UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Malawi News Online (13) - 08/09/96

Malawi News Online (13) - 08/09/96

MALAWI NEWS ONLINE/MALAWI NEWS ONLINE/MALAWI NEWS ONLINE

Edition No: 13 9 August
1996

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Online
The fortnightly update of news from
Malawi

MALAWI NEWS ONLINE is written by Malawian journalists in Malawi and from their point of view. It is assembled and edited in Denmark by South Africa Contact (the former anti-apartheid movement), publishers of i'Afrika, the quarterly magazine on Southern Africa.

The fortnightly news updates from Malawi are provided by our established network of journalists in Southern Africa. They will be followed, in the not too distant future, by individual news updates covering other Southern African countries.

MALAWI NEWS ONLINE is brought to you by a co-operation between South Africa Contact and Inform-bbs, the leading alternative information network in Denmark.

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In this edition:

Feature: TWINS IN PILOT HIV STUDY
Articles:
1 JURY SYSTEM SIMPLIFIED
2 MALAWI TO DISCUSS DEPORTEES WITH SOUTH AFRICA
3 BUREAU TO PROBE NOTEBOOK SCAM
4 LACK OF BURIAL SPACE BRINGS PROBLEMS TO BLANTYRE
5 K160 MILLION IN UNPAID TAXES
6 MALAWI BEMOANS TRADE IMBALANCE
7 OPPOSITION RETAINS SEATS
8 STREET DRUG VENDORS CHALLENGE PRESIDENT
9 MALAWI GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING VALUE ADDED TAX
10 POLICE NET CAR THIEVES
11 SCHOOL GIRL COLLAPSES DURING LATE NIGHT EXAM TESTS

FEATURE:

TWINS IN PILOT HIV STUDY

About 40 sets of twins have become the focus of a pilot observational study at a special clinic at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre to determine the effect of HIV infection on twins.

Professor Ronin Broadhead of Malawi College of Medicine, the paediatrician who is leading the research team, said one of the reasons for the two-year study was to find out the degree of risk of HIV infection and the effect of HIV on twins. "For sometime now it has been known that the first twin is much more at risk of developing AIDS than the second twin,'' he said.

He said the college, in conjunction with John Hopkins University in the USA, carried out a study to see whether by washing the vaginal canal, HIV transmission could be interrupted. He said this had not, however, been proved so. It is, however, presumed that contact of the baby with vaginal secretions might have an effect on increasing the risk of HIV infection.

''Our interest in twins continues because their mortality rate is high especially when mothers have big families and have to look after two babies at once.'' Mothers often find that one baby, the stronger one, dominates over the second, and the survival rate of the second twin is often much less than the single baby, he said. He also said that another objective of the study was to find out whether it was possible to improve the lives of both twins by running regular clinics and monitoring them carefully in the antenatal period and after the birth.

He said the study also looks at different types of the virus as it is now known that HIV is not just a single type. ''It changes and replicates itself making 'cousins' which are related but slightly different in their actual form."

Broadhead said that he hopes the clinic will go on indefinitely providing services for mothers with twins. He said that twins always present a challenge and he hopes the study would help improve the outcome for both twins, adding that it was good clinical practice to run a clinic for a certain risk group such as mothers with twins.

The central hospital has several advantages for the study, one being that it has from 13,000 to 14,000 babies delivered annually and it is hoped that the study will be able to gather information on at least 100 pairs of twins each year. The prevalence of HIV in delivering women is over 30% with the perinatal transmission rate established at 28%.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that one in 40 mothers deliver twins, while in Europe it is one to every 80 births. Professor Broadhead said the biological reasons for this difference are not clearly understood.

All twins delivered at QECH are eligible to be enrolled into the study, after informed consent for HIV testing is obtained from parents.

1 JURY SYSTEM SIMPLIFIED

The Malawi judiciary has come up with a cost-cutting means of speeding up trials for the 800 outstanding murder cases. It is to start engaging jurors who commute from their homes.

Deputy High Court Registrar, Bikitu Qoto, said the new system, which will also apply to jurors on treason cases, will cut hotel accommodation expenses for the jurors who will, however, continue to be provided with security and other services such as food and sitting allowances.

Qoto said trial by jury, which is required by the country's constitution, is too costly for the judiciary which depends on government subventions affected by the cash-budget system. He cited the year long murder trial of several MCP officials, including former president Kamuzu Banda, which cost Malawi K3 million (US 200,000).

Parliament has already passed the bill and it is now awaiting presidential approval. The bill allows any juror to sit for murder or treason trials. Previously jurors were required to come from the accused's district of origin.

