By Isaac Salima:
The body of Member of Parliament (MP) for Mwanza West and Local Government Deputy Minister, Joyce Chitsulo, was laid to rest Monday at her home during a ceremony attended by scores of people, led by President Lazarus Chakwera.
Cabinet ministers, MPs, government officials and people from all walks of life braved the 32-kilometre bumpy and hilly terrain that began after branching off the Mwanza Road to escort Chitsulo to her final resting place.
In an emotional ceremony held at Malowa Primary School ground in Mpeni Village, Traditional Authority Govati, speakers took turns at the podium to deliver similar eulogies, appreciating the deceased’s “well-lived life which touched many”.
Representing the children, Chitsulo’s first-born daughter, Maureen Chirwa, said her mother taught them love through her actions.
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“It was a well-lived life. She was not one for words, but she demonstrated what love truly is. We were not only her children; she was a mother to many,” Chirwa said.
She then commended Chakwera and government officials for supporting her mother during her illness.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara, said Chitsulo was supportive of fellow women.
“She was not a woman who kept to herself or was selfish. She supported other female aspirants. She had the welfare of women at heart and uplifted many,” Gotani Hara said.
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Speaking on behalf of the President, Minister of Local Government Richard Chimwendo Banda described Chitsulo’s passing as a big loss to the nation.
“She was a special gift to the whole nation, not just Mwanza West. She worked with dedication and, to me personally, I have lost a colleague who was passionate about her job. Death is always painful when you lose such people who wished the nation well,” Chimwendo Banda said.
He also called for the continuation of development projects that Chitsulo had initiated, both in her constituency and across the country.
As her body was finally interred with military honours at exactly 13:58, her mother, Vice President Michael Usi, Cabinet ministers and MPs could not hold back tears as they bid farewell to the fallen lawmaker.
Chitsulo was born on May 27, 1978 and is survived by her husband and four children.
She won the parliamentary seat in 2019 on a Democratic Progressive Party ticket and was appointed to the Cabinet in January this year.
She was involved in an accident on May 27, 2025 while returning from Mzuzu on official duties.
She sustained a leg injury and had been recovering well before collapsing at her home last Friday.
