They say silence is golden, and for good reason. Words carry weight—they can build or destroy, unite or divide. But more dangerously, words can betray hidden desires and expose intentions long buried beneath the surface. In some extreme cases, what we say can unintentionally lift the veil on sinister private plots and actions.
The recent conduct and commentary from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) following the tragic death of Deputy Minister of Local Government Joyce Chitsulo offers a chilling example. In their eagerness to politicize her death, DPP leaders have inadvertently revealed more than they intended—raising serious questions about how much the party know about the untimely death of this woman.
To put it bluntly, all what has been said before and after the death of Honorable Chitsulo raises serious and deep questions: Just how involved is the party in this death? How deep does the party’s involvement in this death go? Did the party play a role in this death?
When the Deputy Minister and Member of Parliament for Mwanza West collapsed and died at her home on June 7, 2025, the nation went into mourning.
But not everyone shared in the sorrow. For DPP, her death became an unsettling moment of political theatre. Instead of restraint, reflection, and respect, the DPP’s response was marked by insinuations, finger-pointing, and in some corners, near-celebration.
Take for example the video in circulation purportedly coming from Bakili Muluzi TV, a platform well known for painting everything DPP, white.
DPP’s behavior, both prior to and following Chitsulo’s death, has set off alarms about the growing toxicity in the party and how far it is willing to go to have their opponents out of the picture by any means.
Hon. Joyce Chitsulo was no stranger to the DPP. Elected as a Member of Parliament for Mwanza West under the party’s banner in 2019, she was once one of its prominent faces. But like many political actors disillusioned with the party’s direction, she defected to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) in early 2024. This move triggered outrage among her former comrades.
In a chilling and now infamous declaration, DPP President Arthur Peter Mutharika reportedly warned that Chitsulo would “never leave MCP alive.” Another senior party member and Director of Women for the south Maria Ndasowa Mainja was captured in a viral video from a rally in Nsanje, stating that Chitsulo would be “punished” for her betrayal.
These were not veiled threats—they were bold, theatrical utterances made on public platforms, met with cheers from loyalists who appeared more interested in vengeance than governance.
To many, these remarks seemed like political hyperbole. But in hindsight, they now appear grimly real.
On May 16, 2025, Chitsulo was involved in a serious car accident on her way back from a government meeting in Mzuzu. Though she sustained only minor injuries and was treated as an outpatient, the incident immediately became a talking point within political circles.
DPP-affiliated social media accounts pounced on the accident, speculating darkly about the consequences of her defection. Instead of sympathy, there were whispers of karma.
At a time when political leaders should have been united in concern for a public servant’s well-being, DPP operatives seemed almost gleeful—hinting that her accident was a divine warning. As though misfortune was a price she had to pay for leaving the fold.
To the discerning mind and those paying attention, this marked the first red flag—an ominous hint of a murderous plot brewing behind the scenes. Whether by sheer coincidence or calculated intent, Malawians would be justified in believing that the DPP nearly got their target; only fate intervened on Chitsulo’s side.
Following what was said after Honourable Chitsulo joined MCP and soon after the accident, the accident exposed a sinister plot in motion within the DPP. Call it coincidence if you will, but it looked like the DPP missed its mark the first time, sadly temporarily.
When news broke that Chitsulo had died after collapsing at her home, DPP’s reaction was swift—and deeply unsettling. Rather than offering condolences, several voices within the party immediately began spinning conspiracy theories. They claimed the MCP had orchestrated her death. They painted the picture of a nefarious plot, using fear to stoke anti-MCP sentiment.
But what shocked many Malawians was not just the deflection. It was the celebratory tone in some posts. Comments flooded Facebook and WhatsApp: “She was warned,” “You don’t leave DPP and survive,” “Let this be a lesson.” It felt less like mourning and more like a funeral dirge turned into a political rally.
The DPP’s current strategy seems reminiscent of political necromancy—reviving the dead not for remembrance but for rhetoric. Much like the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s death in 2012, which the DPP tried to use as a power retention mechanism, Joyce Chitsulo’s passing is being turned into a grotesque political asset.
By insinuating foul play, by recycling old threats, and by vilifying the deceased, the DPP is playing with dangerous fire. When a party treats death as an extension of campaign strategy, it ceases to be a political organization and begins to resemble a cult obsessed with loyalty and vengeance.
Politics in Malawi must never be reduced to a blood sport. Leadership should not be measured by how long one outlasts their opponents, but by how faithfully one serves the people. When death is manipulated as just another weapon in a party’s propaganda arsenal, we are compelled to ask: what has become of our shared humanity?
What was perhaps even more chilling was the conspicuous absence of DPP representatives—especially the very women who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Joyce Chitsulo. Not a single one showed up to bid farewell to their former colleague. The silence and absence spoke louder than any tribute ever could.
This is not just about Joyce Chitsulo. It’s about how we, as a nation, treat our public servants—especially women—when they dare to assert independence. Chitsulo was a rare female political figure who had weathered storms and made bold moves. Her decision to cross the aisle should have been met with debate, not death threats.
And now, in the wake of her untimely passing, she is not being remembered for her work, her courage, or her service. Instead, her name is being twisted into a cautionary tale by a party that fears defection more than it fears moral decay.
Malawi deserves better. The Malawi Human Rights Commission and the police must take these past threats seriously. An independent investigation must determine whether Chitsulo’s death was indeed natural or if something more sinister was at play. The DPP must be compelled to explain its members’ public utterances—both before and after her death.
Moreover, the DPP leadership should issue a formal apology to Chitsulo’s family and the nation. A party that cannot mourn one of its own, even in political departure, has no place leading a democratic society.
There is a growing fatigue among Malawians—an exhaustion with politics that feels more like gang rivalry than civic duty. The death of Chitsulo and the DPP’s disturbing reaction is a wake-up call.
It is time for a national reckoning. For media houses to call out hate speech. For civil society to demand ethics from leaders. For religious and traditional leaders to say: enough.
Because if we don’t demand a better politics now, we risk normalizing the abnormal. We risk raising our children in a country where cruelty is courage and death is just another campaign slogan.
In Memory of Joyce Chitsulo 27-05-1978 To 06-06-2025
Let us not forget the woman at the heart of this story. Deputy Minister and Member of Parliament for Mwanza West Honourable Joyce Chitsulo was not perfect, but she was a servant of the people. She walked both sides of the political aisle. She served under different administrations. She was bold enough to speak her truth, even when it came at great personal cost.
May her legacy not be defined by the toxic reactions of a desperate party, but by the quiet dignity with which she served, lived, and, yes, died.
