Malawi Law Society asked the southern African nation's electoral commission to decide on former President Bakili Muluzi's eligibility to contest next year's election.
The issue must be resolved in order for free and fair elections to take place in the country, the Blantyre-based society said in a statement published today in the Daily Times newspaper. The organization represents Malawi's legal industry.
Muluzi served two five-year terms as Malawi's president between 1994 and 2004. He announced plans earlier this year to run in the 2009 presidential election against incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Malawi's constitution dictates that a person shall serve as president for a maximum of two consecutive terms only. Muluzi argues that by taking a break for five years, he is now eligible to stand in terms of the wording of the constitution.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Malawi clubs in row over Bafana game
Tonight’s international friendly between the Flames and Bafana Bafana has caused a storm back in Malawi.
Current league champions Escom United and MTL Wanderers have revealed that they did not report for their Super League weekend games because Football Association of Malawi gave them permission not to do so as they had a number of players doing duty with the national team.
Escom would have faced Silver Strikers on Saturday at Kamuzu Stadium, but they did not pitch up, while Wanderers did not travel to Lilongwe for their assignments against Eagle Beaks and Civo on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The league organisers, Sulom, have now awarded points to Beaks and Silver in accordance with the rules and regulations, but officials from both Escom and Wanderers are disputing this, claiming that they did not report for their fixtures after FAM excused them from the games.
Wanderers’ secretary Ambokile Salimu said FAM wrote on Friday asking them not to travel as they had contributed five players to the Flames squad, including Moses Chavula, who is in South Africa.
Their players that were in camp included Bernard Kalirani, Harry Nyirenda, Foster Namwera and Vales Kamzere.
“We followed FAM’s instructions because they are the ones that oversee all football activities in the country,” Salimu said.
“If Sulom goes ahead with the decision to dock the points, we will take unspecified action,” he said.
Escom secretary Oscar Chiotha also expressed similar sentiments but he added that they did not want to withdraw their players from national team so as to enable the Flames to prepare effectively for their World Cup and African Cup qualifier against DR Congo.
“What would the people have said if we had withdrawn the players? We did not withdraw our players so that the nation should benefit,” he said.
Among others, Escom players who are in camp are Noel Mkandawire, Dave Mphaya, Peter Wadabwa, Zicco Mkanda, Jacob Ngwira and Chiukepo Msowoya.
Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said both Wanderers and Escom had lost their games, however Fam chief executive officer Charles Nyirenda, has thrown his weight behind the clubs.
Current league champions Escom United and MTL Wanderers have revealed that they did not report for their Super League weekend games because Football Association of Malawi gave them permission not to do so as they had a number of players doing duty with the national team.
Escom would have faced Silver Strikers on Saturday at Kamuzu Stadium, but they did not pitch up, while Wanderers did not travel to Lilongwe for their assignments against Eagle Beaks and Civo on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The league organisers, Sulom, have now awarded points to Beaks and Silver in accordance with the rules and regulations, but officials from both Escom and Wanderers are disputing this, claiming that they did not report for their fixtures after FAM excused them from the games.
Wanderers’ secretary Ambokile Salimu said FAM wrote on Friday asking them not to travel as they had contributed five players to the Flames squad, including Moses Chavula, who is in South Africa.
Their players that were in camp included Bernard Kalirani, Harry Nyirenda, Foster Namwera and Vales Kamzere.
“We followed FAM’s instructions because they are the ones that oversee all football activities in the country,” Salimu said.
“If Sulom goes ahead with the decision to dock the points, we will take unspecified action,” he said.
Escom secretary Oscar Chiotha also expressed similar sentiments but he added that they did not want to withdraw their players from national team so as to enable the Flames to prepare effectively for their World Cup and African Cup qualifier against DR Congo.
“What would the people have said if we had withdrawn the players? We did not withdraw our players so that the nation should benefit,” he said.
Among others, Escom players who are in camp are Noel Mkandawire, Dave Mphaya, Peter Wadabwa, Zicco Mkanda, Jacob Ngwira and Chiukepo Msowoya.
Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said both Wanderers and Escom had lost their games, however Fam chief executive officer Charles Nyirenda, has thrown his weight behind the clubs.
Malawi court lifts ex-president’s bail conditions
The Malawi High Court sitting in Blantyre has lifted all bail conditions placed on former President Bakili Muluzi, who is accused by the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika of allegedly committing treason by trying to overthrow him, APA learnt here Tuesday.
Judge Anaclet Chipeta removed all conditions placed before the accused which, among other things, required Muluzi to report to the police every month, informing them whenever he leaves the city of Blantyre and informing the High Court when he was travelling abroad.
