Muluzi hiding vehicles

By Chifundo Kasambwe

Former president of the Republic Malawi Bakili Muluzi is suspected to be hiding some of his personal worth including vehicles from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Malawi Digest understands.

Muluzi, the former Malawian leader is facing a wide range of cases ranging from financial mismanagement to fraud and corruption.

ACB director Alexious Nampota told Malawi Digest in an exclusive interview Tuesday afternoon that the bureau is having difficulties to grab Muluzi’s property mainly his motor vehicles.

The High Court in Malawi allowed the ACB to seize Muluzi’s property including his lavish BCA Hill residence in the low density area of the commercial city Blantyre, vehicles and froze Muluzi’s bank accounts before the opposition leader was allowed to travel to the United Kingdom.

In an interview at his ACB offices in Blantyre, Nampota said that his corruption busting body has an uphill task to seize all Muluzi property especially vehicles.

“We managed to seize BCA Hill residence, have Muluzi’s bank accounts frozen but we haven’t made a lot of progress on his motor vehicles,” said Nampota.

The ACB chief complained that they have difficulties to trace all his vehicles and seize them.

He said although the organisation was expecting to grab 149 vehicles belonging to Bakili Muluzi, they have only managed 44.

“The 149 vehicles are in Muluzi’s name and we verified this with the Road Traffic Directorate but all of them are not at one place, so we have to keep on trying to trace them,” he said.

He said that although information from Road Traffic Directorate shows that the 149 vehicles are in Muluzi’s name, only 44 have been found and seized.

“The documents have Muluzi as the registered owner of the vehicles but not all of them can be traced," he said.

Our sources closer to Bakili Muluzi have disclosed that there is strong evidence that the opposition UDF national chairman is keeping these vehicles in hidding.

Our source who meets Muluzi on daily basis when the opposition leader is in Malawi said that he knows that Muluzi may have hidden the vehicles.

"He is such a crafty man who cannot just let his 149 vehicles be seized just like that," said our source.

Former Malawi president Bakili Muluzi is being prosecuted for diverting nearly MK1.7 billion into his personal bank accounts during the 10 years he was in power.

Bakili Muluzi is currently in the United Kingdom where he is reported to be receiving medical attention for his back problem.

He is expected back home in Malawi in September to continue with his numerous court cases-Malawi Digest.

Muluzi named in human organs dealings

Former Malawi President Bakili Muluzi court records say that he was involved in the selling of human private organs together with his brother Friday. It is not known if he will also be charged of the case dealing in human parts.

By Chifundo Kasambwe

Former president of the Republic of Malawi Bakili Muluzi, has been named as one of the people who was dealing in human private parts in the country, Malawi Digest understands.

Muluzi, was named in the case together with his brother Friday Muluzi according to court records obtained by Malawi Digest.

The case involved a Chinese national Lin Yiuzh and a Malawian Rashid Billy Kolongo who were arrested for offering to sell human private parts to Mulanje businessman, Patrick Murama.

According to court records from Mulanje Magistrate Court of the case presided over by Magistrate Aristotle Mkwapatira, the two, were offering to sell Murama human parts that included breasts and male genitals.

According to prosecutor of the case Hartwell Kachikonga, Yiuzh and Kolongo told Murama that breasts were selling at MK1.3 million and a set of male genitals were selling at MK1.6 million.

The Police prosecutor said that these were the prices that the trio agreed after negotiations.

In order to convince businessman Murama to buy the private parts from them, the duo mentioned that they were experienced in the business of selling human parts.

The prosecutor told the court that Yiuzh and Kolongo told Murama that they have been doing business of selling private parts with senior politicians in Malawi including former president Bakili Muluzi and his brother, Friday Muluzi.

Malawi Digest has been unable to verify this with former president Bakili Muluzi and his brother Friday Muluzi if what the two said in court was true that they dealt in human parts business with the former Malawian leader and his brother.

According to the court records, after being communicated to by the two human parts dealers, Murama alerted the Police who joined the discussions at a later stage in civilian clothes.

The police later arrested the two who were convicted on Wednesday this week.

Magistrate Mkwapatira fined the two MK100,000 each or serve 18 months imprisonment in default-Malawi Digest.

Ngwazi says Nsanje port being realised

By Emmanuel Sobilika

Malawi President His Excellency Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika says that his dream of having the Nsanje Inland Port is slowly becoming a reality.

The State President was speaking on Wednesday afternoon at Chileka International Airport in the commercial city, Blantyre soon after landing from Mozambique where he went on a state visit.

Speaking to journalists at the airport, Ngwazi Dr Mutharika described his three-day tour of Malawi’s neighbour, Mozambique as a great success.

The Malawian leader said that among many other important issues discussed by leaders from both countries were bilateral issues including trade, agriculture, energy, mining, transport and communication.

