NGONI SHIFTS UMTHETHO TO NEXT YEAR

By Frank Kauteka Tembo  

Mzimba Heritage Association says it will not hold Umthetho Celebrations this year as it still remains the mourning period for the death of Inkosi ya Makosi M’mbelwa the fourth, Voice of Kanyawazi has learnt.

Confirming the development, General Secretary for Mzimba Heritage Association Ndabazake Thole said there is no single cultural duty within the Ngoni of Mzimba is undertaken when the most Paramount Chief dies.

He revealed that Umuthetho which is observed every year in the month of August will to this effect be cerebrated end February next year when the Ngoni’s will have clocked one year of mourning.

“It is true we are not having Umthetho this year because it is mourning period, we lost the Inkosi ya Makosi M’mbelwa four so according to our Ngoni tradition mourning period is one year so it from this February up to next February,

“ This weekend was the weekend of Umthetho if we had to have it then it means today people would be going to Hora Mountain for the festival because we do it second week of August,” he said.

Thole added that this year’s Umthetho festival would have been observed this Saturday and usually the Ngoni’s and other cultures across the country would have participated. 

 He added that holding Umthetho festival is a way of building and promoting Ngoni culture in Mzimba district.

Umuthetho festival is held every year as a way of building and promoting Ngoni culture in Mzimba district.

STOP CHILD LABOUR- MPHEREMBE

STOP CHILD LABOUR- MPHEREMBE

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

 

Inkosi Mpherembe of Mzimba has called on for collaborative efforts amongst chiefs and the local community to arrest child labour if education is to improve in the district.

Senior Chief Inkosi Mpherembe of Mzimba has called on parents to stop child labor and encourage children to concentrate in education if Malawi is to develop socio economically.

 Inkosi Mpherembe made the statement  on Saturday at the commemoration of African Child Day held at Mpherembe under the theme elimination of harmful social, cultural economic practices affecting children; our responsibility.

The Senior Chief said child labor is rampant in the district especially in tobacco estates and in families where there are heads of cattle and goats where children are involved in instead of attending school classes.

“Looking at the abuse that our young children face in our communities it could be true that these are still rampant to what extent I may not quantify the situation but when we look at the issues where children are not allowed to attend school sessions all the days of the academic term then we recognize that the problems are there.

“Certain children are sent to head cattle and goats instead of going to school, our young girls when they reach maturity they are supposed to be indoors for two weeks or more whilst they undergo for counseling by the elderly women on how they have to live thereafter. But looking at these practices, I think it’s high time in conjunction with our elders in villages we have to sit down and relook at such practices they are not health at all because they breach child rights to attend to school.” He said.

Mpherembe further said there is need for the courts to consider giving stiffer punishments for perpetrators of child abuse so that they should be exemplary to would be offenders.

He finally, urged parents to be in the forefront allowing children to attend education for the betterment of the country’s socio economic vision.

Mzimba District Labor Officer, Edward Gondwe who was the guest of honor on the day also joined the bandwagon condemning the rise of child labor in the district hence the need for collaborative efforts.

He said as M’mbelwa district council, a lot of measures have taken place in order to reduce child abuse in the district in conjunction with various Non Governmental Organizations such as Tovwirane, Youth Watch Net, Plan Malawi and World Vision among others and various stakeholders.

Gondwe added that the Ministry of Labour is encouraging various stakeholders to intensifying child inspection in the workplaces not sparing tobacco farms and child abuse awareness meetings in the district to eliminate the malpractice.

NONM DISSATISFIED WITH MEDIA

NONM DISSATISFIED WITH MEDIA

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM) has expressed sadness with some media practitioners who always concentrate on negative issues about nurses and midwives in the country.

NONM President Jonathan Gama told Voice of Kanyawazi that media practitioners in the country concentrates much on reporting negative side of minority of nurses and midwives who misbehave a development that portrays all nurses and midwives as nasty professionals.

“We [NONM] are not happy that some media guys they actually always portrays stories of bad about nursing and midwife profession. 

