DPP vehicle overturns, 2 die
Two people have died after a governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vehicle they were travelling in overturned in Kasungu on Sunday.
National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera identified the deceased as a DPP official Charles Chiwanda who died on the spot and a Ministry of Information and Communications Technology technician Graciano Tsumba who died shortly after being referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe.
He said preliminary details gathered indicate that overtaking contributed to the accident.
An eye witness said the DPP-branded vehicle, a Toyota Hilux pick-up registration BP 8384, overturned in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle in an overtaking mode.
DPP secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey said all funeral expenses would be covered by the party at the directive of President Peter Mutharika.
Mutharika yesterday visited injured survivors at KCH and gave their guardians undisclosed cash.
Meanwhile, the United Transformation Movement (UTM)—which comprises predominantly breakaway former DPP national governing council members, including Vice-President Saulos Chilima—has condoled the DPP and bereaved families.
Its spokesperson Joseph Chidanti Malunga sent messages of goodwill to the injured.
Tsumba, originally from Zulu Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Zulu in Mchinji, is survived by a wife and four children. However, intimate family details for Chawanda were not immediately available at press time.