Police in Salima are looking for unknown suspects who have murdered an elderly man who is in his 40s in the district.

Salima Police Spokesperson Jacob Khembo confirmed the development, saying the deceased is yet to be identified.

According to Khembo, it was suspected that the man drowned in Lingadzi River on Thursday, at Traditional Authority (T/A) Khombedza in Salima.

According to the investigation, a report from Salima district hospital now indicates that the deceased man died of brain damage a clear indication of foul play.

Police in Chitipa are keeping four men in custody for being suspected that they assaulted an elderly man to death identified as Jamu Chizumila at Mweneitulo village in the district.

Chizumila was killed by angry villagers on January 17, 2023 because he failed to take part in a community work at Namutegha Primary School, where the villagers were constructing a school building.

The angry villagers took away all his livestock as a punishment and assaulted him, and later he was taken to Chitipa district hospital where he died.

Postmortem conducted at Chitipa District revealed that the suspected died as a result of severe head injuries.

Chitipa Police Station Assistant Public Relations Officer Hope Nyarinyari said four suspects will soon appear in court to answer murder charges contrary to Section 309 of the Penal Code.

The four suspects were identified as 25 year-old Henderson Kaweta, 27 year-old Lomeni Mwabeni, 62 year-old Kingstone Mwabeni from Mweneitulo village, and 64-year old Otawa Msukwa from Mwangulukulu village, in the area of Senior Chief Mwenemisuku in Chitipa district.

Chizumila also came from Mweneitulo village, in the area of Senior Chief Mwenemisuku in the district.

Mangochi police station has registered an increase in rape cases in the year 2022, compared to the year 2021.

Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi revealed that 14 rape cases were reported from January to December 2022, while eight cases were recorded in the year 2021 in the same period.

Daudi said among the fourteen men, seven were herbalists while the other seven were other men.

“Most of the perpetrators of rape case cases in 2022 were traditional healers who took advantage of their clients, who had consulted them for treatment,” said Daudi.

According to Daudi, overall crime has decreased by 16 percent, as 1,773 cases were recorded in 2021 compared to 1,490 in 2022 in the district.

Report from the police indicates that 2022 defilement cases has reduced compared to 2021 cases.

According to the reports, 88 defilement cases were registered in 2021 while 80 cases were registered in the year 2022.

Mangochi police has assured the community members they will make sure to make Mangochi a safe place for everyone.

Police in Nsanje are searching for six women whose bodies are still missing after a boat carrying not less than 15 people overturned on Wednesday morning in the area of Traditional Authority Mlolo.

The district’s police spokesperson, Sub-Inspector, Agnes Zalakoma confirmed the development, saying the search has led to no rescue.

Zalakoma said, “It is difficult to trace the bodies as we do not have marine police officers there unlike here at the boma.”

She said the search is still underway, A one-year-seven-months-old baby, Calvin Gilbert, from the area of Traditional Authority Mlolo died as a result of the accident which occurred at Khambadza village.

Nsanje police said the accident happened after the canoe hit a tree trunk which resulted in loss of balance.

According to the police, all the people on board were washed away by running water, before some well-wishers managed to rescue eight of them.

An unknown male person who had mental problems at Chindawira Village in the area of Senior Chief Vuso Jere in Ntchisi District has been found dead.

Ntchisi Police Publicist Yohane Tasowana said the deceased was found lying along the road by some people, and he used to loiter around Chinthembwe Trade Centre located within the village.

Tasowana said after getting the news from the community members, the police rushed to the spot and found no marks of violence and that the body was intact.

According to Tasowana, the body of the deceased was taken to Ntchisi District Hospital pending postmortem and identification by relatives.

The deceased hailed from Vinyungu Village in T/A’s Mwansbo’s area in Nkhotakota District.

A heavy rainstorm in the areas of Paramount Chief Kyungu, Traditional Authorities Kilupula and Wasambo in Karonga have destroyed 11 hectares of maize field, injured 24 people ad leaving 485 households homeless.

District Commissioner for Karonga, Rodrick Mateuma said some victims are staying with their relatives while other are seeking shelter in churches.

