David Chiwanga, one of the most brilliant minds of his time.

David Chiwanga, one of the most brilliant minds of his time. 

David Chiwanga was born on 15th December 1942. He started his education at HHI and later went to St Patricks Secondary School. He did his O levels and did well in Mathematics, Statistics and English. He later went to Colby College (Bunda/Luanar) where he graduated in 1963.

Chiwanga worked in the Ministry of Agriculture  as an instructor. 

David Chiwanga hailed from Chikwawa. He joined politics in 1976 as a Member of Parliament. Dr Banda recognised David Chiwanga's brilliance and appointed him on several roles in government. 

In 1981 he was appointed Minister of Housing and Development.

By 1982 David Chiwanga was the Minister of Agriculture. 

During the parliament crisis in March and May 1983, David Chiwanga was the main speaker in parliament who dazzled the other MPs by his eloquence on the heated debate that erupted. Chiwanga stood up and criticised Dr Banda for letting corruption to creep into the government machinery.

The majority of the MPs sat there quiet listening to his points amid the heavy presence of the police during those two parliamentary seatings.

Chiwanga supported the points that Dick Matenje and Aaron Gadama pushed forward and justified them to the amazement of the onlookers.

News reached Dr Banda of Chiwanga's fearless display in parliament and his open criticism. 

17th May 1983 was the last day that David Chiwanga made his presence felt in the parliament.

He left home on 16th of May 1983 and told his wife that he might return on the 18th May.

Chiwanga had told his wife that things were not going on well at the parliament. He never returned on the 18th of May. 

On the 19th of May, a man by the name of Mpapila around 10 am went to Chiwanga's home and broke the news to his wife that three cabinet ministers were missing and that  Chiwanga had been arrested.

The same day at 8pm at night a police vehicle came at the Chiwanga's home. 

When his wife came out, three men came out of the vehicle, two men gripped her arms and the third held her head and dragged her into the house where they forced her to sit down.

The men told her that her husband was fleeing to Zimbabwe.

Mrs Chiwanga was a bold woman. She asked them, "What was he fleeing from?"

The men responded, "He had rebelled against the government."

The wife looked at the men and replied, "It was impossible that he fled, because he had already been arrested and was in Police custody."

The men were puzzled and did not know what to tell her. They went on, "We've just been sent to tell you this."

The wife asked the men, "Is David alive or dead?"

The men looked at each other,,, then said, "He is dead!"

There was a defeaning silence in the house.

The wife boldly asked them, "So where is his body?"

The men replied, "The body is at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Mortuary."

The lady asked if she could go and see her husband. The men told her that they will come to pick her at 3 am the following day, to go and collect the body.

Meanwhile there were people crying in the Police vehicle outside. It was Chiwanga's father and aunt.

Before the Police left they ordered Chiwanga's father and aunt to come out of the vehicle and just left them there.

This was happening at Chiwanga's house in Chikwawa. As soon as the Police left the villagers in defiance gathered at Chiwanga's home cleared the living room and started funer proceedings. 

The villagers stood up against the government 's threat... not to accord Chiwanga a proper funeral. The whole village assembled at Chiwanga's home in solidarity.

At 3am the Police came again. The people were thinking that the police were coming to pick Mrs Chiwanga to get the body at Queens like they had said before.

It was different. They had brought the body at 3am in the morning. The body was taken in the house. The Police carried shoes and a pair of socks of the deceased wrapped in a paper and handed them to the wife.

The body was covered in a small torn blanket marked "Prison".

The wife again stood up and asked the Police, "Is this an accident because blood is oozing from the nose?"

The Police failed to answer.

On the forehead there was a sharp wound and at the back of the head, there was a big atrocious hollow wound which looked like something had gone through. On both cheeks were knife cuts. On the chin there was a wound which revealed that something sharp pierced through.

When the elders washed the body, they found two bullet wounds. They handed the small pointed metals to the wife. When message was sent to the party. The party replied that Chiwanga was a rebel and the villagers should organise his funeral.

As Chiwanga was a Catholic, the villagers sent a message to the Parish. Bishop Mkhori came with a vehicle and provided  a coffin for the funeral.

Mkhori went on to hold a proper Catholic funeral for Chiwanga without fear of the authorities.

The party came and ordered that the burial to be done on the same day.

The wife confronted the party officials that the funeral was not going do be done on the same day,,, that she was waiting for all the people who knew Chiwanga to come for the funeral.

After the burial on 21st May 1983, there were threats which came that if Mrs Chiwanga was not going to stop mourning  her husband, she was going to be arrested.

Chiwanga left behind 7 children, 3 boys and 4 girls.

The day that the Police last came, Mrs Chiwanga asked them that, if it was an accident why was Chiwanga covered in a torn blanket marked "Prison"?