field of law.”

From his pocket, Gogo Sinsamala produced a document. “You see this?” he showed it to the Chief Mourner. “That’s a copy of the recommendation to award Laughter Kambala the Doctor of Laws degree. You will notice that it was filled by none other than Wapana Kitwe!

“Apparently, the whole plan was hatched by dim-witted Kitwe, who at the time thought it would bring Kambala a tactical advantage in his ongoing battles with Amai. But the scheme has backfired and it is this issue that has led to the departure of thick Kitwe from Kambala’s law firm. The idiocy of Kitwe’s scheme was recognized when the legal fraternity in the country all started questioning why Kambala, a well qualified and intelligent enough lawyer would need an honorary degree in stead of just reading for one. He is a distinguished Notre Dame Scholar, mind you!” remarked Gogo Sinsamala.

Suddenly realizing that Kitwe’s honorary PhD tactic was as idiotic as High Court Judge Chambo’s bail that never was, Kambala was furious with Kitwe and immediately informed him that it would be better if the two of them distanced themselves from each other permanently. Hence as you probably have heard, Kitwe, thick and daft as he is, has now opened his own law firm!”

The Chief Mourner was rather taken aback with this revelation. “But what’s this you say about High Court Judge Chambo?” He wanted to know.

“That is a legal mystery that will confound our legal experts for a long time. Justice Chambo somehow, inexplicably managed to give Laughter Kambala bail, and then keep him locked up at the same time. Some say it is because she had been bribed to make this confusing ruling. Others say she had received death threats from Amai’s chief Henchman, Policeman Iphani.

But I know that the reason is much more complicated than that: in fact, Judge Chambo’s husband had borrowed one of Laughter Kambala’s suits, and needed it for a Pakhomo Pamanu fundraising dinner, hence she could not allow Kambala to be released on Bail as he would end up getting his suit back before the dinner date had come.”

So we shut down government from December the 16th up to January the 6th? Wow!

The statement from the Office of the President and Cabinet was cryptic – as usual!

Malawi officialdom seems to have lately fallen deep in love with the word ‘essential’. First time this word was used with prominence was last month by the Finance Minister when he pontificated that external and internal travel for civil servants had forthwith been put on ice, expect, of course, for ‘essential’ travel.

This time around, civil servants have been force-marched into a long three-week holiday, except – yet again – for ‘essential’ services. What – just what does that exactly mean?

Essentially, what does ‘essential’ mean?

So from December 16, 2013, up to January 6, 2014, government is shut, no service, no nothing, except for ‘essential’ services.

The usual suspects in the ‘essential services’ pecking order are, of course, the security folks and medics. But, as the civil servants were sent home, most of them had no money in their pockets. Should we still blame this on the Ifmis animal?

Maxwell Mkwezalamba, him of the thankless task of cleaning up our soiled financial outlook, promised to pay everyone by a certain date. This ordinarily means some folks in the Ministry of Finance suddenly became ‘essential’.

Come to think of it, we always know that sometime in December there is Christmas. Why then do we seem reactionary to this Christmas shutdown? Christmas is not as unexpected as Bingu’s death. Christmas is always there.

Why not make it permanent for crying out loud! This will be ideal for planning purposes for both the civil service and those who deal with it. It is not healthy to keep people guessing whether there will be a holiday or not.

By the way, Malawi is too poor to afford such needless government shut downs. The cost of the man-hours we lose during these three weeks is unquantifiable. I know we all need a break once in a while but for the greater national good we need all the man-hours we can muster.

Sometime in late October or early November, Nigerian prophet TB Joshua prophesied that an East Africa president would be abducted by terrorists.

Were it any other prophet, that would probably have gone unreported, but TB Joshua was right on the death of Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika.

This particular prophecy was distorted by the internets, prompting his ministry to release this statement.

“This is an official message from Prophet T.B. Joshua and The SCOAN. There are distorted rumors spreading on the internet concerning T.B. Joshua’s prophecy this past Sunday. Rumors are saying that the man of God said that an East African country will soon be kidnapped by terrorists and that a night club would be blown up. Do not listen to the father of lies.

