Lake of Stars International Music Festival 2008 - Malawi, 10th-12th October 2008, Livingstonia Beach, Salima

SADC economic growth report ranks Malawi 2nd in the SADC region

MCDONALD BAMUSI

President Bingu wa Mutharika returned home yesterday afternoon from the
28th summit of SADC heads of state and government that was held in
Johannesburg, South Africa.

The President was met on arrival at Kamuzu International Airport by top
governmental officials that included Minister of Transport and Public
Works Henry Chimunthu Banda, Health Minister Khumbo Kachali and
Information and Civic Education Minister Patricia Kaliati among others.

A multitude of jubilant women and traditional dancers thronged the
airport to welcome the Malawi leader who could not resist greeting them
soon after inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the First Battalion
of the Malawi Rifles.

Media reports from Johannesburg indicate Malawi has been rated among the best economic performer in the SADC region.

“Considerable progress has been made in attaining reasonable levels of
economic growth in the region with economic growth remaining strong
while inflation continuing to go down.

“Most countries have recorded positive growth for five consecutive
years and substantial economic growth is registered in Angola with 19.8
percent, followed by Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania,” reads part of a
report from the summit.

However, the SADC secretariat noted that updates for various countries
in the region show that the level attained in economic growth falls
short of the regional target for 2008 which was set at seven percent.

“The majority of SADC member states have witnessed improvements in
fiscal performance with declining fiscal deficits which are the results
of pursuing fiscal policies and the initiative of the Highly Indebted
Poor Countries, which are benefiting the member states,” says the
report.

Book Feature: I Live Here

I LIVE HERE
(Pantheon Books/October 14, 2008/$29.95) is a visually stunning
paper documentary, in which the lives of refugees and displaced people
become at once personal and universal. It is a raw and intimate journey
to crises in four corners of the world: war in Chechnya, ethnic cleansing
in Burma, globalization in Mexico, and AIDS in Malawi.

The voices we encounter are those of displaced women and children, told in their
own words or by noted writers and artists, including Joe Sacco, Ann-Marie
MacDonald, Phoebe Gloeckner, Chris Abani, and many others. Threaded
throughout these accounts is Mia Kirshner’s intimate travel narrative,
brought vividly to life in collaboration with writer J.B. MacKinnon
and designers Paul Shoebridge and Michael Simons.
This groundbreaking book is but one element of a larger project known as the I Live Here
Foundation, committed to establishing creative writing programs for
marginalized people. Further information is available at i-live-here.com.

It is sad we do not appreciate one another until one is departed, RIP Respicious Dzanjalimodzi

Dzanjalimodzi:Voice of reason gone for good

By The Daily Times - 15 August 2008 - 10:49:43

Parliament is supposed to be a House of honour and substance. But for
the most part, the Malawi Parliament has not lived up to this public
expectation--certainly not in recent times.

However, there are names of parliamentarians such as the Goodall
Gondwes, the Aleke Bandas and the Malewezis of this world who have
given the nation some hope that there are still some truly honourable
people out there that are in Parliament to serve the country. This list
of men of honour in Parliament would not be complete without the
mention of one Respicious Dzanjalimodzi.

When the news broke Thursday morning that Honourable Dzanjalimodzi had
breathed his last in South Africa after a short illness, it came as a
shock that the country had just lost a beacon of hope. It had lost yet
another true patriot who stood head and shoulder amongst those who
understood that there was no greater honour than serving one’s country.

Some of our parliamentarians have never done anything of substance in
their own lives. So, some of the things that they do in Parliament
should not be entirely surprising. But late Dzanjalimodzi came from a
completely different mould of politicians.

Dzanjalimodzi had a distinguished career in government as a technocrat
and administrator, serving in various capacities including Secretary to
the Treasury. He was, therefore, someone who understood the functioning
of government. When he stood to contribute, the House listened.

As secretary to the Treasury, he had served many organisations where he
was an ex-officio board member representing government interests. He
had many times assisted ministers put together the national budget and
also prepare responses to queries from members of Parliament.

So when the current budget session reconvened last week and there was
the conspicuous absence of Respicious Dzanjalimodzi, his constructive
comments and suggestions were greatly missed. Little did his colleagues
know that he would not be returning to the august House.

Many Malawians have greeted the news of his death with disbelief. Once
again, the country has been robbed of an illustrious son who was
destined for great things in the political arena.

As the country struggles to find its feet on the political and economic
front, it was people like Dzanjalimodzi who were providing some form of
comfort that no matter what our different political persuasions might
be, we are first and foremost Malawians.

As we mourn this great son of the land, we need to reflect on what we
want for our country and what legacy we would like to leave behind for
our children.

This soul-searching is not just for parliamentarians but by all who
would like to serve the public whether it be in government, commerce
and indeed in politics itself.

If there is one lesson that Dzanjalimodzi has left behind, it is that
being in opposition does not mean opposing everything and anything and
that it is possible to be down to earth and make meaningful
contributions and not just engage in the tongue lashing, which has
characterised the debates in the House.

We hereby join the family and the nation in mourning this great son of
Malawi. A true patriot is gone when the country needed him most. His
contribution to the nation will always be remembered by his colleagues
and even those who were on the opposite sides.

Results of Mozambique–Malawi fuel pipeline study said to be favourable

Marcel Chimwala

A study into the feasibility of a multi- million-dollar fuel pipeline
from Mozam-bique’s Indian Ocean port of Beira to Malawi’s lower Shire
Valley district of Nsanje – undertaken by Qatari firm Vanessia
Petroleum – has reportedly produced favourable results, and the Malawi
government is optimistic that implementation of the project will start
before the end of the year.

The project will slash the cost of transporting imported liquid fuel from the coast to the landlocked Southern African country.

Malawi
Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe says: “The information we have so far
indicates that the project is feasible. We will soon engage in talks
with the Mozambican government, through whose territory the pipeline is
expected to pass, on how best the project can be carried out.

“We hope the negotiations will be completed soon to allow the project to commence before the end of the year.”

Gondwe
says Vanessia Petroleum has pledged to spend $150-million on laying the
pipeline and building fuel storage facility at Nsanje, which will also
be the port of call for the proposed Shire–Zambezi waterway project.

He says the Qatari firm will manage the pipeline and storage facilities under the build, operate and transfer model.

The
fuel storage facility will enable Malawi – which currently has the
capacity to hold oil stocks to last ten days only – to hold enough oil
to last about 90 days.

Currently, Malawi transports its fuel by
road from the ports of Dar-es-Salaam, in Tanzania, Nacala, in
Mozambique, and Durban, in South Africa, and “the high cost of fuel in
the country” is partly blamed on this relatively expensive mode of
transport.