He added that the council has already reported the issue to Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) and other development partners asking for relief assistance.

According to Traditional Authority Kilupula, a total of 249 households with a total population of 1249 people have been affected in his area.

Karonga is experiencing more flash floods following heavy rains that have been falling since early hours of Thursday.

Officials from the district council are on the ground to establish the extent of damage.

World vision has donated K90 million for Cholera Health supplies to help in fighting against Cholera outbreak.

Speaking after the donation, Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, said more investments in hygiene and sanitation will be needed if the cholera outbreak keeps on rising.

Chiponda urged citizens in Malawi to have clean and safe water and they have to make proper use of toilets.

Chiponda added that everyone must be responsible and stick to the cholera preventive measures.

On his part National Director for World Vision, Francis Dube said his organisation will continue helping and working with communities in the country.

The cholera outbreak has affected all 29 health districts in the country, with the first case being reported in Machinga district and it has so far killed more than 1, 000 people and with 30,621 active cases.

Deputy Mayor for Zomba City Munilla Bakali Chitseko said that a waste management has been a big problem in Zomba, which has made cholera outbreak to increase and since killed 19 people in the city.

Chitseko said this when the Lions Club of Zomba was donating 38 bins to Zomba City Council (ZCC) to help manage waste disposal in the old capital.

Chitseko has assured he club that the gesture would assist in containing diseases like Cholera.

According to Chitseko, the council is trying its best to acquire a new skip loader that will enable that cabbages should be collected in time.

The club’s president, Grace-Charity Chizalema, said they got the bins from Toyota Malawi through their sister club Lions Club of Blantyre.

Chizalema said the club members hope that the donated bins would serve their intended purpose.

A Nursing Midwifery Technician has been sentenced 10 years imprisonment for stealing various medical drugs at Dedza District Hospital.

The technician identified as Oliva Lifa stole drugs worth K630, 000.

State prosecutor Patrick Dickson Chipote said to the court that the suspect stole the drugs on October 14, 2022, which led to shortage of medical drugs at the facility.

Lifa asked for mercy, saying it was his first time to commit a crime and he will also lose his job.

Principal Resident Magistrate Clemence Chamwenda said the act of stealing medical drugs by health workers is now common, ordering Lifa 10 years imprisonment will help others not to steal medical drugs in hospitals.

A motorcycle taxi operator has been shot dead by his passenger at Thunga Trading Centre in Thyolo.

According to information at hand, the incident happened last night.

It was reported that the act was a robbery attempt, whereby the suspect was carried from Thunga direction to Januwale but upon reaching Kamphonje Estate the robber shot the motorcycle operator.

The deceased tried to scream for help before he was shot and some community members rushed to the spot and prevented the attempted robbery.

The motorcycle operator was taken to Thyolo District Hospital to seek for treatment and was pronounced dead on arrival.

Thyolo District Hospital spokesperson, Fanuel Makina said the person had injuries consistent to gunshot wounds.

Some police officers privy to the investigation have collaborated the details of the incident and that the suspect has escaped.

Mangochi Municipality Mayor, Chisuse Iman has asked residents to stop improper waste disposal to prevent cholera, since the district is registering more cases.

Iman said, most people are deliberately throwing waste everywhere in the area, which is very worrisome and unhealthy.

“Residents are ignoring cleanliness campaigns. This habit is what causes a reoccurrence of water borne diseases every rainy season. It is high time residents developed a mindset change and spearheaded cleanliness in their surroundings,” said Iman.

Chairperson for Mangochi Central Market, Langson Ntchona supported Iman point, saying people need to maintain hygiene.

“The council is trying it’s best to manage waste but its efforts are being rendered useless as waste keeps on accumulating. I want to urge all market users to dispose waste in appropriate places,” said Ntchona.

As of Tuesday, January 24, Mangochi had recorded 6,145 new cholera cases and 105 deaths.

Minister of Transport Jacob Hara has disclosed that more roads in the country have been damaged, making them not conducive for use.

Hara addressed the press in Lilongwe and has made plans of allocating more funds to district councils for the roads to be maintained.

