Lazarus Chakwera - The African Mirror

Jul

2022

Southern African bloc further extends Mozambique troop deployment

SOUTHERN African countries agreed to extend their troop deployment in Mozambique for another month to help it fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency. The countries, linked in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), agreed last year to send troops to Mozambique. The mission's mandate was set to end on Friday but has been extended on an interim basis until an SADC heads of state summit in mid-August, when a more detailed report on the mission's progress will be considered. The insurgency is concentrated in Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado. It has claimed thousands of lives since it broke out in…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID GRAFT: Malawi fires minister, arrests officials

NEWS

FOURTEEN people, including senior officials, have been arrested in Malawi and Labour Minister Ken Kandodo has been sacked over misuse of COVID-19 funds, President Lazarus Chakwera and police have announced. Chakwera said in a televised address he had commissioned an audit into how 6.2 billion Malawian kwacha ($7.95 million) intended for the country's coronavirus response programme had been spent, and that this had identified that funds had vanished, been misused and left idle. "As I speak, over a dozen individuals suspected of committing the crimes exposed by this audit report have been arrested," he said, adding this included an arrest…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Malawi to close schools, bars to shut early

COVID-19

MALAWI’S schools are to shut for at least 15 days, and all bars must close at 8 p.m., under new coronavirus restrictions announced by President Lazarus Chakwera in a television address. After reporting no positive cases for almost two months, the country has seen a sudden resurgence in coronavirus cases since the middle of last month. The new measures concerning schools and bars will take effect from Monday. Chakwera also said the government has allocated an additional 1.6 billion kwacha ($2.10 million) in funds to be spent on recruiting frontline healthcare workers, 1,000 intensive care unit beds and 1,000 oxygen…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Another denial that Malawi president smuggled Bushiri out South Africa

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SOUTH Africa has issued a second denial that Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera smuggled self-styled ‘prophet’ Shepherd Bushiri after a working visit to the country. The SA government issued the denial after the Sunday Independent, quoting anonymous sources, published a story claiming that Bushiri and his wife Mary, who skipped bail, slipped out of the country with the help of Chakwera and some local authorities. The government dismissed the story and said it remained committed to investigating the matter, which led to a diplomatic tiff between South African and Malawi. Phumla Williams, a spokesperson of the government, said:…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Diplomatic tiff develops between Malawi and South Africa over treatment of President

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER A diplomatic row has erupted between South Africa and Malawi over the treatment of President Lazarus Chakwera after a working visit to his southern African neighbour. In an unusual step, the Malawian government issued a statement, decrying how Chakwera and his delegation were ill-treated by South Africa. The statement came on the day that the Malawian government confirmed that self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife who skipped bail and fled to Malawi, arrived in that country on Wednesday, two days before Chakwera’s arrival in SA. The Malawi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Chakwera’s return to Malawi…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Bushiris are now fugitives after a South African court issues warrants of arrest

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SELF-PROCLAIMED prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary are now officially fugitives from the law after warrants of arrests were issued against them for violating their bail conditions. The couple, who fled South Africa and are now in Malawi, also had their bail of R200 000 each revoked by the Pretoria Magistrates Court. They are on trial with three other accused where they face fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a R20-million ponzi scheme. The South African government was forced to issue an assurance that the Bushiris were not smuggled out of South Africa by…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Former Malawian minister jailed for corruption

NEWS

FRANK PHIRI A former Malawian cabinet minister has been sentenced to six years in jail for corruption, the first conviction of a high-ranking official of the former administration since new President Lazarus Chakwera won office on an anti-graft campaign. Chakwera unseated former leader Peter Mutharika in a June 23 re-run election after the 2019 poll was overturned by a court due to irregularities. The re-run came after weeks of rare street protests against the ruling party over the elections and corruption accusations. The High Court in Lilongwe sentenced the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) powerful minister of home affairs…