Some lawyers, however, argue that the jury system should be dispensed with because it delays trial and pending cases. They say that its introduction was ill-timed and wrongly prioritised for the marginally poor Malawi, which is the only country using the system in the SADC region. They argue that the country would benefit more by investing in the training of lawyers.

2 MALAWI TO DISCUSS DEPORTEES WITH SOUTH AFRICA

The Malawi Human Rights Commission has been meeting (August 5-12) with South African human rights organisations to find ways of easing the suffering of Malawian deportees.

Ombudsman James Chirwa, who co-chairs the commission with Law Commissioner Elton Singini, said in an interview that the commission had collected names of some of the Malawians due for repatriation and would raise their plight at the meeting with South African human rights bodies.

South Africa has in recent months gone on a spree repatriating Malawians with dubious residence permits. Those repatriated usually leave without their assets and are thus subjected to undue hardships during the repatriation.

Chirwa and Singini are also linking up with their South African counterparts on the setting up of the offices of the Ombudsman, Law Commissioner and the Human Rights Commission.

South African High Commissioner, Llewelyn Crewe-Brown, said his government would not change its repatriation policies and would continue to repatriate people without proper travel documents.

He said those who complain about leaving their assets can always arrange to pick them up with their lawyers. He also said that it was difficult to release those found without proper travel documents so they could organise their assets because of the risk of their running away.

He did, however, dismiss allegations that South Africa might be treating Malawians with a heavy hand because of the Malawi government's stand during the apartheid era. Malawi was one of very few countries in Africa which openly allied with the white-led apartheid government. Malawi was also not supportive of countries and organisations such as the ANC which were fighting to dismantle the system.

3 BUREAU TO PROBE NOTEBOOK SCAM

The newly launched Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), has said it will review all reports of enquiries into alleged corruption, such as the Fieldyork notebook scam involving Malawi's ex-minister of education, Sam Mpasu.

The mysterious fire that gutted the offices of the Petroleum Control Commission, destroying vital information into the diverting of funds to private use by some officers, will also be screened, the bureau's director Gilton Chiwaula said on August 2.

Chiwaula said the bureau was empowered to review all enquiries into allegations of corruption made by other institutions to find out how serious they are for possible prosecution of culprits.

Asked on whether the bureau would specifically investigate the Fieldyork notebook scandal, involving the procurement of notebooks by Sam Mpasu in 1994, Chiwaula said that there was no doubt that they would do this, "especially now the public are demanding that we do so''.

Mpasuwho, who by-passed all government procedures in the purchase of the notebooks, is alleged to have received hefty kickbacks from the deal with a UK-based company. Mpasu denies the charge. President Bakili Muluzi, bowing to public pressure and keen to clear his government from corruption charges, replaced Mpasu as education minister and then later dropped him completely from the cabinet, but gave him the party portfolio of Secretary General.

Chiwaula said the bureau would also review fraud enquiry reports into the PCC, the Development of Malawian Trust, whose general manager and a senior officer are on suspension, and into the Lilongwe city council.

4 LACK OF BURIAL SPACE BRINGS PROBLEMS TO BLANTYRE

Christians of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), in the Blantyre synod, may as well get used to the idea of having their bodies cremated when they die.

The church's general secretary, Rev Misanjo Kansilanga, is convinced that this is the only solution to the problem of a shortage of burial space in Blantyre's cemeteries.

Kansilanga said the public should shed the belief that cremation of bodies was not compatible with African beliefs and traditions. He said the large numbers of burials being conducted at the church's cemetery in Blantyre, which is nearly full, had prompted the synod to restrict further burials to its church members only. He said the synod had written to the City of Blantyre to come to the rescue of the church but, up to now, there had been no response.

In fact the city is also facing the same problem. It has already closed a number of its own cemeteries in the city because they are full.

Kansilanga said there was a need to start teaching people to accept the idea of cremation, acknowledging that he was aware of the resistance the suggestion would meet due to deep- rooted African beliefs and traditions.

5 K160 MILLION IN UNPAID TAXES

Companies, government departments and the general public are depriving the government of K160 million (US 10.06 million) in unpaid tax.

In order to redress this situation and improve the situation of the government coffers, the department of income tax has threatened to confiscate the property of all companies and individuals who fail to honour their tax obligations.

Income Tax is the second biggest revenue generating department for the government, after Customs and Excise.

Most of the unpaid tax is due to tax evasion while a considerable part is also played by employers who deliberately delay remitting the taxes deducted from their employers, giving preference to other commitments, said Yvensio Chimombo, Commissioner of Taxes.

