Orton Chirwa to get decent burial
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Michael Usi has said government will reconstruct a befitting resting place for renowned freedom fighter Orton Chingoli Chirwa.
He said this on Thursday during a visit to Manolo in Traditional Authority Timbiri in Nkhata Bay where the late Chirwa was buried.
Usi said government is in the process of constructing a mausoleum for the freedom fighter.
He said: “We want to construct the mausoleum as part of respecting him because he was one of the first freedom fighters of this country.
“Again, the mausoleum will attract tourists to flock to the area to see where the patriot lies.”
Usi commended the people of Nkhata Bay for their love of preserving history.
“The people have preserved the history of our liberation,” he said.
On her part, the late Chirwa’s relative, Dawira Chirwa said government’s decision means a lot to the family.
“We feel honoured as a family. We never expected this gesture from government because governments have come and gone, but none thought of constructing a befitting burial place for Orton,” she said.
Usi also visited the grave site of the martyrs of the 1959 State of Emergency at Kakumbi and the memorial pillar at Nkhata Bay Jetty earlier in the day.