In an effort to increase accessibility to digital television and further provide customers with a world of choice, MultiChoice Malawi has introduced a Direct Sales Force (DSF) who will engage in door-to-door sales of GOtv and DStv decoders.
The service on offer from the DSF will include; assistance with subscription activations and customers education on the DStv and GOtv digital self-service options like, *470# USSD code, MyDStv app and the MyGOtv app, to effortlessly manage their subscriptions.
Customers can easily identify DSF’s through their distinct blue DStv and yellow GOtv reflective vests.
The MultiChoice DSF’s are dispersed through Malawi’s northern, central and southern region equipped with the knowledge and customer care for new and existing customers in the comfort of their own homes.
“Our ‘Sankha Wekha’ theme emphasizes our commitment to put our customers at the heart of everything we do, this initiative reiterates that commitment by bringing choice directly to our customers” said Zena Makunje, MultiChoice Malawi Corporate Affairs Manager.
“As a contributing business citizen MultiChoice remains dedicated to enriching lives and growing hand in hand with our communities by upskilling our agents through our Sankha Wekha kiosks and creating jobs through our DSF initiative for powerful social upliftment,” she added.
MultiChoice Malawi currently has over 152 agents and 58 accredited installers’ across the country with Sankha Wekha Kiosks located in Blantyre at Wenela bus depot, Ndirande by old Peoples shop, and Chemusa.
In Lilongwe in Area 25 Pamathanki, Area 25 Nsungwi and Area 36 Kaphiri and in Mzuzu along M1 road and Mzuzu market with 10 additional kiosks introduced in Blantyre at Blantyre Market, Area 1 Machinjiri, Area 1 Simama, Area 1 Kaviwale, Luwinga, Area 49, Area 29, Likuni and Kamba.
Today we bring to you another hidden Malawi’s treasure, Ntchisi Rain Forest in central Malawi. Ntchisi Rain Forest Reserve is one of the last remaining indigenous rain forests in Africa.
Before it became a protected area, the forest was used as a refuge by the local Chewa tribe against attacks by the warring Ngonis in the 19th Century.
Because it proved as vital as a shelter for people, it largely escaped the deforestation for firewood that has unfortunately decimated so much of Africa’s indigenous woodlands.
It later became a designated Forest Reserve. It is small at 75 sq km and is characterized by rolling hills cultivated by subsistence farming and dotted with traditional villages and situated on the escarpment of the East African Rift Valley.
The rain forest is some luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall.
There is alot to do in this quaint little spot due to its location, in the Ntchisi Rain Forest Reserve. You can choose to head out on a lovely short stroll into the forest, or hike for a few hours and take a lovely picnic with you and sit near one of the rivers or waterfalls.
Look out for the incredible birdlife around or the gorgeous orchids that continue to pop up along the way. Hard to imagine this is just outside the busy capital city…it is heavenly.
Ntchisi Rain Forest is home to many animals. Especially birds love the variety of trees and the undisrupted ecosystem. They know their home very well and always have an eye on you when walking around in the forest.
If you want to spot them, we recommended taking a local expert with you to show you their homes and explain more to you about their habits.
Ntchisi Rain Forest is the unspoiled area that is yet to be discovered by many. Enjoy the sunny days at the brand new eco pool. Filled with spring water from the mountain, heated by the sun and filtered by Malawi’s first UV-Filtration System.
The rainforest is directly next to the lodge and offers you a wide variety of possibilities. One of the most recommendable activities is to go on walk with a local tour guide. They will take you through the marked and hidden paths of Ntchisi Rain Forest.
Learn about the history and importance of the forest for the surrounding communities, eat local fruits you have never about in your life and take a deep forest bath to recharge your batteries.
And my special request to the authorities is that they should put strict measures to protect it before it is damaged.
You can enjoy the sunny days at lodge’s brand new eco pool. Filled with spring water from the mountain, heated by the sun and filtered by Malawi’s first UV-Filtration System.
How can we protect Ntchisi Rain Forest Reserve?
To successfully protect the rainforest, one has to understand the deep-rooted threats of the rainforest. Poverty is the main driver of deforestation in the region of Ntchisi, Malawi.
People lack other sources of income and go in to the forest to cut down trees to sell it on black markets to have at least some food for their families. Climate change is affecting the way of life of every farmer. Rainfalls do not come that regularly anymore and pests like the armyworm threatening up to 25% of the yearly harvest.
