“…. and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”. — Revelation 21:4
The first two weeks of August in Malawi were lazed with the deaths of three prominent Malawians. As one was laid to rest, another also called to graduate to heaven.
Again barely before being laid to rest, another prominent soul left bewildered and crying relatives and friends.
The trio passing of Chris Kapanga, followed by Senior Chief Kachindamoto, Mrs. Theresa Chidyaonga Ndovi, who was then followed by MnuzanaRogers Zamachecha Mbekeani, riveted the country; reminding us again “This world is not my home.”
The late Chris Kapanga is the former Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Union and the first Malawian to hold that post. Upon retiring, he moved to NICO followed by a local and then Nigeria-based posting with Old Mutual.
At the time of his death, Kapanga, an avid gold master, was also chairman of the National Bank of Malawi.
The late Kapanga died from injuries sustained in a fall at his house in Sunnyside, Blantyre. Deepest condolences to his wife Jane and the family.
Within the same span of a week, announcement was made of Sr Chief Kachindamoto, also known as the Child Marriage Terminator.”
A soft-spoken chief that believed in her strength and resolve, the Sr. Chief had bylaws written in her district, preventing child marriages following the passing of the UN resolution calling for an end to child marriages.
The first substantive resolution on child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2014, recognizing the urgent need to eliminate the practice.
Malawi was one of the key delegates in the Third Committee. The localization of the end to child marriage through the works of the late Sr. Chief was a very uplifting experience for Malawi diplomats in New York.
By the time Sr. Chief Kachindamoto came to Malawi, she was in line for receiving numerous awards for her tireless work towards ending the global scourge of CEFM. In paying tribute to her, prof CK wrote: “Malawi has lost an unyielding warrior for Malawi’s future
We have lost a very powerful leader. In the heart of Malawi’s Dedza District, one woman stood as a towering beacon of hope and transformation—Senior Chief Theresa Kachindamoto. Known as the “Terminator of Child Marriages,” her name resonates far beyond the 900,000 people she leads, echoing across the globe as a symbol of courage and compassion. Her life’s work illustrates the power of leadership rooted in justice and an unwavering commitment to the rights of children, particularly young girls.
Born around 1959 into a lineage of traditional rulers, Kachindamoto never anticipated the mantle of leadership. For 27 years, she lived a quieter life as a secretary in Zomba, raising five sons and serving her community in understated ways.
Yet, in 2003, destiny called her home to Monkey Bay, where she was chosen as Inkosi of the Dedza District. Stepping into the traditional red robes and leopardskin headband, she embraced her role not as a burden but as an opportunity to rewrite the future for her people.
Chief Kachindamoto’s legacy is defined by her fearless fight against child marriage, a deeply entrenched practice in Malawi, where over half of girls were once married before age 18. Shocked by the sight of girls as young as 12 bearing children, she declared, “This is too much. I must do something.” And she did. With unparalleled resolve, she annulled over 3,500 child marriages by 2019, ensuring that both girls and boys returned to school to reclaim their childhoods and dreams. Her bold actions—firing sub-chiefs who resisted, passing by-laws to ban early marriage, and outlawing harmful sexual initiation camps—transformed cultural norms in a nation where poverty and tradition often silenced progress.
Her approach was as strategic as it was compassionate. She built coalitions with mothers, teachers, religious leaders, and NGOs, creating a network of “secret mothers and fathers” to monitor communities and protect girls from being pulled out of school. She even paid school fees out of her own pocket for those in need, embodying her belief: “If girls are educated, they can be and have whatever they want.”
May her soul rest in Jehovah God’s eternal loving peace. RIJGELP)
Almost within the week, the Mbekeani Mayombo clan lost their towering legend: Mnuzana Rogers Zamachecha (known to me as Zamachox) Mbekeani after a long battle with sugar disease.
The first time I heard of the name Rogers Mbekeani was when he was working at Air Malawi. My then boyfriend (Adam Karim) who later became my husband, was auditing the company for Coopers and Lybrand and I was a high school teacher in Blantyre.
“I met your brother Rogers at Air Malawi,” my boyfriend told me.
I replied: “I don’t have a brother called Rogers.”
“Yes, you do,” he told me and continued to say that Rogers Mbekeani had just finished his education at Kamuzu Academy, and to further prove that I have a brother called Rogers Mbekeani, Adam told me that the said brother lives at my parent’s Maoni house.
Truly shocked and as a fledgling investigative journalist and historian, I asked my Mom about the said brother.
She confirmed. And also added that I have been seeing him, greeting or being greeted by him, even having been sitting near him at the dinner table in Maoni….. She further informed me that he is on his way to Chancellor College….. he is the younger brother of Uncle Daniels’s sons who had grown up in Zambia. (Hobbes Mayombo and Pemebrton Mbekeani).
I had to eat a massive dose of humble pie and go back to tell my boyfriend Adam that “Yes, I do have a brother by the name of Rogers Mbekeani….”
Upon graduating from CC, Rogers got into the Malawi banking sector (Commercial Bank and others). But it was his work and engagement with his large Mayombo clan that Rogers became a legend.Always at family functions and events, not as a guest or mere attendee, but steer or director of the occasions. He was a tireless energetic brand.
Upon reaffirming his Ngoni roots by letting us know that he is now to be known as Rogers Zamachecha Mbekeani, I gave him a pet name (this is my signature, my tradition – Pet Name Giver, a trait I gleaned from my Dad and his two brothers Uncle Ronald and Uncle Jasper): ZAMACHOX and sometimes when busy, simply CHOX.
Deepest condolences to sister in-law Grace, the children Thandie and Dumi Mbekeani (grown lady and gentleman). May Rogers Zamachecha Mbekeani’s soul rest in Jehovah God’s eternal loving peace. (RIJGELP).
Janet Zeenat Karim,
“If You are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” – Asian Proverb
“Never stop LEARNING because life never stops TEACHING.”