He said on transport and communication, Mozambique had agreed to work with Malawi on the Shire-Zambezi Waterway project.

“The Mozambicans are happy to be part of this Shire-Zambezi Waterway and as a result, we have agreed that experts from both countries jointly conduct a feasibility study and an environmental impact assessment on the project,” he said.

He said officials from the two countries will sign commitment papers on August 15th this year.

Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika said that Malawi is more than ready on this dream project, the Nsanje Inland Port.

“This project has already started and those of you who have a chance to go to Nsanje, kindly go there and see for yourself the work being done there,” he said.

The President said he was committed to making sure that the Nsanje Inland Port becomes a reality.

“I can assure you that by December this year we should complete the first phase of the project and it is my wish that before I leave office, the Nsannje Port would have been realised,” he said.

The Malawian leader, an internationally respected economist said that the port in Nsanje would not only help in cutting down transportation costs for Malawi but also some of her neighbours.

“Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and even Tanzania are expected to benefit from this project especially on their areas that are closer to Malawi hence Mozambique’s commitment to the project,” explained the Ngwazi.

On electricity, Ngwazi Dr Mutharika said that electricity problems that have rocked Malawi in recent months are expected to be minimised following the resumption of power supply from Tedzani 1 and 2 Power Station.

“From next month, I expected these problems to improve because rehabilitation works at the two stations will be over,” he said.

The President further explained of other plans in order to tackle Malawi’s electricity problems.

“Apart from having electricity from Kapichira in Chikwawa, my government plans to have an additional turbine at the station in order to generate more power,” he said.

On the southern Africa's regional economic bloc SADC's regional power interconnection deal where Malawi was expected to take part, Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika said that the arrangement was stalled for now and that Malawi will not rush into it.

“The problem was that we were being charged US$1 million per month just for connection only. I thought this was not good for us because we were being charged even on electricity that we did not use,” he said.

He said that it's better that Malawi develops her own power base at home where the country would come in as a partiner and not just a benefactor.

Whilst in Mozambique, Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika held discussions with his Mozambican counterpart Emilio Armando Guebuza, laid a wreath at the heroes’ acre where former late President of Mozambique Samora Machel and freedom fighter Albert Monderane were buried, visited several places, addressed and interacted with Malawians living in Mozambique and Swaziland as well as enjoying a state banquet that was organised in his honour.

Ngwazi Dr Mutharika has since invited his Mozambican counterpart to visit Malawi in the nearest future.

On the trip to Mozambique, Ngwazi Dr Mutharika was accompanied by among others, Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. Etta Banda, Trade and Industry Minister Eunice Kazembe, Energy Minister Grain Malunga and Transport Minister Khumbo Kachali – Malawi Digest.

Bingu Silvergrey Foun. donates to the elderly

Bingu Silvergrey Foundation Executive Director Frances Mkandawire presenting some of the blankets to one of the elderly women.

By Lucy Liponda

One of Malawi’s leading charitable organisations, the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation has just completed a nation- wide tour during which time they were donating various items to the elderly.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Malawi Digest on Wednesday, the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation Executive Director Frances Mkandawire said the trip has been a great success.

She said so far, the organisation has been overwhelmed with more demands from Members of Parliament and those from the society for help for the elderly in their respective areas.

“It was such a successful trip where we have visited at least one constituency in every district in Malawi,” she said.

Mkandawire said the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation started the donations on 11th July in the central region district of Dedza and other districts in the region before moving to the north, the south and then back to finish the exercise in the central region.

According to the Executive Director, the organisation donated items to the elderly in 10 constituencies in the central region, 10 constituencies in the north and 15 constituencies in the south.

“A total of 35 constituencies were visited by the Foundation with the highest of 15 in the south due to the higher population in the region,” she said.

During the tour, the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation donated among many other items, blankets, vita meal a nourishing porridge for the elderly, second hand clothes, wrappers (zitenje), sugar, cups and plates.

According to Mkandawire, the blankets alone were bought by the founder of the organisation and State President of the Republic of Malawi, Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika at a cost of about MK5 million.

She said in total, the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation spent nearly MK8 million for the entire exercise.

The Bingu Silvergrey Foundation is a private charitable organisation founded and established by Malawi President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika.

Standing on the motto of "providing a new and unique platform for the elderly" the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation has transformed and changed lives of many of the country’s elderly population over the years-Malawi Digest.

Malawi Police sweep up criminal street kids

By Lucy Liponda

Police in Malawi’s commercial city, Blantyre have conducted a clean up exercise that has seen tens of street kids in custody Malawi Digest understands.

According to Police spokesperson for the Southern Region, Assistant Superintendent Davie Chingwalu, the clean up exercise has taken place within the last 24 hours.

