Malawi: Politics dominates Malawi Media

The surprise sacking of four key ministers by President Bingu wa Mutharika and the battle for succession at the top job continued to dominate the Malawi media this week. The Nation, under the headline "Moses Chirambo Dies In South Africa", reported on the death of the former Health Minister in events analysts claim might be linked to shock at the veteran eye specialist's sudden loss of job.

The paper quoted family members as saying Prof. Chirambo had gone to South Africa for a minor surgery but developed heart attack that eventually killed him.

The sacking of Chirambo, Malawi's first ophthalmologist and three others is linked to a bitter wrangle about who should succeed Mutharika at the top job.

Two camps have emerged in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) with one rooting for the 76-year-old president's junior brother, Peter, while another is saying current Vice-President Joyce Banda has the legitimate claim to become CEO of Malawi.

"DPP Youth Beat Up MP" was the headline in the Daily Times reporting on an assault of DPP Member of Parliament, Anita Kalinde, who was roughed up at Chileka International Airport in Blantyre on Wednesday as she joined the welcoming party of President Mutharika as he returned from a SADC summit in Windhoek, Namibia.

"They said they had received orders from above who are questioning my loyalty," the legislator was quoted as saying.

Some sections of the DPP are trying to ostracise Kalinde, who ironically is an MP from Mutharika's home district of Thyolo, and others for allegedly supporting Vice-President Banda in the succession stand-off.

In another political story the Weekend Nation reported on a probe of former Gender and Child Development Minister Patricia Kaliati on two mobile phone licenses and a tourism concession she approved when she was Tourism minister.

The weekly quoted Anti-Corruption Bureau director, Alexious Nampota, as saying investigations were concluded in the matters and the graft-busting body wanted to hear the ex-minister's side of the story.

He, however, denied claims that the probe could have influenced the vocal politician's axing from cabinet. "You may wish to find out from the Office of the President and cabinet on this," he said.

"One Million Malawians Face Hunger - SADC" was the headline of the weekly Malawi News, which quoted the 14-member regional economic bloc as saying in spite of Malawi recording a surplus of 1.12 million metric tonnes of maize, some sections of the population still require food assistance.

"Vulnerability assessments indicate a substantial increase in population requiring humanitarian assistance," the paper quoted the Gabarone, Botswana-headquartered organisation as saying.

The week also saw news of a grammar academy accused of over-employing Zimbabweans and illegally using corporal punishment and the long-awaited report on a legislator who died in South Africa under suspicious circumstances.

"Kalibu academy exposed", screamed a headline in the weekly scandal sheet, the Weekend Times, reporting on allegations by staff members at the elite high school in Blantyre that 24 of the 50 teachers at the school are Zimbabwean expatriates and that the school uses corporal punishment on students.

"I have ever received complaints ...however, when I ask the complainant to come with me and confront the administration they refuse for fear of dismissal," confessed Parent-Teacher Association Chairman Zack Kawalala.

"Chafukira Died Of Suffocation", reported The Nation, about the mysterious death of a youthful politician in South Africa months after challenging veteran opposition leader John Tembo.

The paper quoted a report by consultant histopathologists Prof. George Liomba and Dr. Charles Dzamalala as describing the death last year of the 40 year-old legislator as "unnatural".

Chafukira was leading a group of Young Turks in the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) who wanted to wrest power from Tembo after Malawi's oldest political party's dismal showing at the May 19, 2009 elections.

-August 21, 2010 by Panapress

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Source: www.topix.com/world/malawi/2010/08/politics-dominates-malawi-media (accessed on 24.08.10)