Malawi’s vice president Saulos Chilima is dead after aircraft went missing

Malawi’s vice president Saulos Chilima is dead.

President Lazarus Chakwera announced his death in a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

“Despite the experience of the crew, something terrible happened to that aircraft sending it crashing down and  killing everyone on board,” he said.

Chakwera this can not take away the pain and the helplessness.

“I understand these feeling because I feel them too. It is important that we comfort each other now and the weeks to come as we mourn together,’ he said.

“He was a good man, patriotic citizen. It was an honour to have him as my deputy in the past 4 years. “

Chilima died after an aircraft carrying him with nine others went off the radar.

The Malawian Defence Force said the aircraft ‘went off radar’ after it left Lilongwe on Monday morning.

“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” Malawi’s Office of the President and Cabinet said.

Chilima was born on 12th February 1973. 

He was first sworn in as Vice President of the Republic of Malawi on May 30, 2014.

On June 28, 2020, Chilima was sworn in for his second term as Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. 

Chilima is the first Malawian to head Airtel Malawi, the leading mobile telecommunications company in the southern African country.

Before venturing into telecommunications, he held Senior Sales Marketing positions in the banking sector and the fast-moving consumer goods sector namely the Leasing and Finance Company, Unilever Malawi, Coca-cola and Carlsberg.

Dr Chilima is married with two children.