Mayor Wild Ndipo has been elected president of Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA). He defeated the former president Lilongwe District Council chairperson Samson Chaziya during elections which took place at Mzuzu City Council.
Ambassador and Head of European Union (EU) delegation to Malawi Marchel Gerrmann on Monday paid a courtesy call on His Worship the Mayor Cllr Wild Ndipo.
The one hour discussion centred on what the Council was doing in the provision of quality services and on the other hand, the EU contribution to Malawi in general and Blantyre City in particular.
Ndipo was in the company of his deputy Cllr Joseph Makwinja.
The Mayor informed the ambassador that the Council was determined to deliver high level municipal services to the residents.
He, however, noted that financial constraints were a setback. The ambassador was shocked to learn that the Council receives only five percent funding from government of its annual budget of about K4 billion.
EU is supporting water and sanitation projects in the City.
Blantyre City Council and its partner WASTE Malawi has started construction and rehabilitation of public toilets under the Sanitation Service Level Agreement Project which is being co-financed by the Council and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Under the first phase of the project, 28 toilets are currently under construction/rehabilitation while it is expected that about 100 facilities will be erected in the city by the end of the project.
The sanitation facilities are disability friendly and most of them will have showers to allow people to refresh. “
Toilets are very important and we have prioritized the areas where the situation was worsening, to make sure that the people are living in good conditions,” says Dr Emmanuel Kanjunjunju, Director of Health and Social Services.
“To make sure that people take full responsibility f the facilities and also maintain the high standards, once completed the toilets will be handed over to entrepreneurs in an open bidding process to run them,” he says.
Active Youth and Social Enhancement (AYISE) executive director Marcel Chisi says the project will be very instrumental as it will change the mindset and life style of people into responsible and healthy citizens.
“We have instigated this project to make sure that Blantyre City is not polluted. We will continue to inspect the areas where these projects are taking place to make sure that they are done in time and accordingly,” Chisi said this on Wednesday during the inspection of the project sites.
The newly elected Mayor Wild Ndipo says he will continue from where former Mayor Noel Chalamanda left in taking the City forward in terms of development and delivery of other municipal services.
Ndipo was elected on Monday, January 9, 2017 replacing Chalamanda whom he deputized for the last two and half years. Bangwe Ward Councillor Joseph Makwinja is now deputy Mayor.
“Every development that we all see in Blantyre is a result of team work and this team work will continue during my term of office so that we create a better Blantyre,” said Ndipo.
“I would like to guarantee the residents of Blantyre that the red star campaign succeeds, revenue collection improves, and outdated by-laws are improved,” he said.
The outgoing Mayor, Noel Chalamanda has pledged his total support and cooperation with the new leadership.
This is how it was on New Year Eve!!! Blantyre City Council in partnership with Rab Processors Group and Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) organized Big Night Fireworks: Family Extravaganza Night event which took place at Independence Arch on December 31.
The extravaganza was planned to bring families together, count down to 2017 and experience cracking of fireworks. Mayor Noel Chalamanda said as per the Council’s motto “Taking the City back to the people” the extravaganza portrayed that Blantyre City residents adore the City and “we have witnessed a lot of families coming here to watch the fireworks together.”
Thousands of Blantyre City residents and people from outside gathered at the Independence Arch to celebrate the entry into the New Year.
As the time clocked 00:00am, huge explosion was heard signaling the cracking of fireworks which lasted for about 20 minutes.
There was jubilation, hugging and shouting among the patrons as the man charged with the responsibility of cracking fireworks did his job.
Blantyre City Council Chief Executive Officer Dr Alfred Chanza has declared that fireworks on new year’s eve will now be an annual event.
Blantyre City Council has embarked on a consultative process to develop a Service Charter which will act as a blue print to determine the excellence in the delivery of services.
The Council has partnered with Concerned Youth Organisation with funding from Tilitonse Fund to review the draft Service Charter drafted some three years ago.
On Tuesday, the academia and youths were consulted and gave their useful input while on Wednesday; the Council had a meeting with representatives from the private sector, civil society organisations, media and members of the public.
The Council has for the second year running received a Service Excellence Award in recognition of excellence in the category of Local Authorities Sector while the Mayor, Councillor Noel Chalamanda, is a recipient of Service Excellence Personality of the Year Award.
The awards were presented by Chartered Institute of Customer Management at a ceremony held at Sunbird Capital Hotel on Friday, 25th November 2016.
Blantyre City Council emerged the winner followed by Lilongwe City Council on second position while Zomba City Council came third.
Apart from the Service Excellence Awards, the Council is the recipient of MISA’s 2016 Most Open Public Institution Award which was presented during the commemoration of Right to Know Day on 28th September 2016.
Chinese Ambassador to Malawi His Excellency Wang Shi-Ting on Wednesday (16 November 2016) paid a courtesy call on Mayor Councillor Noel Chalamanda in his Parlour.
Of late, there have been interactions between the Chinese envoy and Blantyre City Council aimed at strengthening the relationship between peoples of the two countries.
In October this year, the Chinese Embassy funded a trip of the Mayor and his delegation to Nanchang City in China.
Blantyre City and Nanchang City are in discussion to establish Sister City relationship and to encourage business partnerships
Mayor Noel Chalamanda on Monday “arrested’ a group of people who dumped non-recyclable alcoholic empty glass bottles on an open plot in Namiwawa.
It was around midday that the Mayor received a phone call from one of the residents alerting him that there was a 15 tonne truck which was dumping empty bottles in the low density area of Namiwawa.
The immediately the Mayor rushed to the place where upon arrival, the driver attempted to runaway but the Mayor blocked the way.
“The people started pleading for mercy saying it was their first time to dump the empty bottles there. My immediate reaction was to order them to collect all the bottles and reload them in their truck,” says the Mayor.
The Council has detained the truck pending payment of fine.
Mayor Noel Chalamanda recently led a delegation from Blantyre City to Nanchang City in China. The aim of the visit was to strengthen and reaffirm the Council’s commitment to the Sister City relationship discussion.
The delegation from Nanchang City visited Blantyre last year. During the visit, the delegation comprising the Mayor, Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Stuart Ligomeka, Councillor Nellie Nseula and Public Relations Manager Anthony Kasunda held discussion with Municipal authorities and Nanchang Federation of Industry and Commerce (Nanchang Chamber of Commerce).
The leadership of the business community in Nanchang pledged to visit Blantyre very soon to look at investment opportunities. The one that excited the business community most was the construction of modern international bus terminal in Blantyre City.