“We realised that some of these street kids were involved in pick-pockets and many other forms of crime,” he said.

Chingwalu told Malawi Digest that as a result of this cleaning-up exercise, the Police have taken into custody 67 street kids.

He said those arrested are in the age ranges of between 8 and 20 years.

“We are currently consulting with colleagues from the Social Welfare on how best we can handle these kids that we have in our custody,” he said.

Chingwalu said that the Police have engaged the Social Welfare department because they are specialists in the caring of street children and the destitute.

He said it had come to the notice of the Police that some of the street kids in Blantyre were snatching hand-bags from passers-by more especially women, stealing from parked vehicles and pick-pocketing among many other things.

“Most of these kids are engaged in small businesses like selling plastic bags when in actual sense they are doing pick-pocketing,” he said.

Chingwalu said that the Police are conducting these clean-up exercises on the street in order to make sure that street of Malawi are secure and safe from pick-pockets and other forms of crime.

In recent years, the streets of Malawian cities have been flooded street children asking for alms.

Most of these streets kids have no parents, others have but no longer live together with them due to marriage breakages or others have parents or close family members but due to negligence, the children are abandoned -Malawi Digest.

DPP responds on law

RESPONSE TO THE NYASATIMES ARTICLE TITLED ‘CHIDYAMAKANDA LAW’ OPPRESSION FOR MALAWI GIRLS-ACTIVISTS

The Nyasatimes article titled "Chidyamakanda Law' Oppression for Malawi girls-activists” is an unfortunate distortion of realities.

First of all let us state clearly that in the Malawi Constitution the marriageable age without parental consent for a girl has always been 18 years, and this was not changed in the Bill in question.

Secondly the marriageable age with parental consent has always been at 15 to 16 years in the past. All this Bill has done is to raise the minimum from 15 years to 16 years.

It must also be stated that the proposal to raise this age from 15 to 16 years was made by the Law Commission that reviewed the Constitution in 1998, but that the UDF Cabinet resisted this proposal. This was primarily because of some cultural practices of early marriages in some parts of Malawi.

In 2007 another Law Commission on the Constitution reviewed this section and many others. Because of similar considerations and pressures, which the 1998 Law Commission faced they retained this marriageable age with parental permission at 16 years.

With the opposition UDF and MCP dominating Parliament at that time, this amendment proposal never passed through Parliament although it was on the Order Paper all the time.

It is also very important to note that all these activists, NGO’s, commentators, etc were there in 1998 and 2007 when the UDF Cabinet and others resisted the raising of the marriageable age with parental consent from 15 to 16 years age. They unfortunately kept quite. In fact some of the NGO’s that are raising these serious concerns now participated and contributed to the two Law Commissions recommendations. They understood the issues, but have remained silent for the 11 years during which this amendment Bill languished on the Order Paper of Parliament.

The Law does not legalize a girl to marry at 16 years. It says that should circumstances and need arise, parents may consent to their daughters marriage at the age 16 to 18 years without getting into problems with the Law.

It is also completely wrong to call this a marriage age amendment Act or a “Chidyamakanda Law” There were 27 amendments in this Bill, many of them as important as the raising of the marriageable age from 15 to 16 years. It is very strange that these activists want the 27 very important issues rejected by the President just because of the fact that the marriageable age with parent consent has not been raised high enough.

It is also disturbing that they did not raise their concerns in the three (3) weeks during which the Bill was in circulation before passing in this Parliament.

Dr. Hetherwick Ntaba
PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR DPP
11th August 2009

Campaign winds up

By Lucy Liponda

Campaign for by-elections in Blantyre City Central and Zomba-Malosa constituencies came to an end this morning at 6:00am.

According to a statement from the independent Malawi Electoral Commission obtained by Malawi Digest, anybody who continues to campaign between now and the election day, August 14th is violating the country’s electoral law.

People from the two constituencies, Blantyre City Central and Zomba-Malosa go to the polls on Friday to elect their Members of Parliament.

In Blantyre, the people did not elect their MP like the rest of the country on May 19th following the death of one of the candidates whilst in Zomba, the by-elections follow the election of the country’s Vice President Joyce Banda into higher office.

Malawian laws do not allow people to have two public offices.

The ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP) of Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika is represented in Blantyre by Themba Mkandawire and in Zomba by Lawrence Idrissa Mpofu.

Both candidates have been tipped to win the by-elections with a wider margin.

Following the May 19th General Elections, the ruling DPP is in majority and the additional two MPs will only spice up the smooth running of government business in the country.

Malawi President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika visited the two constituencies over the weekend where he called on the people to vote for the ruling party’s candidates.

The Ngwazi, also appealed to the people in the two areas to maintain peace and emulate what the rest of the country did on May 19th-Malawi Digest.