Update: The Malawi Government has pushed back against speculation that First Vice President Jane Mayemu Ansah is being systematically sidelined. Speculation emerged after the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) was removed from the Vice President's office and placed under the Office of the President and Cabinet. According to Nation Online and Pan African Visions, Chief Secretary Justin Saidi explained the relocation was ordered to improve coordination, decision-making and speed in disaster response, rather than being a deliberate move by President Peter Mutharika to undermine the Vice President's office.
Update: President Mutharika has also issued a strong warning regarding regional security following consultations with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Panel of Elders at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe. Acting as Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Mutharika met with former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and former Malawian President Joyce Banda to discuss mediation efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, and Mozambique, reports Nyasa Times. He emphasised that instability in any single member state directly threatens collective economic progress across the entire region.
Meanwhile, Malawi presented its digital justice initiatives at the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. According to TechAfrica News, Minister of Gender Mary Thom Navicha highlighted the success of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Digital Observatory Hub, which now operates in 11 districts and has recorded over 17,000 cases. Backed by the United Nations Development Programme and European partners, the digital tools are designed to accelerate justice delivery by overcoming historical barriers such as case delays and long distances to courts.