Malawi’s rights group gets injunction against government’s decision to send Chief Justice on leave
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—The High Court judge Charles Mkandawire has granted an injunction stopping effect of the decision by President Peter Mutharika to send Chief Justice, Andrew Nyirenda, on leave pending retirement.
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) in partnership with the Association of Judges in Malawi have jointly obtained the court injunction this afternoon.
The Judge has, among other orders, ordered for a judicial review of the government’s decision and that it should be expedited.
On Friday 12 June, 2020, the Chief Secretary to the government, Lloyd Muhara, issued a public notice which stated that the Chief Justice would proceed on leave pending retirement with immediate effect as he has accumulated more leave days than the remainder of his working days to retirement date.
Nyirenda is due for retirement in December 2021.
Different quarters think that Mutharika want to send Nyirenda on leave so that another judge who is connected to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should take over in order to frustrate the forthcoming fresh presidential election.
Malawians will vote on 23rd June after the High Court judges, sitting as Constitutional Court, nullified the May 2019 presidential election citing widespread irregularities.
The decision of the Constitutional Court was further upheld by a panel of seven judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal led by Justice Nyirenda.
President Mutharika is still denying to accept the verdict and has been attacking the Judiciary for robbing him of deserved victory.
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Be Forward Wanderers continue to bask in the glory of politics, a game of numbers. The two teams, that have a stable sponsorship from well established companies, Nyasa Manufacturing Company and Be Forward Company, are continuing monopolizing the country’s public pulse courtesy of regional politics as their fellow teams are in financial abyss.
In the run up to 2019 Tripartite Elections, Bullets and Wanderers were promised a stadium each by the country’s President Peter Mutharika in a bid to solicit votes from supporters of the country’s football powerhouses.
Mutharika’s pledge attracted mixed reactions: some faulted the president for his decision to have public funds spent on teams that are owned by private companies while many football fanatics applauded the gesture.
However, considering the numbers attached to the two teams, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) also spoke in support of the stadium projects when responding to the national budget statement in parliament last year.
As the president was presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony of the two clubs’ stadium project construction in Blantyre on Saturday, Mutharika made yet another donation of two big busses to the two teams.
The President’s gesture followed a request from the two clubs’ officials earlier despite government removing duty on importation of buses for TNM Super League and netball clubs.
Mutharika first laid the foundation stones for Bullets Stadium at Zingwangwa near Moneymen along Chikwawa Road before proceeding to Kanjedza Forest near Blantyre Teachers College for the Nomads’ stadium, before proceeding to Nyambadwe ground in Ndirande for a launch rally.
Speaking during the rally, Mutharika who said he used to play as a centre-half, said he is keen to see football developing in the country.
“When I came here last year I promised to build the two stadiums for the two clubs. When I make a promise I fulfill it,” he said.
The President said Bullets and Wanderers deserved the government’s help, having produced top players such as Kinnah Phiri, Lawrence Waya, Jack Chamangwana, Yassin Osman, Chance Vinny Gondwe, Kennedy Malunga, Walter Nyamilandu, Joseph Kamwendo and Peter Mponda.
But much as the president’s gesture deserves much applause from the citizenry, it is also proper to bring to the attention of the president challenges some teams in the top flight league are going through.
Recently, some TNM Super league teams disclosed that they were failing to pay salaries for players due to their failure to generate revenue after kick off of the season was halted in the wake of Covid-19.
Karonga United Chairperson Mathews Tulombolombo said suspension of games has put them in an awkward position as they cannot generate revenue from gate collections.
“We need to source about K2 million for players and technical staff members’ salaries. We have been very open about our situation and all stakeholders know that we are deep in the red. We engaged our players and technical panel on the state of our finances.
“We had reserved some money to cater for our preparations in March, hoping that we would raise more after the season kicks off. As I speak, we do not have anything in our coffers. This has forced some of us to use our personal resources for some of the team’s needs,” Tulombolombo was quoted as saying.
Ntopwa FC owner Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman also spoke of tough times in the absence of games.
“We are struggling to pay our players. We need a rescue package now. Paying players’ salaries does not come cheap. Something must be done,” he said.
Other unsponsored teams such as Tigers, Chitipa United and Mzuzu Warriors have also said they are finding it difficult to pay their players.
Tigers Chairperson, Sydney Chikoti, said they are working on other means of sourcing funds to pay their players.
“Life is indeed unbearable without revenue from gate collections. There is hardly any money for payment of players’ dues. We are trying to explore other avenues of raising funds because we have an obligation to pay our players.
“But our players know what we can afford to pay and we expect them to be patient. Life could have been better had the season kicked off,” Chikoti said.