Combined with a big growth of population, the private fields are no longer big enough to feed everyone. So, to stop deforestation one has to create new sources of income.
You can manage a day drive from Lilongwe or at least spend a night at Ntchisi Forest Lodge and lodge offers food from local farmers to reduce CO2-Emissions, guarantee fresh food and create a vital marketplace.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Dr. Kondwani Nankhumwa, has asked President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance administration to stop arresting and torturing journalists in the country.
Nankhumwa, who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Vice President for the South, made the call on Tuesday in a statement to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day which is being celebrated under the theme “Journalism Under Digital Siege”.
According to Dr. Nankhumwa, President Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance administration has brazenly gone full throttle in muzzling press freedom, including harassing and arresting journalists for merely doing their job.
He cited the arrest of Investigative Journalist Gregory Gondwe, Social media influencer Joshua Chisa Mbele and a nurse from Ntcheu nurse Chidawawa Maine as serious infringement of media freedom in the country.
“As journalists commemorate this very important day, I would like to call upon President Chakwera and his government to resist the temptation of taking Malawi back to the one-party totalitarian practices where journalists were arbitrarily arrested and detained for many years for reporting the truth.
“Under that one-party oppressive regime of the late Ngwazi Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda, journalists were forced to toe the party line and to always glorify the ‘Ngwazi’ as a demi-god,” said Dr. Nankhumwa in a statement
He added that: “I will not fold my hands and watch the Tonse Alliance government snuff away various freedoms that Malawians gallantly fought for in 1993 and 1994, including the freedom of expression.”
In a related development, Civil Society Organizations in the country has ganged up urging President Chakwera and his Tonse led Alliance Administration to drop all criminal charges related to freedom of expression.
According to the 2022 Freedom of the Press Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Malawi slipped in ranking from 62 in 2021 to 80 in 2022 in terms of promoting freedom of the press and access to public information by journalists.
The body of Group Village Headman Maloya who died on Thursday evening has arrived at Mgona in Area 25 in Lilongwe from Kamuzu Central Hospital’s mortuary ready for burial tomorrow on Saturday, 30th of April.
Meanwhile, Chewa Chiefs from Lilongwe district have maintained their stand that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ‘Madala’ team should not precede with their rally slated for tomorrow Saturday at Mgona Ground.
According to death announcement made available to the publication on Friday morning, Chewa Chiefs from the area have since banned all public events such as political rallies that were slated to take place on Saturday as way of paying homage to the departed Group Village headman.
“Mwambo wa Maliro uchitikira pa bwalo la Mgona mawa Loweruka; chomcho mafumu onse kwa Mgona ati pasepezeke wina ochita zinthu zake bwaloli (Funeral ceremony will be held at Mgona Ground, therefore it is prohibited to conduct rally at the said venue on the on Saturday),” reads the announcement
Initially, the ‘misguided’ DPP members who are enjoying support from party leader Peter Mutharika, planned to hold the rally at Mgona Ground on Saturday, to counter attack Kondwani Nankhumwa rally slated for Sunday.
Meanwhile, DPP’s Vice President for the Central region, Zeria Chakale, who is also key organizer for the rally, is reported to be calling the chiefs pleading with them to bury the departed chief during the morning hours, in order to pave way for the political rally but the chiefs are refusing.
However, according to Chewa and African culture chiefs, it is a taboo and very disrespectful to bury a chief in the morning hours.
Some disgruntled Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials, who are enjoying support from party’s leader Peter Mutharika, have launched uncivilized attack on Dr. Kondwani Nankhumwa, who is party’s vice President for the South.
The publication has exclusively established that with full support from Page House the ‘DPP Madala’ team has printed fake T-shirts bearing Nankhumwa face and further spread fake news claiming that Nankhumwa is planning to launch his political party on Sunday, which is a total lie as Nankhumwa remains a dedicated DPP die hard.
The ‘misguided’ DPP gurus, who are being led by Party’s Vice President for the Central region, Zeria Chakale went a step further parading people on social media in the fake branded T-Shirts.
The attack on Malawi’s next president Nankhumwa, who is also leader of opposition in Parliament, aims at disturbing Nankhumwa’s Mother of all rallies slated for Sunday at Mgona Ground, area 25 in Lilongwe.
