MRA rewards Songwe communities
The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has rewarded communities around Songwe Border Post in Karonga District who saved its offices from being consumed by fire a year ago.
MRA offices caught fire in January last year, but brave Malawians from the neighbourhood successfully put out the flames and rescued vital equipment.
On Saturday, MRA commissioner general Tom Malata and his staff travelled to the northern border strip and donated 150 desks and 5000 books to Kangindwa Primary School as a token of appreciation for their bravery and assistance.
The revenue collectors also planted 1200 trees as one way of fighting deforestation in the flood-prone zone on the border between Malawi and Tanzania.
Malata said MRA enjoys a cordial relationship with communities near Songwe.
He said: “The good relationship that our officers enjoy with the people was evident when part of Songwe Border Station caught fire last year.
“The people around us did not sit idle and watch our offices get gutted. They rushed to our rescue and put out the fire.”
Malata urged the locals to report people who evade tax or smuggle goods.
Kangindwa school management committee chairperson Deborah Mtambo said the desks and books will help keep children in school.
She said the donation has also helped people understand the importance of paying tax and fighting smuggling. n
