Malawi Announces 21 Days Of Mourning For Late Vice President
The President of Malawi, Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, has directed that the nation observe twenty-one (21) days of mourning in honour of the late Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and other officials who died in a plane crash on Monday.
Chilima and nine other people died after a Defence Forces Aircraft they were travelling on crashed in the Chikangawa Forest on Monday morning.
The Vice President, former first lady Shanil Muluzi nee Dzimbiri, Lukas Kapheni, Chisomo Chimaneni, Gloria Mtukule, Dan Kanyemba and Abdul Lapukeni, as well as Colonel Sambalopa, Major Flora Selemani and Major Aidin from MDF, who were operating the plane, perished when the aircraft came down while en route to Lilongwe, the capital.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 11 June, the Malawian Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba said the period of mourning runs from 11 June to 01 July 2024.
Chakwera has also directed that all flags be flown at half-mast throughout the period of mourning
On Monday night, President Chakwera said the plane landed at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) at 7:05 AM from Mzuzu to pick up Chilima who was to attend the funeral ceremony of the late Ralph Kasambara, a lawyer who also served as Attorney General and Justice Minister.
The plane left KIA at 9:17 am with Chilima and nine other people and was expected to touch down at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 AM.
He said the plane could not land in Mzuzu because of bad weather. He added, “However they lost contact with the plane after its return, on its way to Lilongwe.”
The relationship between Chakwera and the late Chilima had often strained since they assumed power.
Initially, the two political leaders formed an election alliance to secure victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Chakwera, representing the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), and Chilima, from the United Transformation Movement (UTM), ran on a joint ticket, which significantly contributed to their electoral success against former President Peter Mutharika.
However, tensions escalated when Chakwera’s government accused Chilima of corruption in 2022.
The courts dismissed the charges in May 2024, with many believing they were politically motivated to prevent Chilima from challenging Chakwera in the 2025 elections.
The dismissal of corruption charges paved the way for Chilima to run for the presidency against Chakwera in the upcoming elections.
Chilima had previously claimed that both men had agreed Chakwera would serve only one term, but the president allegedly reneged on that agreement, leading the former to label it as political fraud.
More: Pindula News