In view of the above narrations of clubs’ leaders, donating busses to teams that are already enjoying stable sponsorship sounds illogical, irrational, unreasonable, crazy, awkward (you can pick your own terminology), and it is a clear demonstration of regional politics in which both Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) thrives on.
Having promised stadiums for the two teams, the president would now consider helping the other teams who are deep in financial problems as they do not have a sponsor to rely upon. But alas, politics is a game of numbers and on 23rd June 2020 Malawians are going to vote in a fresh poll. Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Be Forward Wanderers have a huge following that even the opposition parties cannot dare opposing the Mutharika’s misplaced pledges.
Chinese investors, owners of Sogecoa Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe who are set to construct Sogecoa Business Park in Blantyre have donated MK50 million to Blantyre City Council to help in promotion of sanitation and improve waste management.
Executive Vice President for Anhui Foreign Economic Construction (Group) Company Limited, Xia Fang presented the cheque to Mayor for Blantyre City Council, Wild James Ndipo on Tuesday during the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of Sogecoa Business Park at Chichiri in Blantyre.
Speaking when he made the donation, Fang said the company decided to donate such an amount of money to Blantyre City Council as one way of cementing the cordial bilateral relationship existing between the two countries of China and Malawi.
“We are here today witnessing the ground breaking ceremony of Sogecoa Golden Peacock five – star hotel in Blantyre because the relationship of China and Malawi is solid. This year marks 10 years of the relationship hence our coming to invest in Malawi.
“We are giving out this money to contribute to the city’s efforts in sanitation and improve its waste management. We are very hopeful that the resources will go a long way in contributing to the city in carrying out the sanitation activities so that together we can realise a beautiful and clean city,” Xia pointed out.
The Executive Vice President commended the government of Malawi for the support it was rendering to both foreign and local investors in the country, particularly Chinese investments which was a clear testimony of sound bilateral relations.
Blantyre City Mayor, Wild James Ndipo expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for presenting such an amount of money to the city council, noting that it would not only help in making Blantyre clean but would also go a long way in attracting tourists to visit the beautiful city in the process making Malawi economically sound.
He assured that the council would use the money for its intended purpose.
President Professor Peter Mutharika who presided over the ceremony for the five star hotel project registered appreciation to the Chinese government for the support to Blantyre City Council, saying it was a symbol of good relationship his government has with foreign investments.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Henry Mussa said the Sogecoa had a very a very reputable record with the construction of such structures like the magnificent Bingu National Stadium, Parliament Building, Chitipa-Karonga road and Malawi University of Science and Technology in Thyolo.
President Professor Peter Mutharika has advised Malawians not to despair due to the frequent power outages being experienced across the country, saying government will deploy long term measures to address the problem.
According to the President’s Press Officer, Mgeme Kalirani, Mutharika gave the assurance on Wednesday during a surprise visit to Energy Generation Company (EGENCO) and Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) to express his personal frustration with the current electricity situation in the country.
“His Excellency’s visit to the two organizations was basically for several reasons, the first being to express his personal frustration with the situation where people have to stay without power for longer hours,” he said.
Kalirani said the president has since assured people in the country that government was doing everything possible to solve the problem once and for all. He added that the president shares the frustrations that come with the frequent power outages on both local and foreign investors.
The State House Press Officer, however, said the first citizen appreciates some efforts deployed by EGENCO and ESCOM to address the problem, citing the installation of generators to boost electricity mega watts as one case in point.
“For example, the President noted efforts being taken by ESCOM to deal with the massive blackouts by constructing the Kamwamba Power Generation Plant as one long term measure,” said Kalirani, adding that the president is not sleeping over the issue until it is solved.
Commenting on the president’s visit and current power situation in an interview, ESCOM Board Chairperson, Perks Ligoya, attributed the power outages to low water levels in Lake Malawi resulting to generation of less mega watts by EGENCO which ESCOM has to supply to a large population.
Ligoya said due to the low water levels, EGENCO is only producing 180 mega watts instead of the demanded 300 mega watts.
“Now, out of those 180 mega watts, 70 mega watts are distributed to sensitive institutions such as hospitals, water boards… so that people can have water. Now that leaves very little, only about 100 mega watts to be distributed to everyone in Malawi,” said Ligoya.
He said due to this situation, they have to distribute the available mega watts equitably and not favouring one area from another. The ESCOM board chair added that people’s frustrations were understandable.
Ligoya added that the president had advised them to look into alternative source of energy to hydro-electricity. He said they have already signed some agreements concerning solar energy that will see them generating 70 mega watts which will be installed in 18 months time.
He also cited another alternative source of energy currently being looked into, such as that of the use of diesel generators that will help them produce 78 additional mega watts by December.
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