“These are not the words used by the prophet. Prophet T.B. Joshua specifically asked journalists not to misquote his prophecy.

“He said that he saw a leader being captured. The prophet instructed the people of God to fast and pray on Wednesday and Thursday. He said Wednesday and Thursday had nothing to do with what was going to happen, but the people of God should fast and pray on those days. He also told the congregation that he will stay in an attitude of prayer for the country concerned, so that God might subdue this coming evil to a mere sign.

“He said that the country concerned is not Kenya, but a country close to it. He mentioned that it is the same country in which a similar event took place while they were drinking and dancing.

“He will continue to pray for them, but he will not mention their names unless God instructs him to do so. This is because many would begin to spread rumors and false allegations against himself, the leader, and the country rather than pray for them. He said if prayer and security are not in place, the blood of thousands will be wasted. Let us all stay in an attitude of faith and prayer, in Jesus’ name.”

The wording of the prophecy prompted many to claim that the country in question was Uganda. This is especially because of the ‘drinking and dancing’ part, since a nightclub in Uganda was bombed a few years back.

Prophesies are however known to have deep interpretations, and only the prophet knows exactly what he means.

That takes us to recent events in South Sudan, where Salva Kiir’s government has just survived a coup attempt. Fighting is however still ongoing. Only time will tell whether TB Joshua was talking about South Sudan.

Two of the great attractions of Malawi’s national parks and wildlife reserves are their completely unspoilt wilderness and the absence of mass tourism. You really do feel you’re looking at a scene that David Livingstone would recognize. There’s a real touch of the Garden of Eden about them. You discover the animals, they’re not lined up for your viewing as though in a theme park.

Types of Safari

There’s a wide choice of safari. You can use the customary 4×4 vehicle (most are open) for your game drives or you can really get to know the country and its wildlife on a walking safari. Other options include boat safaris along the Shire river. This is a wonderful way to see the animals close-up as they seem unfrightened by people in a boat. You can float close to the hundreds of hippos and watch the elephants drink just a few metres away. Other close encounters can be had, for example, when tracking elephant in Majete. The famous horseback safaris are back in 2010, an opportunity to ride alongside the antelope and zebra.

It is difficult to find many countries that can approach Malawi as a destination for birdwatching. Few indeed will get close to the range of species that can be seen and even fewer have such ease of viewing.

Parks & Reserves

Malawi’s nine national parks and wildlife reserves cover a great variety of landscape and vegetation types, and include areas of genuine unspoilt wilderness. In the north are the unique Nyika Plateau and Vwaza Wildlife Reserve: one a highland, the other a lowland area. The central region has two vast game areas: Kasungu National Park in the west and Nkhotakota Reserve in the east. The latter is currently being developed to accept tourists. In the south, the best known national park is Liwonde, along the River Shire, but there are also three game areas further south: Lengwe National Park and the wildlife reserves of Majete (recently restocked) and Mwabvi. Near the southern limits of Lake Malawi is the world’s first freshwater national park at Cape Maclear. This is one of Malawi’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Animals

The big five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) can be seen in Malawi as well as a splendid range of antelope and the smaller cats such as caracel and serval. Hippos are to be found in large numbers, so much so that they are almost symbolic of Malawi’s wildlife. A safari in Malawi is about memorable experiences, not tick lists, plenty of game in beautiful surroundings but no convoys of vehicles characteristic of some African game parks. Visitors are relatively few in number, giving everyone the opportunity to experience all types of safari: in a 4×4, by boat, on horseback or on foot, in peaceful privacy.

Malawi is truly an ornithologist’s paradise. Few countries in the whole of Africa can rival Malawi’s range of bird species coupled with the relative ease of birdwatching. Around 650 species have been identified with over ten per cent not being seen in other parts of southern Africa. Best known is the fish eagle to be seen at the Lake and along the River Shire but, as with the Lake’s fish, the range of species is breathtaking.

The variety of fish, over 600 species, to be seen in the Lake Malawi National Park is unequalled anywhere else in the world.

Source: malawitourism.com