Exclusive: Thousands of Malawi civil servants to face the sack

Nov 30, 2015 Politics 125
Advertisement

Following the economic meltdown the country is going through, the Malawi Government under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration will start retrenching thousands of civil servants next year as part of its strategy to reduce ballooning salary bills that are threatening its financial stability, Malawi24 can reveal.

It is understood that the number of government staff has risen in the past years, a development that is threatening the country’s economic situation.

A source said government has already written its departments that it will implement the exercise starting early next year and thousands of public servants will lose their jobs as the government tightens the screws to tame the bills.

A job freeze will also be imposed in the health sector which will see government maintaining only 200 registered nurses across the country.

Mutharika:His govt is in trouble.
Mutharika:His govt is in trouble.

According to the source, government has already written District Health Officers (DHO) about the exercise.

This is part of the government’s drive to cope with the current cash crunch. Confiding in this reporter, he added that government is also expected to stop paying all civil servants who have gone for further studies in all its departments.

“All those who have opted to further their studies have to know that they will be removed from the payroll. As for the nurses, locum will be abolished and that more of them will be retrenched. Government will be maintaining only 200 registered nurses,” he explained.

When contacted, Chief Secretary to Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) George Nkondiwa asked for more time to respond as he was out of the country.

“I can’t give the interview now because I am out of the country and it is expensive for me. We can discuss this when am in the country,” he said.

Efforts to speak to government spokesperson Jappie Mhango proved futile as his phone couldn’t be reached.

Many of those who will lose their jobs are in positions made redundant by the government.

They include those in Agriculture, Health, Education and local government.

The government is also phasing out civil servants employed on month to month basis saying their services are no longer in tandem with the current situation.

When asked on how much government has cracked down following head count exercise, Spokesperson in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Nations Msowoya said the exercise is still ongoing and that the figures will be given for public consumption once completed.

The assessment which aims at tracing ‘ghost workers’ will also render hundreds of Malawians in the public service jobless.

The development is targeting those who were employed without proper procedures.

Stated Msowoya: “Head count is still going on and as of now we don’t have the actual statistics. Once done all data will be compiled together for people to know.”

Malawi’s economic growth is projected to be 5.5% whereas growth momentum is expected to resume in 2016, with projected growth of 5.7%.

This will only happen assuming there is improved investor confidence in DPP rule, favorable weather conditions, higher agricultural exports, lower inflation and moderate interest rates.

As a way of gaining the confidence of Malawians, President Peter Mutharika is running up and down to find all means of stabilizing the Kwacha.

Advertisement

125 Comments

  3. i warned u before,am from thyolo,but voting for mutharika wasnt a good idea,school and leadership are two different things,God must always appoint our leaders not money,professions and well known names,Its not becoz his father or brother was good and he is gonna treat as the same,there us good examples in the Bible, Poor Malawi

  6. Mesa bwana amkati azagwiritsa ntchito ndalama zawo poyendesa dziko

  12. Nkhaniyi ndiyabodza. Please give us circular numbers. Ma nurse 200 angagwire ntchito Malawi yonse? Muipekenso bwino nkhani yanuyo, osaopseza anthu chonde abale

  13. Atichotse tizikaba kunyumba kwao,apa ndye timat leadershp its nt qualification its a gft. OWINA A CHAKWERA MUNAWABERA MUMAFUNA NYASI NGAT IZI.MUUSIYA UDINDO COZ MULUNGU NAYE NDIOKHUMUDWA.

  20. Man we need evidence based stories. All the issues that you have explained are baseless. Civil service issues are legally guarded. Take your time to established the truth of the matter before posting stories.

  24. munamuvotela mukuti,enawo anamuvotela kuti wakwatu pano akulila,mukulu sanakulile kumalawi mudziwona zochitika zake,chachikulu chomwe apanga kukwatila.

  29. if indeed that is true then am deeply frustrated and disapointed. it should be the DPP govt. to make sacrifices coz they arealdy rich and not civil servants whom their majority are poor. Peter cloze all the state house in malawi except Kamuzu palace for u to reside and save billions of kwacha which can be used to pay those civil servants u want to sack. Why cant u Peter make sacrifices like what ur counterpart Tanzanian Magafuli is doing in his country.

  30. Amene angapezeke ndi mfuti ya sniper please contact me l will shut ths facken ptara pompo pompo ndipasire bazuka

  31. 200 nurses divide by 26 districts means about 7 or 8 nurses per district. Imagine 8 nurses for the district hospital and all health centres. I DONT THINK THIS CAN WORK BY ANY MEANS.