There are a lot of good issues that nurses and midwives do to the patients and clients so we [NONM] are saying indeed there might be some isolated incidence or some instances whereby nurses might actually abuse but you can see that nurses and midwives are doing good work to the patients, clients, and to the government of Malawi so please can you [media] applaud us for the good work we are doing.”

In addition Gama said the union meets resistance from top positions as they are regarded as the ones who spur violence among nurses and midwives in the country.

“As the union we meet some resistance from the top leadership, they feel that as a union we are instigating violence, strikes, we are doing something that is misleading nurses but we want to assure the Nurse leaders, Ministry of Health and government that we are there to give proper guidance in terms of disputes in terms of bargaining, the way we can co-exist between employer and employee.” He added.

Gama said NONM introduced a strategic plan in 2012 to phase out 2016 whereby the organization is supporting the nurses by providing counseling services and empowering hospital nurses at district level so that nurses and midwives should discus matters of patients’ abuse and come together so that those who are involved in misconduct should change.

Currently NONM is implementing Care of Cares project whereby nurses and midwives encourage each other to going for HIV test so that when one has been found with HIV should be given ARVs so that no one should die with HIV and AIDS at earlier stage but stay longer.

The organization has also introduced Information Communication Technology with the aim that most of the nurses should be computer illiterate so that they should access information in easier way in this technological era.

RBM ADVOCATE BANKS TO OUTREACH RURAL AREAS

RBM ADVOCATE BANKS TO OUTREACH RURAL AREAS

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) says it will do its best to regulate the banks in country so that they give quality services to people especially in the rural areas.

The RBM Director, Bank Supervision Eldin Mlelemba said this at the official launch of Ned bank branch in Mzuzu city on Friday.

Mlelemba said the coming of the Ned bank in the Northern region will increase the competition amongst the banks in financial services, a development which will enhance the economic standard of people in the region.

“Now the more the financil income we have the better because it gives people the choice to get the services but again banks are an important player in an development of the economy so their coming in the North means reaching out to people in this region which will provide opportunity for people to save and borrow and use such loans for some productive services,” said Mlelemba.

He then promised to continue providing check balances on the performance of the banks in favor of the local people in the country.

“To ensure that banks in the country are offering the best services to the customers we [RBM] do have certain regulations that we give to banks and those regulations we set standards for certain things for example, a standard for bank premises, a bank premise should have the ambience of the bank so that people should come with their money and be convinced that their money is safe,” said Mlelemba.

Mlelemba added that 80% of adults do not access banking services therefore; the RBM is taking the lead in promoting programs to ensure that more adults should use banking services.

In his remarks, Ned bank Board Chair Maziko Phiri said the Ned bank will work hand in hand with RBM in order to make sure that the current 80 percent of adult who don’t have access to banking services should have the access.

He said the opening of new branch in Mzuzu is one way of promoting the move adding that the  bank will continue reaching various areas however, he said extending branches is costly hence the bank will take a step one at a time.

NARC NOT TO CONTEST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

NARC NOT TO CONTEST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

The New Rainbow Coalition Party (NARC) has revealed that it will not feature a presidential candidate but supporting President Joyce Banda in the upcoming Tripartite Elections.

The party’s President Loveness Gondwe confirmed this in an interview with Voice of Kanyawazi early this week saying she will not stand as a Presidential candidate.

Gondwe said despite her party having structures all over the country; she doesn't see any reason to contend with her fellow woman but to support her.

“I have been quiet because am happy that we [Malawians] have a female President, one of my goals was that this country should have a female President and has been achieved so am not going to stand as a President this coming 2014 elections.

 I don’t mind serving under her [President Joyce Banda] because her success is my success, if she does wrong it’ all about women not her alone so I don’t want to pull her down but I want to support her,” said Gondwe.

Gondwe who was the only female Presidential candidate during 2009 general Elections says she will stand as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Mzimba West constituency on her ticket and further said she still see the future to lead the country after the President Joyce Banda’s serving terms.