Mugabe celebrates with the Mutharikas

Madame Callista smiling to her beloved husband, Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika.

By Our Reporter

President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe and applauded his Malawian counterpart and longtime friend, Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa for finding a wife and going through the entire marriage process in order to respect church norms and traditional customs.

President Mugabe accompanied by his wife Grace and other high ranking Zimbabwe government officials arrived in the country through Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe on Friday and left the country on Saturday soon after the wedding’s church service.

Speaking before departure at KIA after inspecting guard of honour by the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), Mugabe told journalists he was in Malawi to deliver a simple but important message in congratulating President Dr Mutharika on his successful wedding ceremony.

“We came to congratulate the couple for this beautiful occasion which is precious and happens once in everyone’s life. It looks simple but is very deep and that is why we were here,” he said.

President Mugabe said Zimbabweans back home were also cerebrating with President Bingu wa Mutharika’s on his wedding day just as was the case in the Warm Heart of Africa.

He therefore, called on Malawians to support the new family in every activity that will help in uplifting the country.

“To Malawians I would say, well, this is time to celebrate but let’s support the president and the new family as he carries out his official duties,” he said.

Notable figures that welcomed President Mugabe and saw him off at the Airport included, Zimbabwe High Commissioner to Malawi who is also dean of diplomats Thandiwe Dumbushen, Minister of Transport and Public Infrastructure, Khumbo Kachali, Minister of Tourism Wild life and Culture, Anna Kachikho and Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Etta Banda.

Malawi President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika wedded his beloved wife Callista Chapola in a colourful ceremony that took place at a make-shift church at Civo Stadium in the administrative capital, Lilongwe before a reception at the New State House in the same city-Malawi Digest.

Thousands mourn the late Aleke K.Banda

By Chifundo Gama

Thousands of Malawians, both dignitaries and common people, rich and the poor, Muslims and Christians led by Malawi State President Ngwazi Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika on Thursday mourned Dr. Aleke Kadonaphani Banda, AKB, who until his death was the Executive Chairman of one of Malawi’s leading publishing companies, the Nation Publications Limited, NPL, established in 1993.

Speaking on behalf of The President, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Khumbo Kachali lamented that the late Aleke Banda was a good man who always wished Malawi well.

“Dr. Aleke Banda will be remembered as a man who always Malawi and its people well because of the love he had for the nation regardless of his political status,”said Kachali.

He added that State President Ngwazi Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika declared the late Aleke Banda as a nation hero hence the full military honours at the late Aleke Banda’s funeral.

In addition, government under Dr Mutharika last year identified and recognised the Dr. Aleke as a Grand Achiever of National Holder Achievement and bestowed him with an honorary degree under the Mzuzu University.

Masankho Banda, Aleke’s son in his eulogy described his dad as a good and decent man who knew what he had on his heart and knew what he said.

Masankho added that he will remember his father as an honest, humble and hardworking.

“Ever since, my father told us (children) what he had on his heart and we will remember him as a humble, honest and hardworking man not only in Malawi but also in other countries in the world,” said Masankho with grief.

Kachali who is also the ruling DPP deputy president said since 1957 when Dr Mutharika knew the late Dr. Kadonaphani Banda, the two never had any conflicts till his death.

Furthermore, Kachali said President Dr. Mutharika and Malawi government under his leadership made all efforts to save the late Aleke Banda’s life by taking him to a hospital in South Africa that as of December last year, costed government more than MK180m.

Dr Mutharika through Kachali said Aleke will be recognised as one of the national heroes and will not be spared from Malawi’s history.

Through Kachali, Dr Mutharika also thanked Zambia’s First Lady, Madam Thandiwe Banda for being in attendance during the funeral ceremony.

Dr. Aleke Banda who was buried in his own farm in Chirimba, Blantyre died two weeks ago at the Morningside Medi Clinic in South Africa after a four year battle with cancer-Malawi Digest.

Livingstonia Synod hail Mutharika on Aleke

By Lwitiko Wachimwa

The Church and Society Programme of the Livingstonia Synod of Malawi's second largest Christian church, the Church for Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) has applauded the Bingu wa Mutharika administration for giving full military honours to the late veteran politician Aleke Kadonaphani Banda.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the Church and Society Programme Moses Mkandawire in an exclusive interview in the northern region city of Mzuzu.

"Aleke Banda was not a mere person; he was one of the politicians who made Malawi what it is today and we should appreciate what the State President and his government have done in honouring him in this way,” he said.

Mkandawire said that the leadership of this country has made the right decision to give him full military honours.

The Church and Society boss described the late AKB as Aleke Banda was commonly known in Malawi as a great politician who played clean politics a behavior he said was admired by many old and upcoming politicians.

“There is no politician in the country who could match Aleke Banda as many people felt good in the manner he conducted himself in both political and social circles” he said.

The NGO chief appealed to Malawian politicians to borrow a leaf from the late Aleke Banda.

"He defeated the concept that politics is for the elderly as he started politics at a tender age of 14,"he said.

On economic development, Mkandawire said late Aleke Banda was very instrumental in establishment of the Press Corporation, the Malawi News and his family owned, the Nation Publications Limited.

Moses Mkandawire further reminded Malawians that Aleke Banda was one of the politicians who came up with the idea of changing the name of the country from Nyasaland to Malawi.

The late Aleke Banda died two weeks ago at a South African hospital after a four year battle with cancer.

His funeral on Thursday last week in the commercial city of Blantyre was attended by a cross-section of people led by the country’s State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika.

During the funeral ceremony, Transport Minister Khumbo Kachali who spoke on behalf of the State President disclosed that as of December last year, the Malawi government had spent MK180 million in footing the late Aleke Banda’s medical expenses.

It was not yet known as we went to bed what government has spent from January this year up to the time when the late Banda departed from the world two weeks ago.

Government officials were still reported to be reconciling the latest figures spent on the veteran politician-Malawi Digest.