    1. Its 200 divided by 28 districts. You r right. It cant be possible.

  37. My malawi, i cry 4 my beloved malawi.the future looks uncertain.if this comes to pass,there will be widespread poverty and total chaos and everything will come to a standstill,our nebaz like Tz & moz they are moving forward,pamene ife umphawi ukuwonjezereka.its another zim in yhe making.god help us

  42. Here comes the chaos…….simukufuna kulemba ena amene aphunzira koma mukut muchotsenso ena, what is this?mwaphunzitsa aphunzitsi ena atha 2yrs asanawalembedwe komanso macertificate awo osawapasanso ndiye akut achotsenso ma civil sevants ena,,,,sangaone kut pangakhale high crim rate % & high prostitution rate?oh mayi Malawi u need God to heal u

  48. What government could have done was to ask for voluntary early retirement for those of us willing so that we can give room to those willing to join the service.Money should be readily available so that pple get paid osati adzidzayenderanso ngati ngongole!!!

  50. As if you are helping but I doubt. Ucan’t emulate wat TZ president has done .A Malawi sazaiwala zomwe mkupanga mmalo mowalemba ntchito anthu mkuwachotsatso bas apa . manurses. midwives ndi aphunzitsi aja muwauze aone chochita msanga

  51. In the civil service there servants who are completly incapacitated, doing nothing other than waiting for month end to pump up their pockets. Sack can benefit them.

  63. Mr Mbendera ndi anzanu a reverend Chinkwita, mwaona zija tinkakana ife zija.Mmmm Only God knows.How i wished i came from thyolo kuti asandichotse ntchito.

  64. Mukatichotsa kuti tisavutane,Muzatipatsiretu zathu zonse popanda vuto.Apo biii tizapwetekana ndi amene muzawasiye pa ntchito.

  71. I respect the move for it ‘ll also help in enhancing punctuality,haworking & alleviation of absentism among the few who ‘ll not get the chop.I think it’s much better & wise for the govt to have a few hardworking & dedicated servants than the many who only jubiliate when yielding but not yet helping us at all.Bravo govt,but hey! start us by whipping the constituencies,we only need 100 MPs in Malawi,its ok.

  77. Instead of commiting yourselves to be paying taxes for the sake of your mother Malawi now you want sack those people who are getting 0.000001% of your huge tax free salaries?Come on APM..so where do you think those pple will go?

  80. Kondi inu khani izi mukuzitenga ? Muzivetsa bwino,akuti pali wanthu ena womwe agwila ntchito 36years boma anthu ngati awa ayenela kulandilapo zawo osati zanuzo

  82. mumve kuwa kumene agalu inu muzenga ophuzira koma mulizitsilu zosauka.vuto lainu nditsankho munkathandizila kubela masankho mumaona ngati zizayenda zitsilu inu.

  89. HeheheeEeeee malawi wanga uja walowa nankafumbwe basi. Tsopano anthu onsewo mutawachotse mbomawa akuti Azipanga chiani Tsopano .Mmmh dziko lathu lilindivuto lakusowa kwantchito ndiye muchosenso anthu Ntchito Zoona . Umbava Ndi umbanda komanso uhule zimanga nthenje Tsopano . Kodi olakwa ndani?

  90. Nx they want c servants live a fearing life so that they fail to negotiate salary increament as they already said no increament dis yr

  93. Chipwirikiti!!!!!. Musamale che Muthalika zinthu zifika pa mwana wakana phala. Mmalo mothesa ulova mufuna muonjezerenso ulova? Kuti munamva zoti boma lachosa ogwira m’boma zanu izo. Motowo muzauzimisetu musangoziwa kuuyasa.

  94. Thats Political, for ghost workers yes but ,the other side i doubt, will be only those behind this government to maintain their positions, kaya

  99. More chaos to erupt to poor Malawians if this is something to go by.

  101. This is not accepted, because the economic problems Malawi is facing now is NOT that the country cannot to better.THE PROBLEM I N MALAWI IS LEADERSHIP. Art of government, the way leaders deploy individuals and things.Leaders are failing to give priority to production, to produce more especially for export.We have been getting foreign aid for fifty years ,where is the aid ?. If look at the rural areas nobody can appreciate that Malawi has been independent for fifty years.People are living PRIMITIVE LIFE yet this is in 21 st.century. So if leaders are failing let them not punish innocent lives, let the leaders admit they have failed.Malawi is already experiencing high unemployment, so why should the number increase.

    2. Ichi ndi chitsirudi eti. Iwe ukumva kuti akufuna kuchotsa ma civil servant ena ndiye ukunyadila? Mwina achotsa iwe! English yo yakudutsa kapena? Mmalo moti udandaule kuti mwina asachotse iwe ntchitoyo basi uli busy kukhomerera ena kuti asalembedwe ntchito.Ine ndikupemphera kuti iwenso ukhale mgulu lochotsedwalo.

    11. There s nothing u can tel me about english. Am an english teacher myself & i was jst tryng to inform govt that there s no more teacher shortages hence no need for further recruitment

Comments are closed.