The mixed bag that was 2024
By Precious Msosa
Truth be told, if some people were asked how they would remember the year 2024, most of them will surely and quickly cite none other than the death of the country’s former vice president, the late Saulos Klaus Chilima, who was killed in a plane crash. It is an open secret that the tragic demise of Chilima and eight others in Chikangawa forest in Mzimba, sent shivers nationwide.
Religious leaders, civil society organisations, the young and the old, were all among those that could hardly stomach the sad end of Chilima on that fateful Monday morning, June 10, 2024. The former vice president who was on his way to the funeral of renowned lawyer and former cabinet minister, Ralph Kasambara in Nkhata Bay was and is still widely mourned because of his charismatic personality. Most people earmarked him to lead this country at some point.
Chilima’s death was one of the major events of the year 2024
This was evident as barely a year after forming United Transformation Movement (UTM) in 2018, Chilima who had ditched erstwhile governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) managed to amassed a million-plus votes in the 2019 Tripartite Elections, described by many political commentators as “a very rare feat.” This was a very big political statement which caused sleepless nights to his political ‘nemesis.’
However, a lot was speculated about his death, with some alleging it was a deliberate move by his alliance partners to eliminate him so that he should not run for the presidency in the upcoming September 16 elections on the alliance banner as it is believed that the MOU between Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM was to give each other a five-year-term.
With a lot of conspiracy theories about Chilima’s death, government eventually commissioned an independent inquiry led by the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) to investigate events leading to the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) plane crash. But when the preliminary report was released on August 30 by the BFU, most circles faulted it because it did not state the initial cause of the crash, only pointing out that the plane lacked both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) in addition to the non-functioning of the aircraft’s Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) due to its expiry of the battery in 2004.
“The report lacks substance and fails to provide answers to the questions Malawians have about what really led to the crash that killed the vice president. Instead, it has raised even more questions,” social commentator Mavuto Bamusi was quoted by www.aa.com.tr.
With the public still not satisfied and demanding that government institutes a separate Commission of Inquiry, President Lazarus Chakwera gave in and established one which by the time we went for press was yet to furnish the nation with the conclusive details of its findings.
Party conventions
Another highlight of the year just ending was the issue of political parties’ conventions, which almost all the parties represented in Parliament held. In as much as these parties boast of intraparty democracy, this appears to just be on paper going by how they were conducted.
In almost all the parties, namely DPP, MCP, UDF and Kondwani Nankhumwa’s People’s Development Party (PDP), the president’s position went unchallenged. On this, some political experts weighed in and concluded that it wasn’t normal; but rather the sinister work of some internal forces that had raised the red flags warning against anyone interested to challenge the incumbents.
One would therefore not be wrong to say that these were simply ‘staged’ indabas as they didn’t accord an opportunity to others to fairly compete for the top positions, especially president. And if such a person came out, that particular candidate would face an uphill task to get accredited. Memories are still fresh of how Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba, who expressed interest to vie for MCP’s first vice presidency, was squeezed in all angles. It was the courts which saved him. Mumba couldn’t easily sail through as he was regarded as an ‘outsider.’
Above all, it was the splashing of millions of kwachas by some candidates vying for some key positions at the MCP convention that left many in awe. Notably, two cabinet ministers namely, Homeland Security minister Ken Zikhale Ng’oma and Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda had people’s jaws dropping upon learning that they had spent K76.5 million in a day to lure some northern region delegates at the convention.
According to The Nation of July 12 2024, Zikhale Ng’oma is reported to have spent K45.9 million on 153 delegates who received K300,000 each while Chithyola Banda spent K30.6 million after dishing out K200,000 on the same. However, both of them lost on their respective positions of first vice president and secretary general they were vying for respectively.
This was widely regarded as an insult to the masses who are reeling from high cost of living. Worse still, those millions of kwachas could have helped their constituents to have some main roads graded, thereby easing mobility to some essential facilities like hospitals and schools.
Fuel and forex scarcity
The year 2024 was another bitter pill to swallow as on two occasions, people sang the old song of fuel scarcity. The problem which was compounded by the scarcity of forex, among others, almost halted the operations of most sectors.
Hospitals struggled to make referrals and could hardly operate back-up generators in times of power blackouts. Charity organizations too had their fair share of the problem as they could not go to their respective operation sites to distribute relief items to people affected by hunger.
Ironically, this scarcity had come at a time when government was on cloud nine celebrating the resumption of the services of a train that has started transporting fuel from Mozambique. The train arrived in Lilongwe on July 23, 2024 with 16 tankers, each carrying 42,000 litres. The last time a train brought the commodity was in 2003.
Speaking of the same development then, Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola said this would ensure timely and efficient delivery of fuel in the country. He told journalists in Lilongwe that since a train carries large volumes of fuel at once, this would ensure that the product is readily available in the country.
High cost of living
The year just ending was also very unbearable to the citizenry as they toiled to come to terms with the high cost of living. Prices of goods and services skyrocketed anyhow and every trader could willy-nilly hike the prices. It was a year that had people questioning whether businesses had authorities to regulate. People would go into a shop and buy the same product at three different prices within a month.
For instance, memories are still fresh of how prices of products such as sugar and cooking oil made people sweat. No wonder at a certain point, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) had to fight Illovo and Ministry of Trade and Industry for playing with Malawians’ lives.
Cooking oil prices went up
They argued how a local product could be that expensive as compared to how fairer the same product is sold in neighbouring countries like Zambia and Mozambique where the company [Illovo] exports its sugar.
The fluctuation of prices for several items really pained people the most as they could hardly make budgets of their spending. Traders argued that this was also due to unstable prices which they come across at wholesale shops.
Political parties on MEC, NRB
With the forthcoming Tripartite Elections on September 16, 2025 around the corner, most political parties are leaving nothing to imagination such that the eyes for the ‘foot soldiers’ are not blinking. Much as this is commendable to ensure credible, free and fair elections, it appears some of the arguments being advanced are not worthy the salt.
For instance, some opposition parties, namely DPP, UDF and AFORD are against the idea of using the National Identity Cards as one of the requirements for one to vote. But it is the same politicians who nodded to some of these new electoral laws. As if this was not enough, these parties were also demanding for the resignation of MEC chairperson, Annabel Mtalimanja after accusing her of being related to some ruling MCP officials.
Corruption at Judiciary
One of the major talking points in 2024 was also the strong accusation that one of the private lawyers, Alexious Kamangila, made towards the judiciary. Kamangila made a damn allegation that there is serious corruption in the judiciary, involving judges and lawyers.
The youthful lawyer’s allegation did not go down well with some judiciary minds who demanded that Kamangila should produce evidence.
It was as a big issue such that the Malawi Law Society (MLS) and the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) also tried to intervene. However, the young man stuck to his guns, claiming what he had said was nothing but the truth. This far, it remains to be seen how the issue will be completed.
