MP Mwalwanda who died with coronavirus laid to rest in Lilongwe amid tears

A Malawi lawmaker, Cornelius Mwalwanda, a member of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who died battling coronavirus  (Covid-19) infection has been laid to rest at Area 18 cemetry in the capital Lilongwe.

Mwalwanda, who was MP for Karonga Central, was buried in presence of close friends, MCP members and family in a reduced number of mourners due to the coronavirus-induced measures.

He died at Kamuzu Central Hospital in the capital, Lilongwe.

In a brief, emotional ceremony,  Mwalwanda, an economist who once served as Minister of Economic Planning and Development was  described as  “great son  of the soil.”

Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara, said: “On behalf of MPs our hearts are very heavy for losing our colleague . This has brought to light what devastation the pandemic has caused us as a nation and we are appealing to everyone to take this pandemic seriously.”

Three lawmakers over the past week were hospitalized after testing positive which forced the speaker to urge all 193 members of parliament to go for voluntary testing.

The sharp rise in the number of cases has been attributed to the June 23 court-sanctioned presidential election re-run where thousands of Malawians ignored health measures and social distancing rules to attend political rallies.

Experts also blame people, who returned from foreign countries mainly from South Africa responsible for the spike in pandemic cases. As of July 12, more than 1,900 people arrived in the country form, South Africa.