Included among those owing the department money after deducting 'pay as you earn' (PAYE)funds from their employees, are some government departments.

Chimombo said the time was up for tax defaulters. His department could no longer sit back while some unscrupulous people and organisations swindled the government of its much-needed revenue. He said that the law would take its course against culprits by confiscating their property which they could redeem upon payment of their tax dues.

6 MALAWI BEMOANS TRADE IMBALANCE

Malawi has said it was not certain if it had benefited from its membership to regional groupings like the Southern African Development Community (SADC), or the Common Market for Eastern Southern Africa (COMESA).

Opening a seminar on a study of economic integration in Southern Africa, Malawi's Deputy Finance Minister Lizzie Lossa lamented that Malawi had not benefited from most of the grouping's programmes and activities put in place to promote socio-economic development in member countries. She said there was presently a big trade imbalance between Malawi and some of its trading partners in the region in favour of other countries.

She said that although Malawi's benefits from such bodies could obviously not benefit those of other countries with bigger economies, like Zimbabwe and South Africa, there was need for the region to aim at greater regional integration and stability.

7 OPPOSITION RETAINS SEATS

The opposition Malawi Congress Party and Alliance for Democracy retained their parliamentary seats in a by-election held on July 29 in Nsanje, south Malawi, and Nkhata-Bay, in the north.

MCP won by a small margin the hotly contested Nsanje Lalanje seat vacated due to the death of Chimalizeni Sabola in March this year.MCP's candidate, Sylvestor Vazhi, scooped 3090 votes against 2795 votes for United Democratic Front's Ibrahim Phoso.

In Nkhata-Bay Aford's Austin Mwenda overwhelmingly beat his contenders by 4470 votes against 1475 for his runner up katantha Banda of the MCP.

Both polls were characterised by voter apathy with less than 33% of registered voters polling in both by-elections.

The ruling UDF has protested against the results of both the polls alleging electoral fraud and has called for a re-run. The Electoral Commission is withholding the results following the protest and has since started investigations into the alleged irregularities.

8 STREET DRUG VENDORS CHALLENGE PRESIDENT

Street vendors selling unprescribed drugs in the city of Blantyre have challenged president Bakili Muluzi, who on July 31 ordered police to assist in cracking down on the illegal business.

Muluzi said that apart from being illegal, the drugs were being stolen from government hospitals. This, he said, was one of the reasons for the shortage of drugs in these hospitals.

The vendors, however, who sell anything from aspirin to drugs for treating tuberculosis, are unmoved by the threat, and have challenged the president to prove to them that the drugs are being stolen from hospitals. The vendors have also challenged the police to arrest them saying the law on the sale of drugs is very weak.

Hospital authorities say theft of drugs by health personnel is rampant and contributes to the shortage of medicines in the hospitals.

9 MALAWI GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING VALUE ADDED TAX

The Malawi government is considering the introduction of value added tax, to replace the surtax system that is currently in force on manufactured goods and services.

Controller of Customs and Excise, Ernest Mtingwi, and Commissioner for Tax, Yvensio Chimombo, said studies would be conducted on how best to introduce the new tax as one way of boosting government's revenue.

Mtingwi said the VAT system was already working in many countries, such as South Africa and neighbouring Zambia, and said there should be no problem introducing it in Malawi. VAT is tax levied on the rise in value of a product at each stage of its manufacture. It is thus expected to earn government more revenue than surtax.

10 POLICE NET CAR THIEVES

Malawi police announced on July 30 they had netted four people in connection with a spate of car thefts that have recently rocked the country.

Police spokesman, Willie Chingaru said the four - all residents of the capital, Lilongwe - admitted having stolen a number of vehicles which they sold in neighbouring Zambia.

Chingaru said all the vehicles they stole, mostly saloons cars, were Toyotas. He said investigations were continuing to net in more culprits following the catch.

11 SCHOOL GIRL COLLAPSES DURING LATE NIGHT EXAM TESTS

At a Blantyre school recently, a girl candidate collapsed due to hunger and fatigue when she and 40 other students were forced to sit their school certificate examination through the night because of a shortage of examination papers.

Neither the invigilators nor the Malawi National Examination Board would comment on the issue. At least 15 students spent the night in the examination hall while some of their fellow students who live near the centre had to walk home in the early hours of the morning.

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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Subject: Malawi News Online - (13) Date: 19 Aug 1996 09:21:42 GMT Message-Id: <1262350302.111059070@inform-bbs.dk>

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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