Muli bwanji from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 1st of July twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

There were nationwide demonstrations calling for the resignation of the Chairperson and Chief Elections Officer of the Malawi Electoral Commission on Thursday the 26th, because many people don’t believe the two authorities can manage the September elections properly.

Things took a negative turn in Lilongwe in the Central Region, as some masked panga-wielding assailants disrupted the demonstrations, burning people’s cars and attacking protestors, despite there being a heavy presence of the police and army, whose indifference was shocking.

The Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa said its journalists were assaulted and accused the government of hindering press freedom.

On Friday the 27th, the international community commented on the attacks.

Local Heads of Missions for countries like Germany and Ireland accused the government of standing by as human rights were violated, and called on them to protect Malawians and uphold their right to freedom of assembly.

The European Union took it a step further and threatened to withdraw its funding for local police training because it felt the local police were not making good use of it.

Rune Skinnebach, the EU Ambassador, demanded a thorough investigation that will identify and hold accountable those behind the attacks.

President Lazarus Chakwera has since condemned the attacks and called for an investigation, but he might just be saving face.

Unfortunately, political analysts fear that Malawi is slowly turning into an anarchist state, as some locals are planning to hold more nationwide demonstrations against the government on Friday the 4th.

Back on Monday the 30th, The Democratic Progressive Party held a rally in Mchinji in the Central Region, where they announced upcoming protests against state brutality, economic collapse, and declining governance under the current administration.

However, some media houses are trying to delay the demonstrations because some students are currently sitting for their Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations, which are the final exams at secondary school level.

On Tuesday the 1st, the Nyasa Times wrote an article asking for the postponement of the demonstrations so that students can focus on their exams. They said the children spent months preparing for this huge moment, and deserve to have peace of mind while taking their tests.

The article said that, although the demonstrations are said to be peaceful, they have a looming threat of chaos attached to them.

Still, the government has more to worry about.

On Sunday the 29th, local news said the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau received a whistleblower report alleging widespread corruption at the Malawi High Commission in Kenya. According to the report, diplomats at the Nairobi office have solicited bribes from contractors, manipulated procurement processes, inflated transport and accommodation bills for government delegations, and misappropriated public funds by making fraudulent medical claims. The report had a range of supporting documents, including transcripts of WhatsApp messages, mobile payment records, and invoices.

The media said things don’t look so good for President Chakwera as these allegations are coming just a few months away from the general elections.

Unfortunately, there are doubts about whether the Anti-Corruption Bureau will bring the accused persons to task because of a recent issue.

On Tuesday the 1st, local media reported that the Bureau had closed a corruption case involving Karim Batatawala, who defrauded the government of billions of Kwacha through various business deals where he inflated market prices of products and used corrupt procurement processes.

When queried by the media, Egrita Ndala, the Spokesperson of the Bureau, said the case had been sorted out of court. However, the Center for Social Accountability and Transparency stated that the Bureau’s handling of the case raises significant accountability issues and called for the Bureau to disclose whether the settlement includes any penalties or restitution.

In previous episodes, we mentioned that Joyce Chitsulo, the Deputy Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, and a Member of Parliament for Mwanza West, died after collapsing in her home in early June.

On Saturday the 28th, local news said Joyce’s first-born daughter Maureen will be contesting for the MP role that her mother had. Muareen said she wants to finish the work that her mother started, some of which includes the construction of hospitals and bridges, besides other infrastructure that is needed in the area.

Comments on the story were mixed; while she received some support, her candidature was put into question because there were concerns about her having enough time to grieve her late mom.

On a different note… Malawi has achieved the UNAIDS 95-95-95 HIV reduction global goals before the twenty thirty deadline.

The UNAIDS targets want ninety-five percent of all people living with HIV to know their HIV status, ninety-five percent of those diagnosed with HIV to receive sustained antiretroviral therapy (or ART), and ninety-five percent of those on ART to achieve viral suppression.

On Thursday the 26th, the National AIDS Commission said that, in Malawi, adult HIV rates dropped from fourteen percent in the nineties to seven percent last year, with new infections coming down by over ninety percent during the same period. Additionally, AIDS-related deaths have decreased from eighty thousand annually in two thousand three to fourteen thousand in twenty twenty-four.

In unrelated news, remember that you might get arrested if you’re seen wearing combat and camouflage clothes, which have come back in style.

On Wednesday the 25th, the Ministry of Homeland Security said locals – including security personnel for political parties, and some politicians – have been wearing clothes whose patterns are similar to those of the Malawi Defense Force, Police Service, Prison Services, and the Immigration and Citizenship Services.

They said the law prohibits this behaviour because it is a security risk, since some individuals can take advantage and commit crimes while pretending to be real security officials.

The Ministry said anyone seen wearing or selling such clothing will be forced to take it off, surrender it, and face legal action.

On that note about arrests.,on Friday the 27th, the Malawi Prisons Service (or MPS) and the Zambia Correctional Service exchanged twenty-five inmates as part of a bilateral agreement that seeks to foster justice between the two neighbouring countries. Malawians were arrested in Zambia and vice versa.

Aaron Kaunda, the MPS Commissioner, said the initiative reduces repeat offenders and helps with overcrowded prison facilities, since the inmates get sent back home. However, Malawi is keeping nearly 500 foreign inmates, despite its prisons being overcrowded.

There were some positive comments on the move, since it helps the inmates’ family members visit them since they are closer.

In other news, the MultiChoice Group, the biggest television network in Malawi popular for having high premiums, is making accommodations after several calls for their prices to go down. It is working on a special viewing package where its customers can subscribe to its television channels for shorter periods of time. If it works out, people will be able to pay for weekly subscriptions to their favorite DStv and GOtv platforms, instead of monthly payments.

According to their statement, released on Friday the 27th, the Micro-Subscriptions initiative was already piloted in countries like Uganda, and has helped customers there access content flexibly and affordably.

Unfortunately, the move might have come a bit late, as many have already subscribed to other cheaper platforms, while others have adopted online streaming options. If the comments are anything to go by, the Multichoice Multi-Subscriptions initiative might flop.

Closing this edition with entertainment news, the producers of the Ku Mingoli Bash have cancelled the festival just a few months after telling people they should look forward to a great event this year.

On Monday the 30th, Sound Addicts Live said they want to regroup and plan a high-standard event, and that they would need the right amount of preparation time to do that. While delivering the heartbreaking news, they gave locals a little something to hold on to: they said next year’s festival would take place from the 4th to the 8th of August at Cape Maclear beach in Mangochi in the Southern Region.

They also revealed that Andrew Tosh, a legendary Jamaican reggae artist, would headline the event.

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

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Pitani bwino!