Malawi government wants to drag former Minister of National Defence, Bob Khamisa to court in a case involving United Democratic Front (UDF) deputy director of research Phillip Bwanali on fertilizer coupons.
Nyasa Times understands that the state wants Khamisa to be charged concurrently with Bwanali in the "Coupongate" case.
Bwanali was arrested and charged with first count which says that he was found with coupons at Chichiri Shopping Mall valued at K1, 171,800, which is property of Malawi Government.
The second count of theft, which is contrary to Section 278 of the Penal Code, alleges that Bwanali was found with subsidized fertilizer coupons in unknown places in Blantyre valued at K68, 200.
Bwanali told Blantyre Police when he was first arrested on December 16 last year the coupons were given to him by Khamisa who was asked by Police and confirmed that he indeed gave him the coupons.
Government insiders say the matter infuriated President Bingu wa Mutharika who recently dropped Khamisa from cabinet.
"The sacking from cabinet was a lee-way to the state prosecution team to zero-in on Khamisa," said source familiar with the matter.
"Now that he is not putting on a ministerial jacket, the state would bring him into the case," disclosed the source.
A Police source said Khamisa would soon be "picked."
Senior State Advocate Janet Kayuni who is representing the state in the Coupongate case could not be drawn to comment on Khamisa being dragged to court.
Nonetheless, a source also said the arrest is meant to sew fear in Khamisa, a Thyolo political powerhouse who is being lured by his former party, UDF to rejoin it.
The Thyolo Central parliamentarian declined to comment on the matter. But his close associates said he could not be "intimidated" with an arrest.
"Khamisa can not be intimidated with an arrest or any political harassment. Ambuye has a thick skin," said a close aide to the former minister.
Bwanali pleaded not guilty to the charges before Blantyre Magistrate Innocent Nebi and two witnesses have since testified against him.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Tea Growers Devising Plans to Overcome Low Prices
Low prices continue to haunt Malawian tea on the auction floors, a bitter irony for some producers as the country is regarded as the pioneer of tea-growing in Africa.
Commercial production started way back in the 1880s during the British colonial era. Large tea estates have since then been a feature of the southern region of the country. Tea was planted for the first time in Malawi in 1878.
Currently Malawian tea is grown in the southern districts of Thyolo and Mulanje and the northern lakeshore district of Nkhatabay.
The tea-growing areas boast sprawling estates that are also tourist attractions.
The country’s current annual tea exports stand at about 43,000 metric tons, contributing three percent of global tea exports, according to the Tea Association of Malawi (TAML), an association of 10 major tea growers in the country.
The crop is the country’s second biggest foreign exchange earner, contributing 7.9 percent of total export earnings, says the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI). Tobacco remains the main foreign exchange earner.
The southern Africa country ranks second after Kenya as the largest producer and exporter of tea in Africa. It is also twelfth on the global list of tea producing countries.
But despite the country’s prominence in the cultivation of this crop, Malawian tea producers complain that the price for Malawian tea is low when compared to its neighbour, Kenya.
Auction floor prices at the end of last year (2007) showed that the local produce was selling at 1.44 dollars per kilogram for the top grades. Kenyan tea, on the other hand, was fetching up to 3.31 dollars per kilogram at the time.
A decrease was noted in the average price of the product during 2007. In 2006, prices averaged 1.22 dollars per kilogram compared to an average price of 1.02 during 2007.
Lack of competition on the tea auction floors in Malawi is the main factor that is crippling the local tea sector, according to Sangwani Hara, TAML chairperson.
He ascribed Kenya’s higher prices to the benefits of competition among a range of buyers. Another factor is that, unlike Kenya, Malawi does not have its own tea brand.
‘‘Kenya has a brand that attracts buyers. Here in Malawi, TAML is working on branding the local tea but it will need money,’’ Hara told IPS.
Malawian tea is exported to European, Asian and U.S. markets. Kenyan tea, on the other hand, also has big buyers coming from Egypt, Pakistan and Russia on top of the traditional markets that it shares with Malawi.
The MCCCI says the tea industry in Malawi has been stagnant for a long period of time even though tea production has been increasing. Additional investment is necessary through joint ventures with Malawian companies to improve the farming methods and processing of the crop.
Malawi’s tea production was expected to reach higher production levels of 45 million metric tons for 2007. Of the 45 million metric tons for 2007, about 2.5 million metric tons was sold locally, says Hara.
The problem of low prices has existed for the past few years. But tea growers want to take the bull by the horns and reverse this trend.
Hara indicates that TAML, in collaboration with the Malawi Investment Promotions Council, is working towards attracting more buyers. One of the strategies is to come up with the country’s own local brand of tea.
The MCCCI has identified a new opportunity in the processing of green tea for East Asian markets.
TAML has also partnered with the Malawi Tea and Coffee Merchants Association of Malawi (MTCAM), Tea Brokers Central Africa and Tea Commodity Brokers in social initiatives such as charity auctions. The proceeds are donated to AIDS orphans and other people with needs.
This initiative is about tea growers showcasing their commitment to corporate social responsibility while encouraging buyers to pay higher prices for the commodity as part of fulfilling their social duty.
