Malawi Gaming Board has not renewed contracts for two of its senior members of the management team, it has been learnt.

The board of directors has declined to renew the contract of Ted Nandolo, 71, who was Director of Social Services and Dave Saweruzika, 63, who was Director of Operations.

Malawi Gaming Board Chairman Benard Ndau neither confirmed nor denied the developments when contacted for comment.

“Contractual issues are private in nature. The board of directors will look at these issues and inform the concerned individuals of its decision,” said Ndau.

Insiders said Nandolo, a former Chief Executive Officer for Blantyre City Council, asked the board for the renewal of his contract despite reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.

On the other hand Saweruzika also wanted a contract extension despite reaching retirement age.

Malawi Gaming Board Chief Executive Officer Foster Mulumbe and Company Secretary and Head of legal Services Ofa Alide are yet to know their fate on the extension of their contracts which also expired.

Inside sources said  Malawi Gaming Board was taken as a ‘dumping ground’ for people who fell out of grace with the government during the past DPP regime.

For example, Mulumbe was sacked at Admarc where he was Chief Executive Officer over his involvement in the procurement of K30 billion maize from Zambia.

Nandolo too had his contract not renewed at Blantyre City Council and was appointed Director of Social services at Malawi Gaming Board, a position which is not found in the Board’s organogram.

Illovo sugar Malawi plc ‘iponyereni kwakuya ndi illovo’ promotion has picked up momentum as 57 more winners are rewarded in its second weekly draw held on Thursday last week.

The promotion has already seen 1,207 people walk away with various prizes including bicycles and 50kg bags of fertilizers.

Speaking at the second promotion weekly draw the company’s trade marketing manager Nita Chipeta said the promotion has indeed gathered momentum and there is an expectation that this will continue in the coming weeks.

“We are pleased to see the level of participation so far. We have already given away 42 bicycles, 72 bags of fertilizer, alongside other branded items and we still have more to give. We shall be giving out these prizes on a weekly basis for the next 8 weeks,” said Chipeta.

She also announced that the first vehicle draw where three wholesalers stand a chance of winning a Nissan NP200 pick-up each will be held on 23rd November, 2020.

The K100 million ‘iponyereni kwakuya ndi Illovo’ promotion was launched on 9th October 2020 and runs until 31st December 2020.

During this period the company is also giving branded items in a mystery shopper drive where brand ambassadors will be going to different markets across the country where instant prizes will be given randomly to anyone who is found to have purchased Illovo sugar.

Similar prizes can be won through instore promotions in selected Chipiku plus, Shoprite and Sana outlets on selected days.

By Mc Donald Chapalapata, a Contributor

Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company Limited (Limbe Leaf) on Monday donated various school items worth K40 million to a rural Majiga Primary School in Mpherembe in Mzimba District as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.

Donating the items which included 130 desks, two toilet blocks and washing facilities for both boys and girls, writing materials, books and sports equipment, Limbe Leaf Corporate Affairs Manager Leah Hez said the company is passionate about education and keeping children in school hence the support.

“Limbe Leaf is passionate about education and keeping children in school. All our farmers and our children are sensitized on the dangers and effects of using child labour and the fact that Limbe Leaf does not allow nor condone the use of children that are under 18 for any tobacco related work.”

“Children of school going age should be in school and not tobacco fields. This is why as a company we saw it fit to procure these sporting and learning materials. A conducive environment enables children to learn better, the learners’ books and teaching materials given will fill any gaps that the school had that may have impeded learning or teaching,” said Hez.

She said the sports materials are meant to encourage extra-curricular activities.

“Learning does not happen in just the 4 corners of a classroom but also outside. With games like chess and table tennis, learners will be able to develop their spatial and motor skills that further enhance their ability to understand the material the teachers give to them,” explained Hez.

Among other items that were donated were 400 reusable sanitary pads which Hez said would ensure that girls never miss a day of learning.

