Saulos Chilima: Funeral for Malawi’s Vice President

Tens of thousands of Malawians attend a memorial service at the National Stadium for the vice president who died in a plane crash last week.

The 51-year-old Saulos Chilima was considered a breath of fresh air in Malawian politics.

He was an eloquent speaker and energetic activist who had a great influence on the youth, who make up more than half of Malawians.

He was a devout Catholic and the service will include a full Mass.

He will be buried on Monday, a public holiday, in his home district of Ntcheu, 180 kilometers south of Lilongwe.

The service at Bingu National Stadium began with moving greetings from his family. The 41,000-capacity stadium is full, and there are even more people outside.

His coffin, wrapped in the red-green-black flag of Malawi, was brought into the stadium by a guard of honour.

His son Sean remembered what a loving father he was, how he always made time for the children and played with them. He added that his father was extremely competitive and always wanted to win.

“Dad was a hard worker who always made sure he got his jobs done,” he said.

His brother Ben said the family was grateful for the release of personal items he was carrying at the time of the accident, including his watch and rosary.

Some in the stadium booed government officials, including President Lazarus Chakwera, as they spoke.

Only through the intervention of Catholic priests did peace return.

Mr Chilima died last Monday while en route in a military plane to the northern town of Nkhata Bay, where he was to attend the funeral of a former cabinet minister.

The entire crew and other passengers on board, including former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri, also died.

President Chakwera said the plane crashed due to poor visibility caused by bad weather, but Mr Chilima’s UTM party called for a thorough and independent investigation.

This call was supported during the service by Archbishop Desmond Tambala of Lilongwe, who spoke on behalf of the Catholic Church in Malawi.

President Chakwera said they would seek assistance from foreign governments and international organizations in investigating the accident because “the Malawian army cannot conduct the investigation itself.”

Mr Chilima had a successful career in the private sector, holding various senior, well-paid business positions, before making what many consider to be a risky decision and venturing into politics at the age of just 40.

He has been Vice President since 2014, initially under former President Peter Mutharika.

After the falling out with Mr Mutharika, Mr Chilima founded his own party, the UTM.

He ran in the 2019 presidential election and came third behind Mr Mutharika and Mr Chakwera, but the election results were annulled by Malawi’s Supreme Court following complaints of fraud.

In the 2020 presidential election, Mr Chilima agreed to run as Mr Chakwera’s vice-presidential candidate in an alliance of nine opposition parties.

In June 2022, he stated that under this agreement, President Chakwera would serve only one term and that he would then support Mr Chilima in the next elections in September 2025.

President Chakwera has not publicly disputed Chilima’s claim, but in recent public statements he has hinted that he may run for re-election next year.

In public appearances, Chilima and Chakwera appeared to be on good terms, but many believed a rift was inevitable, especially after leaders of their respective parties began openly supporting the pair’s candidacy in next year’s elections.