One of the 12 presidential candidates in the May 2014 elections James Nyondo has died, his party National Salvation Front (Nasaf), has confirmed.
Nyondo, 47, died on Friday of lung cancer at The Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He first rocked the political landscape in 2009 when he contested for the presidency on an independent ticket.
Nasaf secretary general Lester Chikoya confirmed Nyondo’s death in an interview yesterday. He said the party and the family were making arrangements to bring his body home.
Chikoya moaned: “We have lost our president. This is a big loss, not only to our party, but to the nation as a whole.”
He said Nyondo, who is survived by a wife and three children, was a serious family man.
Mark Katsonga Phiri, also a presidential candidate in the 2014 polls on the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) ticket, said he received the news with shock. He extended condolences to Nasaf, Nyondo’s family and all Malawians for losing a man he described as brilliant and dynamic.
People’s Transformation Party (Petra) president, Kamuzu Chibambo—another presidential candidate who shared the stage with Nyondo during the first-ever presidential debates—said he was saddened to learn about the demise of his colleague.
The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said they were saddened to learn about Nyondo’s death.
DPP spokesperson Francis Kasaila said the young politician was active during the campaign and had a vision he shared with Malawians about the nation.
United Democratic Front (UDF) spokesperson Ken Ndanga described Nyondo as a budding politician who was trying to bring a new style of leadership on the political landscape.
