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Hundreds of people from all walks of life, political persuasions and religious affiliations thronged Mzuzu Airport on Friday morning to welcome the body of Aford president Chakufwa Chihana amid reports that some DPP officials were chased from the airport.
Chihana died of a brain tumour on June 12 at Garden City Clinic in South Africa.
Most conspicuous both at the airport and along the entire road to Civic Centre and to Chihana’s house in Chimaliro were Aford and UDF members in their blue and white, and yellow colours, respectively.
As the plane touched down around 10:30AM, the sympathisers could not help but shed tears for the fallen son, whose political strength in the region was unequalled until the 2004 elections.
Chihana’s long time friends, now in the opposite political side, such as Rodger Nkhwazi, Machipisa Munthali, Egbert Chibambo, Queen Gondwe (who contested as MP against Chihana), just to mention a few, were all at the airport wearing sombre faces.
Also notably present at the airport were President Bingu wa Mutharika’s one-time confidant and former DPP secretary general, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma, who during Rodwell Munyenyembe’s funeral in September last year made a stinging attack on Chihana and UDF chairman Bakili Muluzi accusing them of having contributed to Munyenyembe’s death.
But yesterday Ng’oma shared sorrow with and comforted Chihana’s relatives, among them Yeremiah Chihana, and political friends who included Aford chairman Chipimpha Mughogho.
Among those who escorted Chihana’s remains from Lilongwe aboard the Air Malawi Kwacha 7Q-YKQ aircraft were family members, DPP’s Pisho Nkhwazi and UDF’s Lilian Patel and Lucius Banda and MPs for other parties.
DPP regional governor Harry Mkandawire was conspicuously absent at the airport, because he alleged his charges were earlier threatened by Aford district officials and young democrats.
“On our way to the airport, we met one of our regional officials, who told us he has been told to leave the Airport. We felt that was bad, but in the interest of peace and to avoid unnecessary tension, we decided not to go but honour Hon. Chihana on his day of burial alongside the State President,” said Mkandawire.
Mkandawire referred the Weekend Nation to Peter Mkandawire, the region’s deputy organising secretary, on how Aford officials and supporters allegedly intimidated him.
Said Mkandawire: “It is true that I and NGC member Bessie Chirambo were threatened around the Airport area. I reported the matter to our boss Harry [Mkandawire], who advised that we should keep away to avoid unnecessary clashes with Aford members.”
Chirambo alleged she was also approached by some Aford and UDF young democrats, who said she should quietly leave the premises if she did not want to be manhandled.
“This is sad because as DPP, we are also very sad to lose Chihana. We believe we have been together so far during the funeral. The State President has done everything to honour the late Dr. Chihana, and it is sad that some overzealous supporters have behaved like this,” she said.
But Aford’s Mzuzu district chairman, Geoffrey George Mwanza, blamed the conflict on what he thought might have been personal grudges between the alleged intimidators and the victims, saying Aford as a party was not involved.
“If that really happened, it is very sad and it must be personal because as a party we do not have a grudge against the DPP. We will investigate the matter,” said Mwanza.
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