The ruling follows Muluzi lawyers Fahad Assani, Jai Banda and David Kanyenda’s application to have his client bail conditions removed and be released unconditionally after the state had so far failed to prosecute him.
Judge Anaclet Chipeta removed all conditions placed before the accused which, among other things, required Muluzi to report to the police every month, informing them whenever he leaves the city of Blantyre and informing the High Court when he was travelling abroad.
The ruling follows Muluzi lawyers Fahad Assani, Jai Banda and David Kanyenda’s application to have his client bail conditions removed and be released unconditionally after the state had so far failed to prosecute him.
Malawi president vows to continue promoting women to high positions
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, returning home after a three-week trip to the United Nations in New York City, has said that he will continue placing women in high leadership positions as a way of ensuring gender equality in the country.
Speaking to journalists on arrival at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe late Monday, where he attended the 63rd UN General Assembly, Mutharika said that he would stop at nothing in making sure that women in the country had a fair share of the national positions in his government.
“It is sad that all the efforts that we are putting in making sure that women, too, are well represented are being frustrated by some sectors of our society,” he said, in apparent reference to the country’s parliamentarians who recently tried to dismiss clerk of parliament Mathilda Katopola for standing in their way as a fiscal disciplinarian.
The president said Katopola would not leave her office because she was performing well, and those who closed her office should reopen in within a week “or else I’ll break the locked door down” and replace it with a new one.
At the UN general assembly Mutharika proposed the establishment of a global fund to support the realisation of MDG’s in poor African countries, according to a communiqué read to the press by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Henri Mumba.
Speaking to journalists on arrival at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe late Monday, where he attended the 63rd UN General Assembly, Mutharika said that he would stop at nothing in making sure that women in the country had a fair share of the national positions in his government.
“It is sad that all the efforts that we are putting in making sure that women, too, are well represented are being frustrated by some sectors of our society,” he said, in apparent reference to the country’s parliamentarians who recently tried to dismiss clerk of parliament Mathilda Katopola for standing in their way as a fiscal disciplinarian.
The president said Katopola would not leave her office because she was performing well, and those who closed her office should reopen in within a week “or else I’ll break the locked door down” and replace it with a new one.
At the UN general assembly Mutharika proposed the establishment of a global fund to support the realisation of MDG’s in poor African countries, according to a communiqué read to the press by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Henri Mumba.
Malawi Gift for School
Dr Caley presented the school with a gift from the Headteacher of Mlozi school, Malawi. The pupils are all currently involved in developing links with the school in Malawi as well as creating a display for the Library that will include the unique wood carving shown in the photo.
'OJ' limps out of SA squad
Former Bafana captain Mbulelo "OJ" Mabizela has been ruled out of this international friendly against Malawi with a serious knee injury.
"OJ" was the only player in Joel Santana's 23-man squad not to have reported for camp at the OR Tambo International Airport yesterday morning. Sundowns technical director Ted Dumitru said that Mabizela would report to see Bafana doctors, but that there was no way his centre back could play.
"He is going to see a specialist tomorrow," said Dumitru.
"He will report to see the doctors, we will follow procedure, but he is definitely not going to be able to play."
Mabizela aside, the game against Malawi gives Santana the opportunity to cast his eyes over an entirely local-based squad, as he bids to assemble a team worthy of challenging at the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
Even though the game is not on an official Fifa date, the South African Football Association will be awarding caps to the participants.
At the moment the idea of a Bafana side challenging for any international tournament seems laughable, particularly in the wake of their dismal failure to make it to Angola 2010.
However, some players are hoping to grab their coach's attention this evening, and none more so than Bernard Parker.
Parker is currently the Absa Premiership's leading scorer, with four goals this season for Thanda Royal Zulu. With Bafana's well-documented goalscoring problems, could the Boksburg-born 22-year-old be an answer to Santana's prayers?
"That is my aim now for this season, to become a regular for the national team, with the Confederation Cup and World Cup coming up.
"If I get my chance (tonight) I will try and take it."
Parker does not see the failure to qualify for Angola as too much of a setback, as long as the team can learn for the future.
"The team has been playing well, but we did not qualify, and we must learn from our mistakes and take that forward," said Parker.
Parker also had words of encouragement for beleaguered coach Santana, who has endured fierce criticism in recent months.
"He has been around in football and I think he can help the national team", said Parker.
Bafana have played the Flames of Malawi eight times, and won six of those encounters, losing just once, in Blantyre in 2001.
The one draw was the two sides most recent meeting, 0-0 in the 2007 Cosafa Cup in Lobamba, Swaziland, though Bafana did end up taking the game on penalties.
