Bafana Bafana to play Malawi tomorrow

Bafana Bafana players at training

Bafana Bafana has urged their fans to come in droves when they play against Malawi
September 29, 2008, 19:00

Bafana Bafana are calling for their followers to attend in their droves when they take on Malawi in a friendly match in Johannesburg tomorrow night.

Bafana play in a warm up match before they leave for Equatorial Guinea in two weeks for their final 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Tomorrow evening's match has been upgraded to a full international instead of a friendly game. Of the 23 players invited to camp all but Mamelodi Sundowns' Mbulelo Mabizela turned up.

Malawi civil servants seek better gratuity from gov\’t

Malawi Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) president Elia Kamphinda Banda on Monday said that there was need for government and the union to urgently resolve issues surrounding the new public service pension scheme which was introduced in 2006 amid widespread dissatisfaction among the public workers that they government had been less than generous in its pension calculations towards their retirement benefits.

The government introduced a new formula used to calculate pension for the retired civil servants, a development which has seen disagreements emerging between the two sides.

"As a union, we would like government to review the current formula so that it accommodates civil servants’ concerns and requests. Civil servants feel cheated with the new mode of calculation," he said.

Banda said the CSTU would like to see the issue resolved amicably because it is long overdue and has led to acute brain drain in the public service, as more workers continue to leave the civil service because they feel insecure with the new pension scheme, adding that Malawi was the only one implementing such a formula in southern Africa.

In the new formula, for example, civil servants who have worked for more than 20 years are being given a pension equivalent to five years of their salaries as gratuity.

Malawi to play Swaziland in friendly tie

The Flames, Malawi’s football team, will play Swaziland in a friendly match to be held at Kamuzu Stadium in the commercial city of Blantyre on Saturday (October 4) as part of the hosts’ preparations for a crucial 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tie at the same venue on 11 October, APA learnt here Monday.

Coach Kinna Phiri said the game will be a strength testing match for the Flames as they wait for the Simbas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the same venue.

\"We need a friendly game before playing the DRC to test the players’ fitness because the match with the DRC is a crucial one and needs total commitment by both players and the coaching panel,\" he said.

Currently, he said, the players are undergoing physical training to preparing for the forthcoming matches.

Group 9 teams are Malawi (9 points), DRC (9), Egypt (12) and Djibouti (0).

Malawi's gays hope new High Commissioner will help their cause

The Malawi Gay Rights Movement (Magrim), which was launched earlier this month as a public campaign group after six years underground, has sparked a political row.

Former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell is to take up his post as High Commissioner to Malawi next year.

His support for gay rights in office has led Magrim to claim he will to support their cause as the UK's representative in the former African colony.

"We are anxiously waiting for the arrival of Jack McConnell," a Magrim spokesperson said.

"He supports gay rights and we believe he will use his influence as High Commissioner as well as his close working relationship with President Bingu wa Mutharika to put in place friendly legislation for homosexuality."

High Commissioners are the senior diplomats in charge of the diplomatic mission of one Commonwealth government to another.

Under the Labour government a number of posts have been filled by retiring politicians.

Former Cabinet minister Paul Boateng is the High Commissioner to South Africa.

Former Secretary of State for Scotland Helen Liddell is British High Commissioner to Australia.

The announcement of Mr McConnell's appointment as British High Commissioner to Malawi last year angered civil servant unions who complained to Gordon Brown that the post should have been decided in an open competition.

Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Malawi, punishable by hard labour.

Magrim claims there is an "active population" of 89,000 gays and lesbians in the country.

Last year, the head of the main opposition party in Malawi - the United Democratic Front - said Mr McConnell's support for the repeal of Section 28 and civil unions meant he was an unsuitable person.

"To have a man who supports gay rights to come to Malawi is dangerous for us," Friday Jumbe said.

"He can easily use his influence as High Commissioner to force legislation and that's my biggest fear.

"I don't want him and I know I am speaking for my party and many legislators that we cannot allow such a person in Malawi."

Last week Aden Mbowani of the opposition Malawi Congress Party told Scotland's Sunday Herald:

"Homosexuality is an evil thing that can bring incurable disease to the whole world.

"This man you call McConnell, he will not influence any policy in this country.

"Personally, I wouldn't think he's welcome in Malawi. As a human being he can come and visit us, no problem.

"But to talk about homosexuality in our country, I don't think Malawians will want to listen to that kind of nonsense. It's a non-starter.

"He will not manage to change us. We have beautiful women here to marry - even in his country there are beautiful women."

Mr McConnell enjoys a close working relationship with the President, Bingu wa Mutharika.

The two got on well when they met in Malawi in 2005 and quickly organised a reciprocal visit by Mr Mutharika to Scotland.

They eventually signed a joint cooperation agreement to cement links between the two administrations.

Malawi has severe penalties against homosexual acts, commonly punishing gay sex with up to 14 years in prison.

Attempts last year by human rights lawyers to repeal the code were flatly rejected by the government's legal affairs committee.

Mr McConnell was the longest-serving First Minister of Scotland, from November 2001 to May 2007.

He is expected to stand down as an Member of the Scottish Parliament before taking up his post.