Nankhumwa attends Ntcheu accident victims memorial service, calls for special national prayers
Slightly over a month after the death of 21 people who died in a tragic accident in Ntcheu in the wee hours of Sunday, August 1, 2021, a memorial service for the victims was held at Nchalo in Chikwawa on Saturday, September 4, 2021 to provide solace to the victims’ families.
The victims, 18 adults and three children under the age of three, lost their lives and eight others suffered various degree of injuries when a truck driver lost control and rammed into a passenger bus carrying most of the victims and another car. All the victims hailed from Ngabu, Tomali and Nchalo in Chikwawa.
Some of the events at the memorial service involved Christian and Muslim prayers, Catholic choir, other choirs and live gospel band performances, and eulogies.
High-profile guests at the memorial service included Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa, District Commissioner for Chikwawa Ali Phiri, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Deputy Secretary General Gerald Kazembe, Chairman for Chikwawa District Council, Aubrey Masanza, Member of Parliament for Chikwawa Central Salim Bagus, MP for Thyolo South, Mavuto Scot, and Senior Chief Sekeni, among others.
Nankhumwa called on President Lazarus Chakwera, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), and the religious leaders in the country to set aside a special day for prayers to request God to provide comfort to the country amidst the rising number of accidents on the roads, which are claiming many lives.
He said it is written in the Bible that when people are in jeopardy and decide to seek God’s intervention, God is always happy to pull His people out of such trouble.
On the Ntcheu accident, Nankhumwa, who is also DPP Vice President for the Southern Region, said that 21 people dying at once left more questions than answers.
“Sometimes, one may be tempted to ask God why he could let death to occur. But who are we to demand God’s explanation. We only have to be faithful to God so that during the Judgement Day, we can re-unite with our loved ones,” he said.
Nankhumwa called upon the concerned communities, families, the Paramount Chief and other traditional leaders to ensure that children whose parents died in that fatal accident are well looked after and that no property left by the parents is grabbed away from them.
Nankhumwa then pledged to return to Chikwawa next week condole each of the victims’ families and assess their needs.
MCP’s Kazembe, who represented President Lazarus Chakwera, said the government will ensure that the survivors and the deceased families are well looked after.
MP for the area, Bagus thanked President Lazarus Chakwera for ordering two days of national mourning when the victims died and for the various interventions, including buying of coffins, transport and other assistance during the funeral. Bagus also thanked Nankhumwa for his humility and decision to join the community in Nchalo in celebrating the lives of the victims.
In his sermon Father Mathews Aran Semba of the Catholic Church said death is the ‘best unifier’ saying while the people in the area mourn the untimely death of their loved ones, an opportunity arose for Muslims and various Christian denominations to gather together and glorify the Lord.
He prayed to God for his protection on the roads and to comfort the families of the victims of the Ntcheu accident. He also prayed for protection for the people of the Shire Valley who he said apart from road accidents face various calamities, including perennial flooding.
In his Islamic sermon, Sheikh Ali Saizi expressed delight that Muslims and Christians gathered together to celebrate the lives of the victims. He said God, through the Bible and the Quran, teaches His people to love one another unconditionally.
Update on Chowe Hills road accident
Mangochi Police says that the five men who died after a Toyota Hino lorry overturned due to overspeeding while descending Chowe hills on the night of September 2, 2021 have now been identified by their relatives.
The deceased have been identified as Shalif Sanudi, 27, Harisen Miloga, 62, Khefa Mtengo, 29, Imran Abilu, 36 and lssah Seleman, 35 from the traditional authorities Chowe, Katuli and Chilipa in Mangochi.
The relatives made a follow up on the matter when they got the message through radio stations and contacted the Police after the two were missing from their respective homes, according to Amina Daudi Tepani, Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer.
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Pepani All the bereaved families. Did the departments of the governments do risk assessment to what should have been done to minimise the risk of an accident? 1)why was this vehicle traveling late at night on a long trip to Nchalo? 2)We understand that the driver had been working driving through out the day so he didn’t have rest. 3)Did this vehicle have proper insurance? 4)why was this vehicle carrying passengers over the limited number with this covid19 5)If the vehicle had insurance then the company should compansate all the bereaved families. If the vehicle did not not have then… Read more »
I must admit, this event was very important and our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families. BUT am tired of seeing politicians at all these events. Leader of this or representative of that… using these events for political gains is what is killing Malawians. If politicians were focused on doing right things, we could not have been gathering at sad events like this. There would be no need for speeches or condolences if, and I REPEAT, if politicians did the right thing in their offices. You mean we are so dumb as a nation that we can’t put… Read more »