Tembo blamed for Chafukira's early death

GONE TOO SOON, the late Ishmael Chafukira in the last parliamentary sitting. His death is being blamed on John Tembo. Pic exclusively by Malawi Digest.

By Emmanuel Sobilika

Ishmael Chafukira, the former Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson who fought MCP leader, John Zenus Ungapakepo Tembo like a gallant solder, has died, Malawi Digest can disclose.

A reporter for the Malawi Digest has just visited the house of the deceased in the administrative capital, Lilongwe where friends and relatives are gathering to mourn the untimely death of this distinguished legislator.

Almost all the people mourning the death of Chafukira at his Area 25 (c) house are shouting the name of John Tembo, blaming him for the deceased MP’s early departure.

Family members have confirmed to Malawi Digest that Chafukira, the Lilongwe North West parliamentarian died in South Africa last night.

“Details on what killed my husband are still sketchy but I spoke to him last evening and he did not complain of anything,” the sobbing Mrs Joyce Chafukira told Malawi Digest at the family’s Area 25 residence.

She disclosed her husband left Malawi last week for Durban, South Africa to buy motor vehicles and that he was in very good and sound health before receiving the news of his sudden death mid-night last night.

According to Mrs Chafukira, the MP left Malawi for the trip together with a friend, George Mituka.

Information gathered by Malawi Digest indicates that Mituka left Chafukira in South Africa on Sunday rushing home to report for duties on Tuesday.

Mituka is currently reported to be driving home with one of the motor vehicles bought by Chafukira.

Malawi Digest is at the moment not able to reach Mituka on his mobile numbers as he is in transit.

An uncle to the late Chafukira that we found at the residence in Area 25 told Malawi Digest, they only got a text from a Malawian resident South Africa announcing the MP’s death.

“We got a text from a person called Alex who said South African Police contacted him telling him about Chafukira’s death but as a family are yet to get a proper medical report,” said the uncle.

The family said that Alex was contacted by the South African police after a mobile phone found in the late Chafukira’s pockets showed his number as the last person contacted by Chafukira before his sudden and mysterious death.

The uncle, who refused to have his name disclosed, said as a family, they would like to get to the bottom of the death of Chafukira.

“As a politician, the entire nation knows that he was involved in a bitter row with the MCP leader John Tembo, so we want government through the Police to conduct a proper investigation into his sudden death,” he said.

This is the second time that a Malawi Congress Party legislator has died under mysterious circumstances in South Africa.

About two years ago, former shadow Finance Minister and MCP legislator Raspicious Dzanjalimodzi died at a South African clinic after travelling to the rainbow nation for some family business.

Senior MCP officials confirmed to Malawi Digest that Dzanjalimodzi was tipped to replace John Tembo as presidential candidate for the 2009 presidential elections.

Dzanjalimodzi died before this mission of unseating Tembo was accomplished.

Following the May 19th elections, Ishmael Chafukira has been in the forefront of campaigning for leadership change in the MCP, saying Tembo has outlived his leadership time.

Chafukira openly spoke in the last parliamentary session against the Tembo leadership and was one of the people that was being favoured to take over the reigns of the party and that of Leader of Opposition in Parliament.

Member of Parliament for Lilongwe Msozi North Geoffrey Kamanya who fought alongside Chafukira has on several occasions made it known to the public that all people opposing John Tembo have their lives under serious threat.

“Fellow MPs are being beaten up, we are having our property damaged by Tembo thugs and we know some of us my not complete this parliamentary term for opposing Tembo. Even if we are killed, our blood will fight for the freedom of people in the Malawi Congress Party,” Kamanya told the last parliamentary sitting.

Two weeks ago, thugs sent by John Tembo damaged a Mitsubishi Pajero BQ 712 belonging to Lilongwe Msozi North MP Geoffrey Kamanya and caused injury to several people during a press conference are Kalikuti Hotel in Lilongwe.

The vehicle used in the fracas was VW Combi, registration number DZ 376 and both Tembo and the Police confirmed the car was owned by the MCP leader.

The vehicle was at that time being driven by Tembo’s personal aide, Jeffrey Kamata.

Ishmael Chafukira was one of the leaders for a grouping of senior MCP officials called, the MCP Task Force on Leadership Change that has been calling for leading change in the country’s oldest political party-Malawi Digest.