Tag Archives: Misozi Chanthunya

Malawi

Malawi’s convict Chanthunya was animalistic and so deserves it!

Richard Kayenda
Chanthunya

On Friday 4 September, 2020, the High Court sitting in Zomba passed its final determination on one Misozi Chanthunya, who gruesomely murdered his mistress, Linda Gasa, a decade ago. The verdict has come this far, surely, because of the shenanigans of the fugitive Chanthunya and the genuine adjournments of the matter within Malawi’s judicial system.

Chanthunya planned to eliminate Linda’s life when she never bowed down to his idea of aborting a pregnancy she got from him through their short lived relationship. By then Linda, who was 25 year old, was just a student at the Malawi College of Accountancy (MCA), Blantyre Campus. Through that illegal abortion, Chanthunya only wanted to keep his reputation to his wife and the society clean.

But what he swiftly became oblivious of was the fact that removal of unborn life; legally or illegally, is biblically sinful and Linda was well aware of that and other post abortion complications, that is why she never succumbed to the inhumane idea.

Out of love for her man friend, she could accept some abortion inducing pills he gave her but she never dared take them for the very fears of the aftermaths of termination of a pregnancy.

Whilst Linda was delaying the process with hope that Misozi would sober up and accept the situation positively and let life continue, the latter felt time was fast running towards his final betrayal and so it was time to clear the abominable shame off his face.

As he was busy executing his ‘smart’ plans, the law was just lying somewhere nearby salivating for his wickedness. Time too knew pretty well it would be nigh too soon for him to answer for the ‘deed’. There is indeed no secret under the sun! It may take a century, but one day, whatever is in the hole-and-corner will certainly come out of it! Chanthunya managed to run and hide but failed to escape.

When the law finally caught him napping, it pulled him home, the court, and found him with three counts to answer: perjury, hindering the burial of a dead body and murder. It is at this point that Chanthunya woke up from his demon induced slumber and realised that you can deceive all the people all the times, but you cannot cheat some people sometimes!

The court proceedings through witnesses revealed that Linda breathed her last in August, 2010 at Chanthunya’s Mwala Lodge in Mangochi. It was further disclosed that when Chanthunya accomplished his master plan, he, with the help of extra manpower, managed to bury Linda’s body underneath the bathroom in one of the rooms of the lodge. Alas! How he surely forgot the supernaturalness of human blood!

Consequently, the court slapped him with life imprisonment as his penance for his gruesome act. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Yes, it is no deniable fact that as entrepreneurial as he was, his imprisonment is a deprivation of his contributions to the development of the country. On the contrary, his killing of Linda meant that she was also prematurely halted from contributing to the development Malawi and Zimbabwe (where she naturally belonged) through professional skills that she was acquiring from MCA. So, Malawi’s development is now losing twice here.

Well, were all factors constant by this day, Linda would be 35 years old; perhaps a wife to some gentleman and a mother too. However, that right to the terminated life and those of the posterity out of her were unconsciously trampled upon by one human turned animalistic being. How miserable!

It is now ten years that Linda kissed the dust unnaturally leaving relations, friends and acquaintances wondering and imagining how her soul was squeezed out of her body!

Gratuitously speaking, the court has consoled Linda’s sympathisers. It may not be a 100 percent consolation, but at least justice has finally run down the rightful course and it has portrayed the real picture of an animal without a spirit in Mr Chanthunya. Continue resting, Linda!

Law and order, Malawi, Top News

Malawi’s fugitive murder suspect Chanthunya arrives; to face murder charges

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The murder suspect and long-time fugitive from justice, Misozi Chanthunya on Thursday returned into Malawi from South Africa as part of his extradition agreement.

Chathunya touched down at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in the capital city Lilongwe, at 4.30 pm through Malawi Airlines where he was welcomed by police and immigration officials.

According to sources at the KIA, the murder suspect looked composed upon landing Malawi’s soil after seven years in battle with court.

Chanthunya is expected to be charged on murder which might face death sentence, according to the laws of the country.

This follows last week court determination that Chanthunya lived up to his word; withdrawing all applications against the extradition process which the South African Minister of Justice had ordered in 2012 after Chanthunya was declared a fugitive from justice by Malawian court.

Chanthunya is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Linda Gasa in 2010. Gasa was a student at College of Accountancy Blantyre campus.

Chanthunya fled the country and was arrested in South Africa by South African authorities in 2012.
The murder suspect has been fighting his extradition in South African courts since but last week he withdrew his objection and agreed to be extradited to Malawi.

Previously, Chanthunya’s lawyers had cited the country’s continued retention of the death penalty for murder cases on its statutes as one of the reasons he opposed his extradition but the court also ruled against his objections during last week’s hearing.