Malawi, however, have fared far better than Bafana in Angola 2010/South Africa 2010 qualifying.
Kinnah Phiri's team gained an admirable win over Egypt in Blantyre in June, and have a great chance to make it to the next phase of qualifying if they can beat the DR Congo at home on October 11.
The Flames have several South Africa-based players in their ranks, including Black Leopards duo Peter Mponda and Robert Ngambi, Orlando Pirates midfielder Joseph Kamwendo and Bay United striker Jimmy Zakazaka.
Former Jomo Cosmos and Ajax Cape Town striker Russel Mwafulirwa, who now plays in Sweden, is another of Malawi's dangermen.
Phiri also has excellent knowledge of local football, having coached Free State Stars in the Absa Premiership last season.
Frankly, it would be fair to say that the Zambian has more experience of South Africa than Santana himself!
If it is fair to question the relevance of this rather meaningless fixture, for Santana, at least, it will provide him with another opportunity to look at his fringe players, as they strut their stuff alongside regulars like Teko Modise and Kagiso Dikgacoi.
Can Eleazar Rodgers become Bafana's next target man?
Is Robyn Johannes able to live up to the hype? And who exactly is Rooi Mahamutsa?
All these questions and more could be answered against Malawi, ahead of next month's Nations Cup qualifier against Equatorial Guinea, with Bafana desperate to avoid the embarrassment of finishing bottom of their group.
"OJ" was the only player in Joel Santana's 23-man squad not to have reported for camp at the OR Tambo International Airport yesterday morning. Sundowns technical director Ted Dumitru said that Mabizela would report to see Bafana doctors, but that there was no way his centre back could play.
"He is going to see a specialist tomorrow," said Dumitru.
"He will report to see the doctors, we will follow procedure, but he is definitely not going to be able to play."
Mabizela aside, the game against Malawi gives Santana the opportunity to cast his eyes over an entirely local-based squad, as he bids to assemble a team worthy of challenging at the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
Even though the game is not on an official Fifa date, the South African Football Association will be awarding caps to the participants.
At the moment the idea of a Bafana side challenging for any international tournament seems laughable, particularly in the wake of their dismal failure to make it to Angola 2010.
However, some players are hoping to grab their coach's attention this evening, and none more so than Bernard Parker.
Parker is currently the Absa Premiership's leading scorer, with four goals this season for Thanda Royal Zulu. With Bafana's well-documented goalscoring problems, could the Boksburg-born 22-year-old be an answer to Santana's prayers?
"That is my aim now for this season, to become a regular for the national team, with the Confederation Cup and World Cup coming up.
"If I get my chance (tonight) I will try and take it."
Parker does not see the failure to qualify for Angola as too much of a setback, as long as the team can learn for the future.
"The team has been playing well, but we did not qualify, and we must learn from our mistakes and take that forward," said Parker.
Parker also had words of encouragement for beleaguered coach Santana, who has endured fierce criticism in recent months.
"He has been around in football and I think he can help the national team", said Parker.
Bafana have played the Flames of Malawi eight times, and won six of those encounters, losing just once, in Blantyre in 2001.
The one draw was the two sides most recent meeting, 0-0 in the 2007 Cosafa Cup in Lobamba, Swaziland, though Bafana did end up taking the game on penalties.
Malawi, however, have fared far better than Bafana in Angola 2010/South Africa 2010 qualifying.
Kinnah Phiri's team gained an admirable win over Egypt in Blantyre in June, and have a great chance to make it to the next phase of qualifying if they can beat the DR Congo at home on October 11.
The Flames have several South Africa-based players in their ranks, including Black Leopards duo Peter Mponda and Robert Ngambi, Orlando Pirates midfielder Joseph Kamwendo and Bay United striker Jimmy Zakazaka.
Former Jomo Cosmos and Ajax Cape Town striker Russel Mwafulirwa, who now plays in Sweden, is another of Malawi's dangermen.
Phiri also has excellent knowledge of local football, having coached Free State Stars in the Absa Premiership last season.
Frankly, it would be fair to say that the Zambian has more experience of South Africa than Santana himself!
If it is fair to question the relevance of this rather meaningless fixture, for Santana, at least, it will provide him with another opportunity to look at his fringe players, as they strut their stuff alongside regulars like Teko Modise and Kagiso Dikgacoi.
Can Eleazar Rodgers become Bafana's next target man?
Is Robyn Johannes able to live up to the hype? And who exactly is Rooi Mahamutsa?
All these questions and more could be answered against Malawi, ahead of next month's Nations Cup qualifier against Equatorial Guinea, with Bafana desperate to avoid the embarrassment of finishing bottom of their group.
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