Catholic Bishop Msusa clarifies snub of First Lady donation: ‘Beautify Malawi Trust did not provide information’
Archbishop Thomas Msusa, the chairperson of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), a grouping of Catholic bishops in the country, on Saturday turned down the First Lady Gertrude Mutharika’s offer through her Beautify Malawi (Beam) Trust to give 40 bags of cement towards the rehabilitation of Providence Girls Secondary School hostel in Mulanje.
His Grace, Msusa, explained that the donation was rejected because the Catholic church had already identified a foreign donor to carry out rehabilitation works for the hostel that was gutted with fire early this year.
According to Bishop Msusa, Beam Trust did not provide any information to the diocese on the issue of the donation.
Catholic Church owns the Providence Girls Secondary School.
But Msusa said the owners were not consulted in the requirement prior to the First Lady’s visit to the institution.
“They did not ask us. They just came to the school without any knowledge. In fact, they just came without any information,” said Msusa.
He said Msusa said the church has on its part solicited some support from local and international donors, noting that the response towards the renovation of the girls’ hostel at Providence was overwhelming.
Msusa said he had gone the school with the donors who came from Germany.
Head Girl for Providence Secondary School Vanessa Disoni said some of the students who were affected by the fire were not yet back from recovery as their parents were poor to replace some of the personal belongings destroyed by the fire.
The First Lady was accompanied at the school by Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Bright Msaka, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Minister of Culture, Civic Education and Community Development, Cecilia Chazama, Home Affairs and Internal Security, Grace Chiumia and DPP General Secretary Grelzeder Jeffrey.
Msaka commended the First Lady for her commitment to promoting girls education in the country through construction of hostels, provision of sanitary amenities and teaching and learning materials.
The assorted items which the First Lady donated include: 40 suitcases, 40 school bags, 40 mattresses, plastics cups and plates, soap, exercise books, mathematical instruments, bathing and facing towels, sanitary pads, 40 double deck beds and school uniforms for the affected 39 and the needy at the school.
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spending alot of millions from lilongwe to mulanje to give stuff worth less than 1million…. what kind of campaign is this? we are watching you… dont think we are blind, the IT specialists you’ve brought in this country and the MEC officials and local IT engineers you are buying we know them, i have reliable sources for this!
Vote buying… all the politicians do it.. DPP, MCP, PP etc etc.
Donate some cement, some school uniforms, bags, plates and cups??
Seriously?
Certainly, it will help the desperate student. Good job to the First Lady and Honourable Ministers on that.
But then what?
The First Lady, and politicians, MPs, NGOs Andrew businesses really, really do need to think of the long term.
Do we not think it would be more productive use of our time and resources to work hard to get more funding for the Ministry of Education, for example.
And make sure it’s used effectively. Teachers are paid appropriately and on time. And so on.
These ‘donations’ from the First Lady, or anyone else, is simply short term relief.
Please help us truly develop Malawi and make our country great! Zikomo.
The head girl had said it all. Makolo ena ndi osowa ndipo mpaka lero ana ao akuvitikabe kusowa Thandizo. Where are the so called donors? Archbishop, apatu mwaphera ufulu ana a anzanu.
4 ministers plus the first lady for what? DPP wanted to ploticise the donation i guess. this is why the bishops has turned down the offer. as a matter of fact you dont go into somebody’s house without knocking.
some time not long ago the office of one of Govt officials was about to be refurnished with furniture amounting to 64 million MKW just a single office, now the entire hostel was estimated on 40 bags of cement which costs less than half a million hahahahahahahahaha you people are acting nice comedies…fools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets hope what the men of God have done will stand otherwise I know Malawi these people can release a press statement claiming that they were misquoted. With money anything is possible in Malawi. Mark my word it will not take long before screws will be put to collect this anomaly. Though l am a Catholic myself, sometimes I don’t trust these men of God in the way they take sides with political parties in Malawi. Had it been it was Bishop Mtumbuka may be I could trust him but not Bishops from southern Malawi
The state of Providence Girls Secondary School buildings(hostels, classes etc) is a sorry state. My dota just left Providence in 2017 after sitting for her MSCE. I think and am sure my thinking is right, in all fairness to the school this bishop would have received the donation regardless of having received funds from other donors. Ma building ndi oonongeka, ma class room doors are almost dismantled, its really a pathetic state of affairs. Holding all other things constant anayenera kulandira kuthandizapo pa renovation yama block onse. Ma bed a ana ndi otchoka, ine ngati kholo lomwe mwana wanga anali pa Providence apa pokha sindigwirizana nao. Pa forum ya makolo omwe anali komanso ali ndi ana kusukulu imeneyi ambili tinakondwera kuti mwina anawa athandizikako mbali ina. That school is old it needs renovation!!!!!
I also understand your way of thinking but I will side with the bishop. It is not fair for this lady to steal tax money from government through husband. Money which should have gone to rehabilitate schools. Then she goes to the school as good Samaritan is indeed pathetic. The bishop knows that this is stolen money.
As much as I appreciate that they have already identified donors to renovate the school but still more they have accepted the donation. Should we say they only rejected the cement and received the other items? As much as am not a DPP supporters what the management of the school it’s not good. If anything they were to reject everything if ever the received part of it. TO REFUSE AN OFFER IT’S UNLUCKY. Don’t be too political you both sides.
The children received the gifts. It’s a personal rescission. But the church refused the donation because they know it’s stolen money. After all Beam didn’t return the AIDS money. Catholics are not foolish.
