Malawi to act on transmitter site encroachment

Malawi Government has expressed concern over the encroachment on Mpingwe Transmitter Site in Blantyre and has vowed to act on the matter.

Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture Kondwani Nankhumwa made the statement on Tuesday in Blantyre in reaction to concerns about the encroachment.

Nankhumwa toured Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) installations in the city as the country progresses on its intention to migrate from analogue to digital transmission by July next year.

But while Denis Chirwa, digital migration coordinator, assured the minister that the process is progressing well, he expressed concern that encroaching on Macra’s transmission site in Mpingwe has the danger of derailing the process.

“We are worried that people are encroaching on the transmission site where they are building houses at an alarming speed. We are appealing for government’s intervention,” said Chirwa.

He told the minister that the encroachment is a security threat as people are stealing fuel from the transmitter.

In his remarks, Nankhumwa acknowledged that the situation is worrisome and promised to consult relevant authorities on the matter.

“We will have to consult the police, Blantyre City Council [BCC] and other relevant authorities to reverse the situation,” he said.

Commenting on the migration, the minister said although there are technical and financial challenges, Malawi is on track.

Southern African Development Community (Sadc) countries failed to meet the December 31 2013 deadline and hoped that they will meet the global deadline of July 2014.