Malawi VP nine others confirmed dead in plane crash
By Agencies
Malawi’s vice president Saulos Chilima is dead.
President Lazarus Chakwera announced his death in a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
“Despite the experience of the crew, something terrible happened to that aircraft sending it crashing down and killing everyone on board,” he said.
Chakwera said this can not take away the pain and the helplessness.
“I understand this feeling because I feel them too. It is important that we comfort each other now and the weeks to come as we mourn together,’ he said.
“He was a good man, patriotic citizen. It was an honour to have him as my deputy in the past four years.”
Chilima died alongside nine others on board the Malawi military aircraft.
The Malawian Defence Force said the aircraft ‘went off radar’ after it left Lilongwe on Monday morning.
“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” secretary to the Office of President and Cabinet, Collen Zamba, said.
Chilima was born on February 12, 1973.
He was first sworn in as Vice President of the Republic of Malawi on May 30, 2014.
On June 28, 2020, Chilima was sworn in for his second term.
Chilima was the first Malawian to head Airtel Malawi, the leading mobile telecommunications company in the southern African country.
Before venturing into telecommunications, he held senior sales marketing positions in the banking sector and the fast-moving consumer goods sector namely the Leasing and Finance Company, Unilever Malawi, Coca-Cola and Carlsberg.
Chilima was married and leaves behind two children.