Hara said some works have were delayed because of payments which are not yet paid by the treasury, but all projects will done as promised including the rehabilitation of the M1.

He added that President Lazarus Chakwera is willing to change the country and it will be done.

According to Hara, Malawians will one day appreciate that Chakwera is a good leader who by then will have changed Malawi for the better.

Commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) Charles Kalemba has disclosed that anyone involved in corruption and theft must be arrest.

The commissioner said this today at Chawantha in Traditional Authority Kalolo in Lilongwe where DoDMA was distributing maize to 1,377 people in food crisis this consumption season.

Kalemba has asked local councils and local leaders that any person that is caught doing corruption or stealing, he or she must not only give back the items but must also be arrested.

He has also told the traditional leaders to introduce bylaws that will help subjects to spending adequate time to do activities that would enable them provide for themselves instead of waiting for relief assistance.

Thyolo District Health Office has asked stakeholders to help the facility with items to fight against cholera outbreak in the district.

This was said on Tuesday when Friends of Thyolo donated medical supplies such as, chlorine and washing buckets worth K300, 000 to the district’s hospital in aiding the cholera response.

The district’s nursing officer, Hilda Gausi, said the facility has a shortage of items like beds and tents for cholera patients.

According Gausi, the hospital is registering more cases, as of now there are 486 patients who are using ordinary beds meant for other pantients.

“We don’t have the right beds and enough tents to assist cholera patients,” said Gausi.

National secretary for the organisation, Willard Mwambo said the donation was made in response to the call by the authorities on resource constraints.

Ndirande Police Station Spokesperson, Sub-Inspector Wisdom Nhlane disclosed that Ndirande police station has registered a decrease in defilement cases in the year 2022, compared to 2021.

Nhlane said in the year 2021 from January to December 48 defilement cases were registered while in the year 2022  from January to December only 22 cases were registered in the same reporting period.

The decreased in defilement cases follows the harsh punishment that the gives to the offenders and awareness campaigns the station conducted.

He has urged community members to continue reporting defilement cases, saying delaying in doing so leads to loss of evidence.

“The positive working relationship with different stakeholders such as traditional leaders, community policing members and community members in the township are also contributing factors to the reduction,” he said.

Nhlane has since asked traditional leaders to formulate and strengthen by-laws that will help in curbing defilement cases in the township.

Students of Assalam Boys Secondary School in Mangochi have destroyed some equipment at their school over poor diet at the campus.

Mangochi police said the students have damaged things like the administration block, hostel and other school equipments.

Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer, Sub lnspector Amina Tepani Daudi said the learners tried to complain about the diet but the management did not address the issue and the students decided to go on hunger strike from Saturday.

Mangochi police visited the spot and it was discovered that two printers, laptop and a genset were damaged.

According to Daidi, the police did not found any student at the scene, since they fled to unknown destination.

Police in Blantyre have found a woman’s dead body floating in Mudi River.

Blantyre Police Assistant Public Relations Officer, Ivy Mwalabu, confirmed the incident, saying the woman has not yet been identified.

Mwalabu said a man who was searching for metal scraps along the river saw the dead body floating in the river.

“The man reported the matter to Blantyre Police Station where Criminal Investigation Detectives (CIDs) visited the scene and took the dead body to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) for postmortem and allow possibility of relatives to come and identify the body,” said Mwalabu.

Mwalibu has urged the public to go to QECH to identify the body or to report any incident of a missing person.

Blantyre Police has advised people in the area to avoid crossing rivers during the rainy season to prevent themselves from drowning.

A 22 year old man was found hanging lifeless to roof in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mabuka in Mulanje for unknown reasons.

The deceased has been identified as Goodwill Mayawo.

Mulanje Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Innocent Moses said the deceased committed suicide in his parents’ house yesterday.

“Police visited the scene and the body was taken to Mulanje District Hospital where postmortem revealed that death was due to suffocation secondary to strangulation,” said Moses.

Mulanje Police have urged people to avoid taking their own life when they are troubled or if they are facing any challenges.

Mulanje police said it is important to share issues with close friends and relatives for help and guidance.