Corporate social responsibility also extends to the workers on the tea estates who are very poor. The tea estates support the surrounding communities, which supply most of their workers, by providing social amenities such as health clinics, recreation facilities, schools and safe water.
Tea prices hit a record 29 dollars per kilogram at a charity auction held in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre on November 27, 2007.
Commercial production started way back in the 1880s during the British colonial era. Large tea estates have since then been a feature of the southern region of the country. Tea was planted for the first time in Malawi in 1878.
Currently Malawian tea is grown in the southern districts of Thyolo and Mulanje and the northern lakeshore district of Nkhatabay.
The tea-growing areas boast sprawling estates that are also tourist attractions.
The country’s current annual tea exports stand at about 43,000 metric tons, contributing three percent of global tea exports, according to the Tea Association of Malawi (TAML), an association of 10 major tea growers in the country.
The crop is the country’s second biggest foreign exchange earner, contributing 7.9 percent of total export earnings, says the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI). Tobacco remains the main foreign exchange earner.
The southern Africa country ranks second after Kenya as the largest producer and exporter of tea in Africa. It is also twelfth on the global list of tea producing countries.
But despite the country’s prominence in the cultivation of this crop, Malawian tea producers complain that the price for Malawian tea is low when compared to its neighbour, Kenya.
Auction floor prices at the end of last year (2007) showed that the local produce was selling at 1.44 dollars per kilogram for the top grades. Kenyan tea, on the other hand, was fetching up to 3.31 dollars per kilogram at the time.
A decrease was noted in the average price of the product during 2007. In 2006, prices averaged 1.22 dollars per kilogram compared to an average price of 1.02 during 2007.
Lack of competition on the tea auction floors in Malawi is the main factor that is crippling the local tea sector, according to Sangwani Hara, TAML chairperson.
He ascribed Kenya’s higher prices to the benefits of competition among a range of buyers. Another factor is that, unlike Kenya, Malawi does not have its own tea brand.
‘‘Kenya has a brand that attracts buyers. Here in Malawi, TAML is working on branding the local tea but it will need money,’’ Hara told IPS.
Malawian tea is exported to European, Asian and U.S. markets. Kenyan tea, on the other hand, also has big buyers coming from Egypt, Pakistan and Russia on top of the traditional markets that it shares with Malawi.
The MCCCI says the tea industry in Malawi has been stagnant for a long period of time even though tea production has been increasing. Additional investment is necessary through joint ventures with Malawian companies to improve the farming methods and processing of the crop.
Malawi’s tea production was expected to reach higher production levels of 45 million metric tons for 2007. Of the 45 million metric tons for 2007, about 2.5 million metric tons was sold locally, says Hara.
The problem of low prices has existed for the past few years. But tea growers want to take the bull by the horns and reverse this trend.
Hara indicates that TAML, in collaboration with the Malawi Investment Promotions Council, is working towards attracting more buyers. One of the strategies is to come up with the country’s own local brand of tea.
The MCCCI has identified a new opportunity in the processing of green tea for East Asian markets.
TAML has also partnered with the Malawi Tea and Coffee Merchants Association of Malawi (MTCAM), Tea Brokers Central Africa and Tea Commodity Brokers in social initiatives such as charity auctions. The proceeds are donated to AIDS orphans and other people with needs.
This initiative is about tea growers showcasing their commitment to corporate social responsibility while encouraging buyers to pay higher prices for the commodity as part of fulfilling their social duty.
Corporate social responsibility also extends to the workers on the tea estates who are very poor. The tea estates support the surrounding communities, which supply most of their workers, by providing social amenities such as health clinics, recreation facilities, schools and safe water.
Tea prices hit a record 29 dollars per kilogram at a charity auction held in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre on November 27, 2007.
Malawi lawyers urge president to let parliament sit
Malawi's legal community urged President Bingu wa Mutharika on Wednesday to reconvene parliament, describing his decision to run the government in its absence as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Earlier this month, wa Mutharika stopped parliamentarians in the southern African country from meeting until they agreed not to expel 70 members of his Democratic Progressive Party, which is largely made up of defectors from the opposition.
He said he would carry on with the business of government despite fears that the political stalemate could threaten implementation of international donor programmes, key to the economy in the landlocked country of over 13 million.
"We wish to point out that parliament is an important part of our democracy, which is based on the Constitution," the Malawi Law Society said in a statement. "To run government without it is a most undemocratic, unconstitutional conduct of government business."
It asked that wa Mutharika reverse his decision.
The Malawian leader is under fire from the United Democratic Front and another opposition party, which want to expel most of the government's MPs under a constitutional provision that prevents deputies leaving one party to join another.
If successful, they would have enough support to pass a no-confidence vote in wa Mutharika's government and an impeachment motion against the Malawian leader, who quit the United Democratic Front to form his own party after the 2004 election.
Malawi's 193-member parliament was to consider a number of World Bank and International Monetary Fund programmes. The impoverished nation relies heavily on donor support for its public spending.
The next sitting is scheduled for June.