Meanwhile, Over 50 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) have thrown their support towards Nankhumwa rally where he (Nankhumwa) is accepted to address the people alongside Party’s Secretary General, Grezelder Geoffrey.
The rally will be graced with live music performances by Annie Matumbi, the chiphaso star Lawrence Mbenjere, Atoti Manje and traditional dances such as Gule Wa Mkulu which is common in Lilongwe.
Chewa Chiefs from Lilongwe district have asked the ‘Misguided’ Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members to cancel their planned Saturday rally following the death of Village Headman Maloya from Mgona in the district.
According to death announcement made available to the publication on Friday morning, Group Village Headman Maloya died peacefully last evening after a short illness, at his loyal house in the area.
“Amfumu a Maloya ochokera kwa Mgona atisiya usiku wapitawu, Maliro ngoyika mawa Loweruka,” reads the announcement in vernacular
The announcement further said: “Mwambo wa Maliro uchitikira pa bwalo la Mgona chomcho mafumu onse kwa Mgona ati pasepezeke wina ochita zinthu zake bwaloli (Funeral ceremony will be held at Mgona Ground, therefore it is prohibited to conduct rally at the said venue on the on Saturday).
Initially, the ‘misguided’ DPP members who are enjoying support from party leader Peter Mutharika, planned to hold the rally at Mgona Ground on Saturday, to counter attack Kondwani Nankhumwa rally slated for Sunday.
Meanwhile, DPP’s Vice President for the Central region, Zeria Chakale, who is also key organizer for the rally, is reported to be calling the chiefs pleading with them to bury the departed chief during the morning hours, in order to pave way for the political rally but the chiefs are refusing.
However, according to Chewa and African culture chiefs, it is a taboo and very disrespectful to bury a chief in the morning hours.
Over 50 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) have thrown their support towards Kondwani Nankhumwa’s rally slated for this Sunday at Mgona Ground in Area 25, Lilongwe.
Malawi’s Leader of opposition in Parliament, Dr. Nankhumwa, who is also DPP Vice President for the South, will address a rally alongside DPP’s Secretary General Gledezer Jeffrey and other senior party officials from the Central Region.
The patriotic DPP members of parliament have thrown their support towards the crown puller Nankhumwa after some ‘misguided’ members of the party organize a counter rally to be held on Saturday in the same district.
Some of the MPs are Nicholas Dausi, Sammy’s Suleman, Mark Botomani, Welani, Joy Chitsulo, Ralph Jooma and Yusuf Nthenda.
First to announce their rally, scheduled for Mgona School Ground in Lilongwe, was the Nankhumwa side which is enjoying the support of DPP Secretary General Grezeldar Jeffrey.
Few days later, a rival camp which apparently is enjoying the support of DPP leader Peter Mutharika, announced their own on Saturday to be addressed by the party’s vice president for the central region Zeria Chakale.
Meanwhile, DPP’s General Secretary Wa Jeffrey has described the counter rally being organized by misguided DPP leaders on Saturday as a curtain raiser to their Sunday rally.
“As CEO of the party, I have organized this rally and invited Nankhumwa in his capacity as leader of opposition to be the guest of honour.
“As leader of opposition, Nankhumwa has no boundaries. The rally being slated for Saturday is a curtain raiser to our Sunday rally,” said Jeffrey.
There are fears that Malawi is in deep crisis concerning foreign currency to the extent that the situation has forced authorities start rationing the much needed green bulk.
Sadly all borders on leadership whereby an independent research carried out by Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) establishes that the Tonse Alliance high ranking officials are involved in the externalization of forex.
CDEDI also reveals that Forex scarcity has reached alarming levels due to the fact that proceeds from the recent sales of agricultural commodities to South Sudan and India by some high-ranking government officials were deposited into foreign bank accounts, and did not trickle back to Malawi.
CDEDI has also cited the cancellation of International Monetary Fund (IMF) extended credit facility by the Tonse Alliance Government as among reasons for ugly face on the country’s economy.
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa says although the money is small but it provides a signal and gives confidence to bilateral donors that someone is monitoring government’s economic programs.
Worsening it all, according to Namiwa, is President Chakwera’s tendency of shielding corruption, instead of fighting the same, saying the acts by the Malawi leader has scared away existing and potential donor partners.
