Escom ban advertising in Malawi media giant Times
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom), the distributor of electricity, has affected a ban against advertising title of the giant news organisation Times Group deemed critical of government.
Times Group publishes the Daily Times, Malawi News, Sunday Times, broadcast on Times Radio and Times TV.
The media giant has been critical to Escom and its “comrade in crime” Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) over a botched up procurement of generators that were expected to add 78 megawatts (MW) to the national grid to minimise the intensity of current blackouts.
In a letter leaked from Escom and sourced at MediaHub chatgroup of Malawi journalists, Times Group Managing Director Leonard Chikadya has complained to the distributor of electricity over its decision to ban advertising.
Chikadya, according to the letter with a stamp of Escom indicated it ha been received on November 2 , 2011 said he was complaining about the bad of advertising following a telephone conversation he had with Escom cief executive officer Evelyn Mwapasa.
He said Times Group will seek “redress” from the Competition and Fair Trading Commission, saying “we are of the strongest opinion that your advertising ban amounts to anti-competitive conduct contrary to the Competitive and Fair Trading Act.”
Chikadya decribed the decision of Escom as “punitive approach.”
The letter further reads: “While the highest office of the country, State House is able to support Times Group you have banned advertising business with us. It is therefore our view that your decision is not sanactioned by the State House.”
State agencies, including Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) and Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), target Times because it is a popular, trusted news source for Malawian citizens.
Escom management could not immediately comment on the ban.
Gogodasi mwati eskom ingafune times but times singafune Eskom eti? Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk mamina achuluka mmutumo
Daily times- It is high time you started paying your taxes, just like any other business entity
Osadanda Daily Times 2019 tizabweza chiponGwe inu ntima mmalo ukamakwela chitunda kutosgolo kuli ntsitso
mukasiya kupanga advertise ndi times nde magetsi ayakano mbuzi inu???? busy with trivia instead of getting to work so that malawians appreciate that they have escom kaya egenco whatever and a working government in place if we have any!!!!!!!!!!!
There is no need for Chikadya to complain or take further steps on the matter. In this particular case the losers will be ESCOM because they don’t realise how powerful Times is to the Malawi nation. You just have to wait and see how soon ESCOM will swallow its pride. If Times complains, it will make ESCOM feel very important. Chingota I thought you are there as ESCOM media adviser , you can’t reason with management that the action it has taken is tantamount to committing suicide? PROs are supposed to save as corporate media advisers just like CEOs are… Read more »
Escom is a sorry institution. Intead of focusing on reducing/ending the current blackout they are busy losing energy on useless things. Myopic thinking. We thought Evelyn will bring sanity at Escom but alas, she may as well honourably resign. No progressive thinking, no clue to end the challenges.
Apa pokha escom kukhala ngati nzeru zayamba kubwelako. Now give us electricity
Escom is free to advertise through media that it deems fit. How do you expect to get business from the same firm mumayinyoza daily in your articles.
Nchimozimozi kumunyoza nkazi kenako nkumati takhanyula tichindeko, hahahaha !!!!
Why not privatisering ESCOM? But dont give it to Indians. ESCOM is one of corrupted company in Malawi. To get electricity at new bult house one has To give money To officials AT the same time u buy equipments yourself. It happened To me. I found out that the money I was giving and receipt was not original. The man demanded mor money intill I started To suspect that it was wrong. I asked a relative retired worked with ESCOM then he told me that it was fake receipt and I will not get electricity. The man came from ESCOM… Read more »
Agreed. In event ESCOM and EGENCO are privatised, it would make sense if the entities are left in the hands of Japanese who have the know how on power generation. Not Indians. With the vice in place, they will just perpetrate the situation even further. They will use the companies as a conduit to siphon and ship Malawi’s hard earned foreign currencies to their home country. Other than the Japanese, I would prefer Zambians next door or Tswanas.