The parliamentarians refused last year to debate the government's $1.2 billion budget for fiscal 2007/08 until the dispute over the MPs was resolved. Pressure from civic groups and farmers prompted a change of heart, and it was passed.
Last month the International Monetary Fund said the political uncertainty could affect implementation of its programme in Malawi.
Earlier this month, wa Mutharika stopped parliamentarians in the southern African country from meeting until they agreed not to expel 70 members of his Democratic Progressive Party, which is largely made up of defectors from the opposition.
He said he would carry on with the business of government despite fears that the political stalemate could threaten implementation of international donor programmes, key to the economy in the landlocked country of over 13 million.
"We wish to point out that parliament is an important part of our democracy, which is based on the Constitution," the Malawi Law Society said in a statement. "To run government without it is a most undemocratic, unconstitutional conduct of government business."
It asked that wa Mutharika reverse his decision.
The Malawian leader is under fire from the United Democratic Front and another opposition party, which want to expel most of the government's MPs under a constitutional provision that prevents deputies leaving one party to join another.
If successful, they would have enough support to pass a no-confidence vote in wa Mutharika's government and an impeachment motion against the Malawian leader, who quit the United Democratic Front to form his own party after the 2004 election.
Malawi's 193-member parliament was to consider a number of World Bank and International Monetary Fund programmes. The impoverished nation relies heavily on donor support for its public spending.
The next sitting is scheduled for June.
The parliamentarians refused last year to debate the government's $1.2 billion budget for fiscal 2007/08 until the dispute over the MPs was resolved. Pressure from civic groups and farmers prompted a change of heart, and it was passed.
Last month the International Monetary Fund said the political uncertainty could affect implementation of its programme in Malawi.
Hwange's Zulu off to Malawi for Trials
Hwange have sent their hitman Gilbert Zulu for a two-week trial period at former Malawian champions MTL Wanderers - effectively ending Highlanders' hopes of signing the big striker.
Zulu is scheduled to leave any time this week with teammate Carrington Gomba, who was also a target of Highlanders and champions Dynamos.
Wanderers are coached by former Highlanders, CAPS United, Buymore, Sporting Lions and Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo. Highlanders registered Zulu and Gomba with the Confederation of African Football for the Confederations Cup. Gumbo indicated during a visit to the City of Kings that he wanted to take two Zimbabwean players to Malawi, but did not reveal their identity.
Burzil Dube, the Hwange spokesman, revealed yesterday that the two players were on their way to Malawi. "It is a trial period for both players and if they make the grade, we will not stand in their way. "No paperwork has been done and there are no figures because they are just on trials," he said. Should Zulu make the grade in Malawi, it would be a big blow for Highlanders who have lost Obadiah Tarumbwa to Belgian top-flight league Cercle Brugge on a six-month contract.
Their only consolation will be that they snatched Golden Boot winner Cuthbert Malajila from Chapungu 48 hours before their match against Ferroviario de Nampula and he played a major role in that 3-0 win. Motor Action striker Salim Milanzi is also reported to be trying his luck with an unnamed team in Malawi. Locally, the picture will be clearer when the transfer window closes on Friday, while Highlanders and Dynamos have been busy because of their participation in Africa.
Highlanders have brought in Jacob Muzokomba, Malajila, Irvine Tinarwo, Stephen Alimenda, goalkeeper Winston Chiwetu, Abraham Mbaiwa, Thamsanqa Ndimande and Protasha Kabwe, while Dynamos signed Benjamin Marere, Lazarus Muhoni, Brighton Tuwaya, Farai Vimisai and Tafadzwa.
Zulu is scheduled to leave any time this week with teammate Carrington Gomba, who was also a target of Highlanders and champions Dynamos.
Wanderers are coached by former Highlanders, CAPS United, Buymore, Sporting Lions and Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo. Highlanders registered Zulu and Gomba with the Confederation of African Football for the Confederations Cup. Gumbo indicated during a visit to the City of Kings that he wanted to take two Zimbabwean players to Malawi, but did not reveal their identity.
Burzil Dube, the Hwange spokesman, revealed yesterday that the two players were on their way to Malawi. "It is a trial period for both players and if they make the grade, we will not stand in their way. "No paperwork has been done and there are no figures because they are just on trials," he said. Should Zulu make the grade in Malawi, it would be a big blow for Highlanders who have lost Obadiah Tarumbwa to Belgian top-flight league Cercle Brugge on a six-month contract.
Their only consolation will be that they snatched Golden Boot winner Cuthbert Malajila from Chapungu 48 hours before their match against Ferroviario de Nampula and he played a major role in that 3-0 win. Motor Action striker Salim Milanzi is also reported to be trying his luck with an unnamed team in Malawi. Locally, the picture will be clearer when the transfer window closes on Friday, while Highlanders and Dynamos have been busy because of their participation in Africa.
Highlanders have brought in Jacob Muzokomba, Malajila, Irvine Tinarwo, Stephen Alimenda, goalkeeper Winston Chiwetu, Abraham Mbaiwa, Thamsanqa Ndimande and Protasha Kabwe, while Dynamos signed Benjamin Marere, Lazarus Muhoni, Brighton Tuwaya, Farai Vimisai and Tafadzwa.
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