Primary Education Adviser (PEA) for Enkondhlweni zone Godfrey Luhanga thanked Limbe Leaf for the ‘remarkable donation’ saying it will help reduce absenteeism at the school.

“Your assistance at Majiga school will help the school to improve learner seat ratio, dropout rate, pass rate and will also reduce absenteeism rate since learners now will have all the necessities here at school.”

“Let me also urge members of staff of this school, learners, chiefs and the entire community to take care of these precious gifts so that they should last long and benefit others,” said Luhanga.

Headmaster for Majiga Primary School Kunani Nyoni thanked Limbe Leaf for the donation saying his school is becoming a role model school.

He said Limbe Leaf previously constructed classrooms and teachers houses.

“The addition of sports equipment for after school activities, books, toilet facilities and sanitary pads for the girls, will continue to enhance Majiga School’s capacity in delivering quality education,” said Nyoni.

Majiga School has an overall enrolment of 526 pupils consisting of 286 boys and 240 girls against 9 teachers.

A diplomat has accused NBS Bank in Malawi of stealing customers’ money.

The diplomat, Lot Dzozi, who once served as Deputy Permanent Representative at Permanent Mission of the Republic of Malawi to the United Nations, has reported the bank to Bankers Association of Malawi.

According to Dzonzi who is also former Inspector General of Malawi Police, his sister withdrew K800,000 in four bundles of K200,000 each but there was a shortfall of K116,000.

“In the past 3 days my sister withdrew money from a bank and found that from 4 bundles of 200000 notes, one bundle had 1680000, another 181000, another 175000 and another 160000, instead of 200000. This was in Blantyre at the former NBS Bank,” said Dzonzi in a Facebook post.

Commenters on the post concurred with Dzonzi saying such theft of customers’ money is common in the country’s banks.

NBS Bank was last week hit with a hacking scandal that reports said compromised customers.

The bank, in a statement, downplayed the allegations, saying its system was impenetrable because it was one of the most secure in the industry.

The Malawi Observer has learnt with great dismay and disappointment that the Board for BWB, a parastatal organisation in Blantyre, appointed an alleged thief in the name of Engineer Mavuto Chiipanthenga as the acting CEO after the expiry of the contract for Engineer Daniel Chaweza.

The story appeared on 7th November 2020 on Nyasa Times which stated that the Board for BWB headed by Mr George Nnensa agreed to appoint Chiipanthenga after merciless attacks against the former CEO from alleged “BWB Concerned Employees” through a series of anonymous letters which flooded the social media recently.

However, on 8th November 2020, the online sites were also awash with news that the elevated Director with some other employees had contributed to the plunder of resources at the Board. The story mentioned various individuals including the former Director of Finance, Henri Bakuwa, the former Procurement Manager, Andrew Puleni and one Stainley Bakolo.

It was alleged in the story that Mavuto Chiipanthenga and Stainley Bakolo misappropriated funds for the implementation of the water source project from Mulanje by making unilateral decisions without consulting the supervision team that was formed to oversee the project. This affected the quality of the work and that the project is more like a ‘white elephant.’

It is also alleged that these two individuals with their whole families secretly went to India with sponsorship from the Indian Contractor who was doing the work.

The article also states that Mr Chiipanthenga had constructed modern houses at Machinjiri and Chileka which do not reflect the salaries and benefits they got from Blantyre Water Board during their period at the Board.

This writer wonders why such an individual and their accomplices are given the mandate to run a company which is aimed at serving the people of Malawi, when their aim is to siphon company resources for their own gain.

We agree with the writer of the story that Board Members and Government should look critically on the acts of these people and sanitise BWB so that it serves the people as mandated, otherwise the company’s performance and image will be at stake.

FDH Bank has donated K6 million to the College of Medicine (CoM) to support online learning at the college during the Covid-19 pandemic era.