While still in South African prison, Chanthunya launched a bid to get bail through the Malawi High Court.

However, the bail application hit a snag after a judge in the case, Justice Esmie Chombo, recused herself from the case citing “phone calls” she had received in connection to the case.

The judge did not indicate whether the calls were threats or an attempt to influence her handling of the case.

Human Rights, Law and order, Malawi

Malawi’s fugitive murder suspect Chanthunya returns Thursday

Maravi Post Reporter

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The murder suspect and long-time fugitive from justice, Misozi Chanthunya, returns home tomorrow from South Africa as part of his extradition agreement.

This follows last week court determination that Chanthunya lived up to his word; withdrawing all applications against the extradition process which the South African Minister of Justice had ordered in 2012 after Chanthunya was declared a fugitive from justice by Malawian court.

Chanthunya is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Linda Gasa in 2010. Gasa was a student at College of Accountancy Blantyre campus.

Chanthunya fled the country and was arrested in South Africa by South African authorities in 2012.
The murder suspect has been fighting his extradition in South African courts since but last week he withdrew his objection and agreed to be extradited to Malawi.

Chathunya is expected to touch down at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Malawi’s capital city Lilongwe, at 4.30 pm, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Pirirani Majamanda confirmed to Nation Newspaper.

“I can confirm that Mr. Chanthunya arrives in the country tomorrow (Thursday),” he said.

Previously, Chanthunya’s lawyers had cited the country’s continued retention of the death penalty for murder cases on its statutes as one of the reasons he opposed his extradition but the court also ruled against his objections during last week’s hearing.

While still in South African prison, Chanthunya launched a bid to get bail through the Malawi High Court.

However, the bail application hit a snag after a judge in the case, Justice Esmie Chombo, recused herself from the case citing “phone calls” she had received in connection to the case.

The judge did not indicate whether the calls were threats or an attempt to influence her handling of the case.

Law and order, Malawi, Top News

Fugitive murder suspect Chanthunya withdraws extradition challenge

MaraviPost 1 Comment

The fugitive murder suspect, Misozi Chanthunya, has withdrawn his extradition challenge, bringing to an end one of the country’s long drawn legal battles.

Chanthunya is suspected to have killed his ex-girlfriend Linda Gasa in September 2010. Gasa’s body was found buried in Chanthunya’s lakeshore private cottage in Monkey-Bay, Mangochi.

The fugitive murder suspect later fled to South Africa and has since been fighting not to be extradited to Malawi to answer murder charges.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, Chanthunya informed the state over the weekend of his intentions to surrender to Malawian authorities to face murder charges in connection to the gruesome killing of 25-year-old, according to sources close to the matter.

In a court appearance on Monday, Chanthunya lived up to his word; withdrawing all applications against the extradition process which the South African Minister of Justice had ordered in 2012 after Chanthunya was declared a fugitive from justice by Malawian court.

“He has agreed that he will be coming home to face the charges,” a source close to the matter told Nation Online.

But as of Monday morning, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson Pirirani Masanjala could not confirm whether such talks had taken place and what had persuaded Chanthunya to take such a decision.

But, by late afternoon on Monday Chanthunya had told the court he was ready to face justice at home.

“You will recall that there was a matter in court today. Two things happened in court today (Monday). First, Mr. Chanthunya finally withdrew all the applications he had made in court, more importantly the application he made seeking to challenge the decision of the (South African) Minister to extradite him to Malawi. Secondly, the High Court in South Africa has found him to be extractable, so he can be extradited to Malawi,” Masanjala said.

Masanjala further said that arrangements are now underway to negotiate Chanthunya’s safe passage to Malawi which is likely to also involve Interpol, because Chanthunya remains a fugitive from justice.

“He has been 0n the run for seven years so he is still a fugitive from the law,” said Masanjala.

Chanthunya’s lawyers were not immediately available for comment but Masanjala said the state is ready to start the case in court once Chanthunya is home, downplaying questions over strengths of evidence and availability of witnesses, years after the horrendous crime.

Chanthunya’s escape from justice was a novel affair. He was questioned by police in Blantyre in the immediate aftermath of the murder of Gasa, then reportedly pregnant.

Following his questioning, he walked out of a police station without charges which were only laid while he had already skipped the country’s border security and has been fighting extradition since his arrest in South Africa in 2010.

Chanthunya recently launched a bid to get bail through the Malawi High Court but a judge in that case, Justice Esmie Chombo, later recused herself from the case citing “phone calls” she had received connected to the case.

The judge did not indicate whether the calls were threats or an attempt to influence her handling of the case.