By Arkangel Tembo
Dark clouds engulfed Mnthunzi Funeral Parlour in Blantyre on Tuesday afternoon as the body of former Secretary General of the Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS), Hellen Tasosa Mpinganjira, was taken to her Chemusa residence.
Mpinganjira, who also served as a senior official at the Malawi National Council of Sports, passed away on Tuesday morning at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
Thousands of people, including members of the netball family, gathered at Mnthunzi to pay their last respects.Roman Catholic women from Chemusa Parish sang mournful hymns, including:
“MULUNGU ayitana. Manja mwake muli lichero adzapeta tiligu yense tidzipita lero MULUNGU ayitana. Ayitana eeeye ayitana eyeee ayitana MULUNGU ayitana.”
Women in the background wept as the brown coffin was brought into a small temple for speeches and a brief prayer.
Speeches were made by the Netball Association of Malawi President, the bereaved family, and a representative of Chemusa Parish.
At exactly 4:10 pm, the remains of Mpinganjira left the Mnthunzi premises for Chemusa, where prayers will be held on Wednesday before the body is transported to Lumbadzi in Lilongwe for burial on Thursday.