Presenting the donation in Blantyre on Monday, FDH bank Managing Director Dr Ellias Ngalande said as a brand that supports growth and with a robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program pivoted on education and health, the bank found it necessary to assist CoM students meet their needs that will both serve their academic growth and the welfare of the country in terms of building a skilled work force in the health sector.

“In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, government ordered the closure of all schools and colleges which were doing face to face teaching. This was aimed at reducing the spread of the virus through classroom congestion and physical contact.”

“This rendered many students helpless as they could not afford laptops or tablets to foster online academic progress in the Emergency Remote Learning facilitated by COM. In this respect, we mobilized K6 Million to the College of Medicine to procure laptops for 15 students at K400,000 each,” said Ngalande.

Ngalande said FDH Bank, as a home grown institution, is keen on supporting the needs of Malawians adding that they support various initiatives in education and health sectors including the University of Malawi, Malawi College of Science and Technology and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.

He hailed Principal of CoM Dr Mwapatsa Mipando and his team for the initiative to ensure continued investment in educating the nation and efforts towards inclusiveness for those facing various challenges in their academic journey.

Mipando thanked FDH bank for the donation saying it will go a long way in helping students who cannot afford the tablets for the Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) which has come about because of Covid-19 restrictions.

“We are very grateful for this donation and we would like to thank FDH Bank immensely for coming to the rescue of our students,” said Mipando noting that they still need more support in the initiative.

TNM Plc has partnered with Malawi Government to provide free Wi-Fi in selected public places across Malawi over a three-year period.

The initiative is being implemented by Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) under the Digital Project Malawi and will lead to the setting up of 30 Wi-Fi hotspots including schools, libraries, hospitals and markets where users will be given 120 Mega Bytes (120MBs) for browsing each day with an option to buy more.

Speaking during the contract signing ceremony in Blantyre, Acting Chief Executive Officer for Public Private Partnership Commission, Audrey Mwala said the initiative will benefit students and allow them to perform better as they access the latest information at their schools and libraries.

“People in hospitals will also be able to connect with their loved ones and those in markets will be able to do business online,” said Mwala.

TNM Chief Information Officer Peter Munthali said the engagement of TNM Plc in the project was a seal of approval from the Malawi Government, through PPPC and a recognition of TNM’s capabilities to offer reliable and efficient Free Public Wi-Fi to targeted public institutions.

“We feel honored for this recognition. As a pioneer telecoms company in Malawi with end-to-end solutions provider for all telecommunication needs, TNM is geared up to the task of ensuring targeted communities enjoy a seamless user experience in all the 30 Wi-Fi hotspots,” said Munthali.

He noted that provision of new technologies such the Free Public Wi-Fi needed to be matched with provision for more affordable devices on the market. “As we push for digital inclusion, we will continue to engage government on possible options aimed at bringing down the cost of internet enabled devices,” said Munthali.

Munthali said on its part, apart from introducing affordable smartphone (kaiOS 4G phone) on the market at K24,999, TNM has also partnered with commercial banks to give their mutual customers ‘smart digital lifestyle’ through the mobile device loans to bring the world at their fingertips.

To increase high speed internet availability at low cost, TNM plc as a champion of digital technologies recently partnered the world’s technology giant Facebook, to roll out public access Wi-Fi hotspots in the country.

TNM Express Wi-Fi is designed to complement mobile data offerings by providing a low-cost, high bandwidth alternative for getting online and access apps, download and stream content.

“Anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device, regardless of their network of use, can access the TNM Express Wi-Fi network at an Express Wi-Fi hotspot or retailer and purchase a daily, weekly or monthly data pack.”

“To sign up to the service, a customer needs to open https://tnm-mw.expresswifi.com on their mobile device browser and register for the service. First time users will get a free 100MB of data that can be used at any TNM Express Wi-Fi hotspot location. Users only have to sign up once and get access to all available hotspots nationwide,” explained Munthali.