- BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR Before the sun rises to announce the dawn of the new day, Eunice Nyamatcherenga, 39, is already out digging precious “gold” in the now contaminated Mudi River. Living on the outskirts of Blantyre, she usually wakes up around 5:00 am, walks over ten kilometres to a bridge between Limbe Market and Angelogoveya [Angels Go There] to scratch the stream for sand, which she gathers and supplies to wealthy people who are building their mansions in Chiwembe and Manja Townships. Nyamatcherenga charges K50 for a 20-litre pail-full of the fine loose grains of rocks. “I’ve been in this business for seven years now,” she says, and quickly…

- By Watipaso Mzungu Jnr In its 2011—2012 financial year, government raised salaries for its civil servants with a meager seven percent. The decision was greeted by loud verbal protests and great outcries from public employees. Obviously, this “meager” pay rise had the blessing of President Bingu wa Mutharika because he is the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of this nation; meaning that nothing can go through Parliament to become effect without his nod. Since the passing of the budget last year, Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) President Elia Kamphinda-Banda has been fighting government to push its workers’ salaries a little higher to match the prevail…

- by Watipaso Mzungu Jnr Mrs. Khadijah Dyton, an unwavering Muslim, is confident enough that she can preach in a mosque, but her religion will not allow her. Dyton challenges that given a chance; she can surprise many with her mastery in expounding the Word of God to the doubting ‘Thomases’. “I’ve been preaching for some years now, but among fellow women only because my religion won’t allow me to stand before men believers,” she told this reporter. The wind of gender equality is sweeping through the world with a call for all governments, states and faith organisations to raise the status of women in the society. This comes against a backgro…

- Church, chiefs criticize British MPs on gay law BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR Roman Catholic Church and some traditional leaders in the country have described the call by British and Scottish legislators for the legalization of same-sex marriages as “strange and disrespect to Malawian cultures and values”. Recently, 29 members of the British parliament joined Amnesty International in condemning the arrest of two gay men in Malawi. The MPs went further by moving and signing a motion calling for parliament to condemn what they described "illegal and homophobic arrests" of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga. The House of Commons Early Day Motion (EDM 564), which…

Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC) has to revisit its operations in order to meet the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) needs of the current generation, the country's Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education Kingsley Namakhwa has advised. - Namakhwa who led a Malawi delegation to Pan African Postal Union (Papu) celebrations in Arusha, Tanzania said that there is need for MPC to improve its operations so that it qualifies to be a conduit of ICT services. Papu was set up as a specialized body of the African Union (AU) responsible for the development of postal services in African countries. The body set up on January 18, 1980 was this year celebrating its 30th annive…

- Features Breaking the cycle of feminism BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR She is a girl but Juliana Sichunga admires Noel Ng’oma, a medical assistant at Kangolwa Health Centre in Traditional Authority Kasakula’s area in Ntchisi. “I don’t admire him personally, but professionally,” Sichunga, 19, clarified. She knows it is abnormal for women in our society to declare their interest in a man. Juliana comes from the area which for the past decades did not consider education as a key to socioeconomic development of every society. “Marriage was considered the only destination for their sons and daughters. Education was a luxury for children of…

- Tiwonge's behaviour has always amazed us—Uncle · He’s been bewitched—Sister BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR The gay couple currently in police custody made history last Saturday when they held an engagement ceremony preceding the actual wedding of their ‘holy’ marriage. The ceremony, which took place at Mankhoma Lodge in Blantyre, attracted a considerable number of patrons who could neither believe what was happening nor make out what Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steve Monjeza were up to. According to Sections 153 and 156 of the penal code, homosexuality is illegal in Malawi and anyone convicted of the offence may be jailed for five or 14 y…

- Machinjiri residents celebrate gay couple arrest · As family disowns Steven BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR The supposed family of Steven Monjeza and residents of Machinjiri Township in Blantyre are in a celebratory mood following the arrest of a gay couple on Monday. Police in Blantyre arrested Tiwonge Chimbalanga [whose real name is Stoneck Kachepa] and Steven Monjeza [whose real name is Steven Soko] a day after the two held their engagement at Mankhoma Lodge. The engagement has since attracted mixed reactions from the public. An aunt to Steven, Zione Monjeza, disclosed in an interview from her home at Kameza that Steven’s real surname is Soko and that hi…

In a quest to combat corrupt practices in the administration of HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme in Malawi, the government of that country has come up with new guidelines intended to standardize the care package across the public sector to facilitate effective use of the resources. - Government introduced HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme as a fund to benefit HIV/AIDS infected civil servants who had come in the open as an encouragement to mobilize more people to declare their status. Such workers were getting K5,000 (about $34) on top of their monthly salaries. But the programme was temporarily suspended after it was discovered that some unscrupulous people in the civil service were conniving with…

- NB donates to KA quake victims BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR National Bank of Malawi (NB) on Thursday joined other corporate companies by donating tents and blankets worth K2 million to Karonga earthquakes victims. This comes as a response to the call by government to individuals and organizations for assistance in aid of the people who have lost their property following the natural disaster that has left about five people dead and several others displaced. NB Chief Marketing Officer Wilkins Mijiga explained that the disaster had not affected the people of Karonga alone, but the operations of the bank as well since some of its members of staff had their houses reduced to rubbles due…