LATE BINGU’S PALACE ABANDONED: MCP’S THREE MUSKETEERS INTERVENES

By Tawonga Phiri

Desolate. Isolated. Unattended.

There are alot of adjectives and adverbs that can be used to define the state of the former head of state’s Mausoleum. The resting place. Mpumulo wa Bata.

Situated at His Ndata farm in Thyolo, lies a great architectural masterpiece that comprises of a white castle like structure and a magnificent mausoleum.

It is owned by former late President Bingu.

In 2004 he declared to have a wealth valued at K150,000,000, the time he died, he was worth more than K60 Billion.

The residence was constructed by the Portuguese Company called “Mota-engil” who as well constructed his wife’s and his Taj-mahal style of mausoleum.

Both him and his wife were buried there and the place is furnished with Italian and Egyptian exotic antiques.

It was believed he had real estate in Portugal e.g mansions,hotels…

It was also said,he had massive offshore accounts loaded with serious monies and Anti Corruption Bureau few weeks ago,announced his docile bank account in United States of America has K70 Billion and currently there are no files to trace the money.The ACB will ask the US Attorney General to investigate.

Bingu became a multi-billionaire in a span of 8 years in this “then” and same malawi that was and is struggling with issues of forex, Petrol, electricity and water supply.

This iconic structure however lies in a desolate state. Tall and overgrown glass flank the once beautiful structure. This had compelled three young men;Suleman,Lackson,Bendulo(the famous Concourt witnesses) to offer grass cutting services around the mausoleum of the third President of Malawi on 4th March 2020.

Despite being from a Lhomwe heritage, and a founder and first patron of a Lhomwe cultural grouping, the “Mulhako wa Alhomwe”, Bingu Wa Munthalika first patron has been abandoned.

Not only was he a Lhomwe by tribe, a grouping that boasts of many abled young men and many rich businessmen who wined and dined with him when he was alive and at the helm of power, he was also a Third democratically elected president of the Republic.

Why is he abandoned? Are his bones being haunted with the allegations of state plundering? Are his people so easily forgetful of the efforts he tried to transform Thyolo district into an Eton of the southern Region?

There lies our third President, in that bush veld in his home town, no one seems to notice, not even his brother who is the sitting president, nor the DPP party zealots. If someone therefore as a Malawian chooses to do the honors and cut the grass, do the ground clearing, will that be misplaced? Should he or she be stopped by those that claim to have been his acquaintance yet abandon him as such?