This is JB’s heaviest blow since the tussle between Mutharika and herself started for the country’s top job.

However, a senior member of her spin team downplayed developments in the eastern region, saying the support given to the education minister may be withdrawn at crucial hours in 2014.

The DPP hierarchy has since reacted Banda’s bid is futile as she faces many upheavals including arrests for unmentioned crimes.

It has been established that more than 70 traditional chiefs and MPs in the south eastern district of Zomba have been meeting this week under the facilitation of Labour Minister Yunus Mussa and have collectively endorsed Peter Mutharika as DPP presidential candidate in 2014.

Paramount Chief Chikowi spoke as always done in favour of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s brother and rubbished the Vice President, citing lack of vision as a major reason.

Deputy Treasurer for opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) Winston Chikalimba and several other party officials from Zomba have defected to ruling DPP.

A former UDF Member of Parliament for Zomba-Lisanjala constituency, Chikalimba, announced his resignation from the former ruling party at a DPP rally held at Songani ground in Zomba last Sunday.

He has since said he is behind Mutharika’s 2014 bid.

Southern Region Committee of the DPP nominated last month State President Bingu wa Mutharika’s younger brother as the party’s torch bearer in the 2014 general elections.

Though his nomination has sparked public debate, with some supporting and others against it, several cabinet ministers have openly declared their support for him to lead the party in the polls.

Some chiefs in Phalombe last month announced, through their MP Anna Kachikho, that they were in support of young Mutharika’s nomination.

DPP’s National Governing Council also endorsed the Professor whose name is now becoming a well-known brand among Malawians.

But DPP spokesman Hetherwick Ntaba insists the official selection of the presidential candidate will take place at a national convention in what political observers say is a “foregone conclusion” that Mutharika will carry the day.

According to Malawi News Agency (Mana) report, the visit offered President Mutharika and his entourage an opportunity to appreciate what can be applied to the development of the Nsanje Wild Inland Port, one of the landmark projects of his administration.

President Mutharika held discussions with the port authorities on how Malawi can learn from them.

President Mutharika is accompanied by, among others, cabinet ministers and the business community.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to continue offering development aid to Malawi, Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) the Germany national news news agency reports.

“We want to help Malawi advance in the fight on poverty and reaching the Millennium Development Goals,” Merkel said, adding that the country was making good progress in areas including health and education.

Merkel said there was “great potential” to cooperate in public-private partnerships, particularly in the renewable energy sector.

Mutharika said he hoped for greater business cooperation with Germany, ahead of meetings with potential investors in Frankfurt on Friday.

“There are a lot of investment opportunities in the transport sector…in energy and in the health sector,” President Mutharika said.

The leaders also spoke about the upcoming summit between the European Union and the African Union, of which Malawi currently holds the presidency. Priorities included conflict resolution, Islamist terrorism and migration, Merkel said.

Bingu wa Mutharika said Malawi would support Germany in its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security council. He also invited Merkel to visit Malawi, “whenever you get the time.”

Germany and Malawi relationship dates as far back as 1964 but it was in 1981 when the first state visit was made by the former president, late Dr Kamuzu Banda who visited the then West Germany and it is only now that Malawi President will visit a united Germany where there is no West or East.

Since 1964 Malawi has benefited tremendously from the relationship of the two countries which according to ambassador Prof. Isaac Lamba has grown from strength to strength.

He cited one example where the Chancellor played a very important role for Malawi to get a raise in financial support from the European Union from 35 million Euro to 65 million Euro per year.

Meanwhile, Leston Mulli of Mulli Brothers said the trip is a huge opportunity for them to be in Germany because they will be able to look for machinery for companies in Malawi and also markets for Malawi products.—Source: Mana/dpa

Kalinde was beaten by DPP youth militia led by Ngalande who is the party southern region youth director, at Chileka international Airport few weeks ago upon arrival of President Bingu  wa  Mutharika from one of his recent foreign trips.

The physical assault and harassment happened in full view of the police.

The parliamentarian was beaten on claims that she was supporting vice president Joyce Banda’s 2014 presidential candidacy as opposed to President Mutharika’s younger brother, Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika.

Police have not made any arrests since the incident and are keeping a tight lead on the progress of investigations prompting Kalinde to seek private prosecution.