CDEDI’s findings have been validated looking at the fact that the three and half months import cover that was there prior to the ascension of the Tonse Alliance government to power in June 2020, under President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, has totally been depleted hence business community has for the past two years struggled to get forex to meet their import demands.
“At some point they used to find solace in the Rand and the Euro, which can hardly be found in the commercial banks today. Even though the RBM pegged the US dollar at MK825, the figure is just on paper since on the market it is selling at over MK1,150,” Namiwa says.
As it stands, Namiwa says, there is lack of a clear policy to encourage inflows of forex through the Foreign Denominated Accounts (FDAs), as well as conflicting government policies.
“A classic example being the trade and industry minister’s decision to solve the current escalating cooking oil prices by ‘inviting’ new players instead of creating business sense that should attract more players to join the market.
It is an open secret that these new players will still need forex to operate and at the same time they will not help in the creation of the much-needed jobs by our unemployed youths,” he says.
He has since written Finance Minister Gwengwe to clarify on the matters that are pressing Malawians especially as a result of Forex scarcity.
“This far, we would like to demand nothing but an explanation as to what policies your ministry is putting in place to resuscitate the economy from its death bed as clearly evidenced by the ever-weakening Malawi Kwacha,” reads the letter in part addressed to Minister Gwengwe.
Meanwhile, Gwengwe and his boss Saulos Chilima are in America lobbying developed countries to have debts for poor countries cancelled, a thing majority have said won’t be plausible looking at the levels of corruption as well as extravagance of the current regime.
Side Organizers of a rally to be addressed by Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa on Sunday, have described a counter rally being organized by some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leaders on Saturday as a curtain raiser to their rally.
Infighting in the DPP have reached stunning levels with two rival camps organizing separate rallies at the same venue with only 24 hours separating them.
First to announce their rally, scheduled for Mgona School Ground in Lilongwe, was the Nankhumwa side which is enjoying the support of DPP Secretary General Grezeldar Jeffrey and some senior DPP officials and members of Parliament.
Few days later, a rival camp which apparently is enjoying the support of DPP leader Peter Mutharika, announced their own on Saturday to be addressed by the party’s vice president for the central region Zeria Chakale.
The Chakale side, through organizing Secretary Chimwemwe Chipungu has since disowned the Nankhumwa rally. In reaction, Jeffrey said the Saturday rally is a curtain raiser to their Sunday rally.
“As CEO of the party, I have organized this rally and invited Nankhumwa in his capacity as leader of opposition to be the guest of honour.
“As leader of opposition, Nankhumwa has no boundaries. “The rally being slated for Saturday is a curtain raiser to our Sunday rally,” said Jeffrey.
The Malawi Police Service (MPs) is under fire from members of the general public for threatening journalists and media houses which are deemed to be government critics.
This follows a statement issued by Deputy National Police Spokesperson, Harry Namwaza, on Tuesday evening, in which the police threatened to deal with Malawi Voice Publication and other media houses.
The Statement accused Malawi Voice of publishing a fake article that police had arrested two Indians for drug smuggling, a story which was not even published by the said publication.
According to Namwaza: “As people continue enjoying right to access to information, right to opinion, freedom of expression, among others, let them be reminded that enjoying one’s right should be accompanied with responsibility.”
Inside police sources told this publication that the law enforcers acted in this matter after being pressurized from the Indians businessman to clear image in their eyes.
Reacting to the development, a social media user Tina Nantawa said: “Mulibe zochita ndithu…M’malo mosova mavuto mudzikhala busy checking on who is saying or writing what kuti muwamange…you are a joke.”
Another user posted: “Kuli mbava zambiri ku capital hill ukoo nanu busy kunanga anthu pa social media aaah zachibwana! Kuti tifufuze muma file anu muli mlandu phwii yosamaliza koma busy kulanda makala mukapsa ma guy.”
James Affick said: “Police we love you only that Corruption is killing you professionalism….stop bribing people so that we build the Trust we ought to have.
“Sometimes fake news comes when you cannot tell the nation what they want to hear from a particular matter hence, these speculations.”
Recently, the police also came under heavy fire after arresting Gregory Gondwe, a Malawian Investigative Journalist, who was accused of bringing to light corrupt deals within the Tonse alliance administration.
