Muli bwanji from BA! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 21st of October twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

On Tuesday the 21st, Enock Chihana, the President of the Alliance for Democracy, was sworn in as Second Vice President in Blantyre in the Southern Region.

This will be the first time Malawi has a Second Vice President.

Meanwhile, on Friday the 17th, the president appointed Roza Fatch Mbilizi as the new Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, and George Partridge as the new Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade, and Tourism. President Mutharika also appointed Dr Max Wengawenga as his Executive Assistant.

Social media comments show that many people were happy with the appointments because the president has chosen qualified people for the roles, and because he merged multiple sectors into one. In the previous government, they were individual ministries, despite the belief that the sectors are closely related and could function as one.

In other news, Malawi will not have to repay a $20 million loan to China because the Chinese government canceled the interest-free debt, which matured in twenty twenty-four. China also extended the repayment period for some other loans to forty-eight years to help ease the country’s economic situation.

On Monday the 20th, Lu Xu, the Chinese Ambassador, also said that it would help Malawi get back on its economic feet by removing its tariffs on agricultural exports, and by giving Malawi food aid to help four million locals affected by hunger, as we discussed in previous episodes.

According to local news, Malawi owed China nearly 240 million dollars as of December twenty twenty-one.

Speaking of food, reports say that greedy people who are hoarding maize are worsening Malawi’s current food insecurity.

The Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation ensures food security by buying maize and other farm produce from both large and small-scale farmers. They store it and then sell it to locals at affordable prices.

On Tuesday the 21st, local news revealed that some farmers are hoarding their maize and refusing to sell it to the Corporation to create scarcity of the product, so they can later sell it to locals at high prices.

The government is already working on a Plan B, and has directed the Corporation to import maize from Zambia to cushion any effects from the maize shortage.

President Mutharika, who is also the Chairperson of the Southern Africa Development Community Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, appointed former president Joyce Banda to lead a mission in Madagascar.

Madagascar has been experiencing political unrest ever since the current president, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, led a military coup that removed Andry Rajoelina, the previous president. There have since been rumors that another coup will be staged.

Local news said Banda’s job will be to lead a security and fact-finding mission that will engage Madagascar's government to help reduce the tension.

On the flipside, President Mutharika suspended three heads of statutory corporations on Friday the 17th.

The suspended authorities are George Kasakula, the Director General of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, whom we spoke about in recent episodes; Daud Suleman, the Director General of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority; and Humphrey Mdyetseni, the CEO of the National Economic Empowerment Fund.

On Monday the 20th, the president also suspended Henry Kachaje, the CEO of the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority.

According to local news, the government has not revealed why the authorities were suspended, but only said that the move will pave the way for ongoing investigations.

In previous episodes, we reported that then-President Lazarus Chakwera pardoned prisoners as part of the country’s sixty-first Independence Day celebrations, but the government refused to share the list of pardoned prisoners, although it has always done so.

Well, an article released on Tuesday the 21st by the Malawi24 news website might have revealed why the list was kept secret. It said that Thomson Mpinganjira, a business tycoon and founder of First Discount Holdings Bank, was one of the pardoned prisoners. In twenty twenty-one, Mpinganjira was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment with hard labor for attempting to bribe five constitutional judges who were hearing the twenty twenty presidential election case. He was in prison for 122 days but was released on bail.

It looks like Mpinganjira is now in the clear, because he recently filed a notification with the Supreme Court to withdraw his appeal.

On a related note, the Institute for Public Sector Ethics and Accountability revealed shocking corruption within the Ministry of Lands.

The report, dated Monday the 20th, said that Devie Chilonga, the former Principal Secretary at the Ministry, fired experienced professionals in some of the Ministry’s offices and replaced them with friends who made irregular land transactions. Some unqualified employees received huge promotions.

The report noted issues like nepotism and favouritism, which gave way to corruption, and has since called for a complete clean-up within the Ministry. It wants a forensic audit of all land transactions, promotions, and financial dealings to ensure that all rules were followed.

In education news, Public schools might be free starting next year. On Sunday the 19th, President Mutharika said public primary and secondary schools will be free from January twenty twenty-six.

Mutharika said the move will help make education more accessible to locals despite their economic backgrounds. It is also a fulfillment of one of his campaign promises during the general elections, where he said his government would make secondary education free and remove all fees attached to primary education, including the fees for all national exams.

Free primary education is not new to Malawi; the United Democratic Front introduced it in nineteen ninety-four. However, this will be the first time that Malawi has free secondary school education.

Still in education, the Malawi Institute of Education, with guidance from the Ministry of Education, launched the Pre-Primary Curriculum and Assessment Framework on Saturday the 18th.

The framework will improve early childhood education by helping every child start school equipped with essential building blocks for lifelong learning. For instance, children who are about to start formal education will first be introduced to foundational lessons in pre-literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional development, all of which help them succeed in Standard 1 and for the rest of their academic journey.

The curriculum is a first for Malawi, and experts who commented on it said it gives every child a fair start while also aligning with the national vision for inclusive and quality education.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (or ESCOM) Limited partnered with the Media Institute of Southern Africa - Malawi Chapter to launch the ESCOM Anti-Vandalism media Award, which is meant to tackle the vandalism of ESCOM infrastructure.

On Thursday the 18th, local news said that the organizers will pick who is eligible for the award from the 1st of November and to the 30th of April twenty twenty-six. To participate, during that period, journalists and media houses have to publish either in Print Media, Electronic Media, or Online Media. The winner of each category will win a one million Kwacha cash prize, which is nearly 575 dollars.

ESCOM recently revealed that they lose about three billion Kwacha, which is 1.7 million dollars, every year, in replacing vandalized equipment and infrastructure.

And to close this edition, Standard Bank now has a new loan product that is meant to help its executive customers create wealth and build their investment legacy.

The bank unveiled the new loan on Friday the 17th, and said its customers will now be able to get credit for constructing houses and purchasing equipment, among others.

During the unveiling, Joshua Banda, the Head of Private and Executive Banking at Standard Bank, said the loan will offer financing for a new house or car, and bancassurance for property protection cover, motor vehicle, travel, and funeral plans.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

This past Saturday, we held a trial of a new kind of gathering. Highly structured but radically equal, very wild. No keynote speakers, no talking heads. Those who join decide who they talk to, but without knowing the identity of who they will meet, they propose and decide what they will discuss. Like we said. Wild, interested in what it was, check the show notes and if you’re interested, we can help you hold one in Malawi.

Pitani bwino!