Kasambara confirmed to Zodiak Radio that he has been hired by MP Kalinde on the matter

“Any private person may launch a prosecution if prosecuting authorities decline to prosecute, delay to prosecute or halt a prosecution,” Kasambara said.

According to the lawyer, the prosecution would then be initiated by summons from the magistrate court.

“But such a person would have to prove some substantial and peculiar interest in the issue – and would also have to prove they were a direct victim of the alleged crime,” he said.

The former Attorney General said court proceedings will start soon at the Blantyre magistrate’s court.

Kalinde said she will not relent until justice “take its course”.

Southern region’s police spokesman, Davie Chingwalu refused to comment on the matter saying doing so would disturb the investigations which he said were still underway.

DPP’s spokesman Hetherwick Ntaba said he did not have any information regarding the police investigations on the issue as they were still underway.

Ntaba said the party would release the investigation’s official results once they are through.

Ngalande has been behind a spate of violence sponsored by the DPP. He was also in-charge of an attack on former president Bakili Muluzi’s convoy last years when he visited Goliati in Thyolo.

The ‘terrorist-in-chief’ was a member of the notorious defunct UDF young democrats and defected to DPP where he is in-charge of terror machine for dissenting views.

Speaking at the second day of Paydirt’s Africa Downunder conference, he said that the government had put in place an enabling environment in order to attract investment to the mineral sector.

Malunga said that the government had also just completed drafting a mines and minerals policy, under which it aimed to stimulate mining investment by administrating, regulating and facilitating regulatory growth in the sector through a ‘well organised’ framework.

“The policy is awaiting government approval and we are also revising the general mining legislation, which was enacted some 30 years ago, to take into account the changes that have happened in the minerals industry both locally and internationally since the 1980s.”

Further, Malawi has also established incentives specifically aimed at the mining industry.

These included the duty free importation of exploration and mining equipment, ready access to a comprehensive geological and mineral resource data base, the grant of mineral rights within a short period, easily transferable mineral rights as well as a detailed investor guide.

Malunga noted that historically, mining had accounted for only 1% of the country’s gross domestic product, however, this had increased to around 10% in the last few years.

“Mining in Malawi is in its infancy stage and the country is a gem that needs to be discovered. Large tracks of area still remain to be explored for high-value minerals such as gold, platinum-group metals and diamonds,” he added.— Creamer Media

Chancy Gondwe, of Citizen Insurance Company was arrested on Monday by Blantyre Police. Southern region police spokesman Davie Chingwalu confirmed.

“Mr. Gondwe was arrested and questioned on Monday. He was later released on bail by Blantyre Magistrate Court, on his own surety, and the case starts on the 16th of September,” said Chingwalu.

The charges alleged that the lawyer, in the month of December 2009, received money from Emily Byson, whose husband was in custody for murder, alleging that a police officer was asking for it in order to facilitate bail for Fanuel Byson Majiya.

Police have charged him with “Obtaining money by false pretences” contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code.

Gondwe has hired lawyers Bob Chimkango, Viva Nyimba and Patron Ndhlovu to defend him.

When contacted by Nyasa Times, lawyer Chimkango (pictured) defended his professional colleague saying the state has no case.

“I am of the view that the state has no case against my client,” said Chimkango.

“Whatever the state alleges against Mr. Gondwe is laughable to say the least. It is like saying that every time a lawyer gets instructions from client, he should not demand his payment unless the case is successful,” he said.

Chimkango said he once represented the complainant in 2008, while working under Legalwise and Company.

“I can confirm, the complainant is a perpetual offender who cannot be taken seriously,” he said.

According to court records, Chimkango represented the complainant  in 2008 in a matter where he was accused of breaking into PAFS Auto Parts warehouse and committing felony therein. (Miscellaneous Criminal Application Number 158 of 2008). The matter is still pending in courts.

“Mr. Gondwe was representing him in a matter where he was arrested for murder in the same year, 2008.  So you can imagine what kind of person is involved,” Chimkango said.

He said it was in the murder case where Gondwe is accused that he did not do what he instructed the laywer to do.

“But the truth is that my client made a bail application and the court ordered that the state finishes its investigations in 60 days after which, a fresh application be made o the court,” explained Chimkango.

Chimkango maintained that the state has no case against lawyer Gondwe and it has taken them two days to come up with the charge, “whose elements cannot match the facts.”