Is it not the same Msusa who was used by Chakwera to back the 50+1 nonsense? Is it not the same Bishop who called out the catholic faithfuls to go for PERETE to show their side on the 50+1 nonsense? How many of those he called attended the demos? With such a bruised bishop do you expect anything positive with government? Msusa should know that gone are the days when the church could dictate things to its faithfuls. Gone are the days when its faithfuls followed the church blindly. Why didn’t he send back the materials for students? He knew he would be lambasted by the students. Why didn’t he ask for the beds from donors? Is it not the catholic church which boasts to be a rich organization? Why didn’t the church start renovations a week after the destruction? This bishop is a nonsense. How can he know the needs of children as if he has one?
@ Santana.
Ntchito ulinayo mbale kwabasi yobakira DPP stupidity . Ndiye sunati chifukwa amalawi sanati apa kutukwana these failures and pathetic people in government
Amenewo ndi akatolika omwe sacheza moppusa ngati DPP. That is a sign of downfall for dpp. 4 ministers, presidential advisers SG party and first lady kukapereka 40 bags of cement za ziii katolika ndi boma palokha lisasatani muona.
But I think the only donation that has been turned down is cement for renovation but the rest that were for students have been received. My understanding is that the church already sourced a donor to renovate the buildings and not to assist students with beddings and other necessities.
Well its the receivers choice to receive a gift or not but kulandira mphatso ndi mwai. Komanso asaiwale kuti ku Zomba nakonso Police secondary school hostel was gutted by fire and no single donor went there, zakanidwazo pitanazoni ku zomba please akazilandira mosavuta
Its funny that the whole First Lady and a team of personal advisors and 4 ministers thought 40 bags of cement is worthy and donation. The maximum cost of 40 bags is MK360,000.00. Trip of the first lady plus security and four ministers from Lilongwe to Providence and back can at least cost Mk3,600,000.00 thus 13 cars ( 5 for first lady team and 8 for 4 ministers). The catholic bishop knew this wastefulness. Spend Mk3,600,000.00 to donate MK360,000.00
Congratulations the Bishop. People want publicity every moment.
Bright Msaka, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Cecilia Chazama, Grace Chiumia an Grelzeder Jeffrey.,,,,,,,,All these folks for what? the money spent on that days is more than the cost of 40 bags!!! USELESS government
Its the best way for the politicians to claim (cash) allowances. Politics ya pa Malawi yalowa mtibwi.
Happy that the church can see through wrong intent in these politicians. Why can’t the Min of Education just refurbish the buildings with speed. The church was forced to go to international donors because experience has taught them that it’s govt wasn’t going to do anything. In any case how far would 40 bags of cement go.
Catholic church is a serious institution and you want to do drama with them. SG wachipani amakataniko
@ Msundu.
You are absolutely right. You don’t do politics with Cathloic church. What is more, you can’t do politics with God. Catholic Church I’d not PIM. Muvulala nazo ndithu mrs mutharika and your band. Respect the church of God. I hope you have learnt your lessons. Thanks you Bishop Msusa for respecting the church of God.
Komatu Bishop ndimunthu wachikulire. Bwanji sanatsate ndondomeko bwinobwino? Komatu inu olamuliranu penapake……..
That’s how shallow Malawi politics has gone. Hoodwinking the populace is now the main game.
40 bags of cement accompanied by 4 full ministers and the first lady herself and we want to be taken seriously as a country.
Its good that slowly malawians are rising up against this dubious trust
Kikkkkkk zikatero ndiye zuti bwanji pamenepo? turned down the donation from the first lady,40 bags of cement, how much a bag of cement now? times 40 hahahahahahahaha!! Ambuye Msusa samapanga nawo zamasanjetu awa owo!!
Was there any wrong doing in receiving the donations and distribute the same to poor learners? International donors identified yes, komano mpaka kukana local donations from well-wishers? Whether we are religious or not but we are overzealous on religious matters. I totally don’t agree with the Church’s stance on assistance refusal. Fire gutted everything for the learners, some parents cannot even manage to restore what was destroyed, somebody comes with assistance the we send her back saying otithandiza alipo kale. Really? We could be better without religion on this planet. Religion is fuelling human suffering and hardship on this planet
You have a point, but the thing is politicizing a donation gives a very wrong image. I think it is for this reason that the donation was denied.
Awise, awa ndi maganizo anu ndipo tiwalemekeza. One thing you need to understand is that donors for the whole cost of renovations have already been identified. Cement apita naye kuti a Providence Girls Sec Xool? Let BEAM donate the cement elsewhere where there is need. Lets not just argue for the sake of politics after all for them to executive this how much did they spend?
Awagulire zovala anawo ngati akufuna hiya!!!! 5 ministers plus geturudi kungowonga ma allowance misonkho yathu blood fucken. Thumb up Bishop Msusa for humiliating these idiots. Timatumba 40 basi ndiye chani? Whole first lady, nonsense!
I couldn’t have agreed with you more buddy. Actually out of all comments that are been posted ndi iwe wekha waposita comment ya umunthu. And yes again, zipembezo ndi ndale ndizomwe zikutionongera umunthu wathu padziko lapansi pano.
@ Awise
Simungavese why the Bishop refused to accept the so called.donation. Ndizaanthu a bongo izikuzivesa not shallow wells like you . Pepani Wawa.