Malawi

Alert

Date: March 9, 2010
Person/ institutions: Bingu wa
Mutharika, Private Media
Violation/ issue: Banned
MISA-Malawi issued an appeal on 4
March 2010 to the country’s President
Bingu wa Mutharika to intervene on
reports that government departments
have been given a directive to stop
advertising with some private media
houses in the country, among them,
Nation Publications Limited (NPL),
publishers of The Nation, Weekend
Nation, Nation On Sunday and Fuko.

Communiqué

Date: June 15, 2010
Person/ institutions: Journalists,
Child Justice Court.
Violation/ issue: Legislation
Malawian journalists risked arrest for
disclosing the name, address or school of
a child involved in any proceedings in the
Child Justice Court. A new bill on Child
Care, Protection and Justice expected
which was to be tabled in Parliament
proposed that journalists who identify
a child involved in proceedings of the
Child Justice Court will be jailed for six
months or in default pay up to K20,
000 (US$ 133), while media houses that
publish the details risks a K100, 000
(US$666) fine.

Communiqué
Date: July 21, 2010
Person/institution: MACRA, Media
Violation/issue: Legislation
The Malawi Communications Regulatory
Authority (MACRA) on 19 July 2010

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2010

brought together media managers and
parliamentary committee on Media and
Communications to review the country’s
Communications Act. The current Act,
which was enacted in 1998, has several
shortfalls and fails to address innovations
and products that have sprouted recently
such as the internet.

Communiqué

Date: August 13, 2010
Person/institution: Parliament,
MISA-Malawi
Violation/issue: Legislation
MISA-Malawi on 11 August 2010 appeared
before the Media and Communications
Committee of parliament to update
the committee on the campaign on
enactment of the Access to Information
(ATI) Bill. The committee assured that the
Bill will be tabled during the next sitting
of the National Assembly in November
2010, or in the first quarter of 2011.

Communiqué

Date: September 22, 2010
Person/institution: MACRA, Radio
Stations
Violation/issue: Banned
The Malawi Communications Regulatory
Authority (MACRA) has since January
2010, closed eight pirate radio stations in
four districts. The regulatory body’s Public
Relations Officer Zadziko Mankhambo
told The Daily Times newspaper that one
radio station has been closed in Mulanje
and four in Machinga, both districts
situated in Southern Malawi; and each
in Kasungu, Mchinji and Dowa in Central
Malawi.

Alert

Date: September 22, 2010
Person/institution: MACRA,
G-Mobile.
Violation/issue: Banned, Victory
The Malawi Communications Regulatory
Authority (MACRA) has revoked a
license the regulatory body issued to
what would have been the county’s
third mobile phone company, Globally
Advanced Integrated Networks Limited
(G-Mobile).
October 17, 2010: The country’s
third mobile phone network operator,
G-Mobile, has breathed a sigh of
relief after the high court in Zomba,
Eastern Malawi, granted the company
an injunction, stopping the Malawi
Communications Regulatory Authority
(MACRA) from revoking its license.

Communiqué

Date: October 11, 2010
Person/institution: Media Council of
Malawi
Violation/issue: other
The Media Council of Malawi (MCM)
elected new members for its National
Governing Council who will be in office
for the next two years.

Alert

Date: October 18, 2010
Person/institution: Hetherwick
Ntaba, Raphel Tenthani, Democratic
Progressive Party
Violation/issue: Threatened
Spokesperson for ruling Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) Dr. Hetherwick
Ntaba, on 11 October 2010 attacked
veteran journalist Raphael Tenthani over
his column arguing that the journalist
has been paid to tarnish the image of
the DPP.

Communiqué

Date: November 8, 2010
Person/institution: MBC
Violation/issue: Other
Tension and anxiety gripped staff at the
State-controlled Malawi Broadcasting
Corporation (MBC) radio and television
on 4 November 2010, following
announcement of names for positions
of Controller and Station Managers
at the state-owned broadcaster. The
new positions were announced on 3
November, 2010, four months after
MBC radio and Television Malawi (TVM)
merged.

Alert

Date: November 8, 2010
Person/institution: The High, The
Weekend Times
Violation/issue: Victory
The High Court in Blantyre, on 2
November 2010, granted an injunction
to Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL), to

2010

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