Gondwe was trying to get his payment for the work  and he still has not got his balance. All this was happening before the lawyer got his job at Citizen Insurance Company.

Chimkango said the defence team believes the complainant is trying to run away from paying the balance.

The state is being represented by Inspector Moja Phiri, Station Prosecutions officer, Blantyre police.

The Fews-Net latest report shows that some people in the southern region are relying on the consumption of wild foods like water lilies for survival.

Mutharika has recently threatened to close down newspapers that report critically about his administration after private weeklies cited a SADC report forecasting food shortages in the country.

The Fews-Net report says large areas of southern Malawi are expected to be highly food insecure throughout the last half of 2010.

The report says “718,000 people remain moderately to highly food insecure and are surviving on food obtained using desperate coping mechanisms in the southern area of Malawi.”

Fews-Net says a humanitarian response has not yet started due to a lack of operational funds and it is unclear when the funds will be available.

Another hindrance is President Mutharika’s obstinacy in insisting that there are no food shortages in his country. Mutharika prides himself on having created what he considers to be food security for his people.

“Despite large government food stocks, response plans remain unclear and the government reports that it lacks funds to transport grain south. If assistance is provided before October, southern areas currently classified as highly food insecure would likely shift to moderate food insecurity for the October to December period,” reads the report.

“Should that assistance be provided, it will most likely take the form of either direct food distribution or cash transfers to facilitate purchasing from markets.”

The Fews-Net report says recent anecdotal field reports from the southern part of the country have been highlighting ways in which food insecure households have been using coping mechanisms deemed to have negative consequences for the sustainability of their future livelihoods.

“These coping mechanisms include reducing the number of meals from three to one per day, reliance on the consumption of wild foods like water lilies (from the Shire River) and overselling of livestock such as goats, pigs, and chickens.

“These coping mechanisms will eventually erode future coping options and livelihoods.”

The report says although humanitarian assistance has not started by the third week of August 2010, it is possible that most of the food insecure households in the Lower Shire livelihood zone, Middle Shire livelihood zone, Thyolo-Mulanje Tea Estates and Phalombe-Lake Chirwa Plains livelihood zones will start receiving food assistance before the end of September.

However, if humanitarian assistance does not come through by October, all the livelihood zones will experience deteriorating food security conditions resulting in these areas becoming highly food insecure, the report warns.

“Food insecure households could end up surviving on negative coping mechanisms such as taking kids out of school to join parents in scouting for casual labor opportunities for several weeks, people engaging in transactional sex as was observed in the 2005/06 season, widespread theft from estates, and an over-reliance on untraditional foods and other wild foods which could potentially be poisonous.”

However,  the reports says if an adequate food distribution program starts in all of the food insecure areas, which is a possibility, the food insecurity will improve and be confined to the level of moderate food insecurity.

Agriculture experts say Malawi harvested 2.4 million tonnes, leaving a surplus of more than 400,000 tonnes for export.

But the government of Malawi has sold 300,000 tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe under an export agreement which includes a US$10 million line of credit.

The Catholic’s Centre for Social Concern (CFSC) has expressed concerns that the selling of the staple commodity to Zimbabwe was done considerably too early. President Bingu wa Mutharika is a personal friend and ally of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. Mutharika maintains a farm in Zimbabwe which also benefits from the food imports from Malawi.

The CFSC said in a statement that much as the Malawi government insists on the over 1 million tonnes of surplus maize, the remaining reserves should be safeguarded carefully to avoid experiencing unnecessary food shortages in later months of the year during which maize prices usually go up.

Despite the looming hunger, President Mutharika has vowed he will not beg for food aid.

“For me my knees are like those of an elephant. They don’t bend, so I can’t kneel before anybody,” Mutharika told an agriculture fair in Blantyre.

The president remains suspected of massive corruption in his fertilizer subsidy program which he credits for creating what he considers a food secure Malawi.

In a statement published Wednesday, Lloyd Muhara, Commissioner General of the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) – Malawi’s official tax collectors – said from 1 September, 2010 all manufacturers, importers and distributors of cig arettes must obtain a licence from the tax body that will indicate that they have paid duty or tax on their cigarettes.

Muhara said this was in line with the new Customs and Excise Amendment Act that Finance Minister Ken Kandodo announced in July this year, when he presented the 2010/11 national budget.

‘This means that MRA has granted the business community a grace period of three months to dispose off their existing stocks after which cigarettes without the prescribed stamps will be impounded and destroyed,’ said Malawi chi ef tax man.

MRA spokesman Steve Kapoloma told PANA that this may not necessarily translate into increases in prices of cigarettes.

‘In fact, this tax is beneficial to the manufacturers, importers and distributors as they were not able to sell to their optimum because of illegal smuggled cigarettes,’ he said.

Kapoloma said the new regulations would make it illegal for anyone to be found peddling cigarettes without the MRA-issued stickers. He said this would mean from Wednesday Malawian border authorities would no longer allow entry of c igarettes without the MRA stickers.

‘This will automatically mean a decrease in smuggled cigarettes and if we decrease the sale in cheap smuggled cigarettes the gap will be filled by the legitimate manufactures, importers and distributors,’ he said, adding: ‘So sin ce they will be able to sell more than they are doing now there will be no need to increase prices.’

But, while welcoming the introduction of the tax stamps, an official of the British American Tobacco (BAT) said it would definitely come at a cost.

‘There will definitely be a cost for this but we won’t bear it; we will pass it to the consumers,’ said the official who did not want to be identified because he is not authorised to speak to the media. ‘There will definitely be a slight increase in retail prices.’

However, the official said the tax stamps were a welcome development because, if enforced properly, it would curb the influx of smuggled cigarettes.

‘The challenge will be enforcement because if they police and enforce this properly it will curb illicit cigarettes,’ he said. ‘We’ve been crying for this for a long time.’

The tobacco industry is big in Malawi, with the southern African country being the largest producer of burley tobacco.

At least 80 per cent of Malawians directly or indirectly depend on the industry that contributes to at least 23 per cent of all tax collections and 30 per cent of GDP.–PANA

According to Secretary For nutrition, HIV and IDS in the office of the president and cabinet, Mary Shawa, the change in the treatment follows recent World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines which recommend that countries should phase out the use of the current ARVs regime because of its long-term, irreversible side-effects.

The guidelines also advocate putting HIV-positive people on ARVs sooner at a higher CD4 count of 350 than the current threshold of 250.

Shawa said President Bingu wa Mutharika directed that Malawi adopts the new guidelines to help reduce unnecessary deaths.

She told Capital FM Radio on Wednesday that so far, 68 percent of all HIV positive pregnant women in the country are benefiting from this new guideline.

Shawa said they had to start with pregnant women to  reduce maternal mortality and transmission of HIV from mother to child.

“For pregnant women, it has already started working because we couldn’t wait. We are a country with a high maternal mortality rate [so] we thought if we can reduce maternal mortality rate, we can reduce the transmission, we will have the next generation without HIV,” Shawa recently told Weekend Nation.

She said government is e now working on modalities, which will see all persons with the virus – about 316,000 –  benefiting from the new system.

Shawa is on record to say the new treatment has fewer side effects  than the current first line of treatment which is a combination of Stavudine, Lamivudine and Nevirapine

“From the first line, other people are developing what we call body atrophies; changes in their physical appearance. It’s those changes [in] physical appearance that are making us, as a country, to say ‘let’s change’,” said Shawa, according to Weekend Nation.

She said the new regime of ARV treatment is the one being used by most developed countries such as the UK and US.

Synod sources say Rev Baloyi has taken over the leadership and is now at the helm of the Synod.

Livingstonia Synod has been in confrontation zone with the state following remarks condiment the education quota system.

Recently, police arrested Rev Levi Nyondo(pictured), General Secretary of Synod of Livingstonia.

He is charged with sedition for his eulogy at the funeral of Prof Moses Chirambo, recently relieved of his post of Minister of Health.

The court proceedings are due to begin on 14th September.

Police spokesman Davie Chingwalu said the two sisters and their brother had been “praying hard until Tuesday night when they claimed they were tired of being taught witchcraft by their parents.”

He said the Manda siblings from Ndirande shantytown, south of Blantyre removed furniture from their house and set it alight, before throwing themselves into the raging fire.

“They died on the spot while two other family members were rescued by police,” said Chingwalu.

Neighbours said their parents fled from the scene fearing mob justice.

“The scene was simply hell on earth,” said neighbour Jones Chikazunga.

“They were tired of being taught witchcraft…,” he added.

The siblings were aged between 16 and 31.

Belief in witchcraft runs deep in the poor southern African country.–AFP