MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY REFORMER CHAFUKIRA DIES

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000526 SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDED SENSITIVE CAPTION) LONDON FOR AF WATCHER PETER LORD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI SUBJECT: MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY REFORMER CHAFUKIRA DIES MYSTERIOUSLY REF: A. LILONGWE 453 ¶B. LILONGWE 386 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Ex-Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesman Ishmael Chafukira died suddenly Sunday while on a trip to South Africa. The cause of death is still unknown, but most Malawians believe MCP leader John Tembo somehow arranged to have Chafukira, a declared rival, eliminated. Chafukira's mysterious death may give pause to other reform-minded MCP members who had been planning to challenge Tembo's leadership. End summary. SUDDEN DEATH -------------- ¶2. (U) Former Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesman and Member of Parliament Ishmael Chafukira, age 42, died Sunday while on a business trip to South Africa. The cause of Chafukira's death has not been determined. Local Malawian media reports that he collapsed at a hotel in the town of Messina as he was preparing to return to Malawi. Reportedly suffering from severe stomach pain, Chafukira died shortly thereafter. A RISING STAR IN MALAWI POLITICS -------------- ¶3. (U) Chafukira was a rising star in a new generation of Malawian politicos. He achieved a high public profile as the spokesman for the MCP. In the wake of the MCP's poor showing in Malawi's May 2009 national elections, Chafukira launched a public challenge to party boss John Tembo. He openly criticized Tembo's leadership, blamed him for the party's setbacks, and called on him to resign as the MCP's president. These actions led to his ouster as party spokesman (ref B) and expulsion from the party. Undeterred, Chafukira -- still an MP -- pressed for Parliamentary procedural changes to block Tembo from becoming Opposition Leader (ref A) in Malawi's National Assembly. RUMORS ABOUND -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Rumors are rife in Malawi that Tembo somehow orchestrated Chafukira's death. Chafukira's relatively young age and apparently good health have most Malawians convinced that his death involved foul play. The perception of Tembo within the Malawian public is that he has done away with challengers to his leadership using any means necessary. At least five individuals who in some way opposed Tembo have died under mysterious circumstances over the years. (Note: Post anticipates that a post mortem will be performed in South Africa rather than in Malawi. This may shed light on the true circumstances of Chafukira's death, but will probably do little to dispel suspicions of Tembo's involvement. End note.) A CHILLING AFFECT ON CHALLENGERS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Chafukira was a close contact of the Mission, and confided his frustration with Tembo's autocratic and ineffective leadership long before the MCP's May 2009 election thumping. While it is certain that there was no love lost between Chafukira and Tembo, there is currently no/no hard evidence to confirm Tembo's involvement in Chafukira's death. Nonetheless, Chafukira's sudden demise will likely have a chilling effect on reform minded members of the MCP. As Crown Mbewe, a member of Malawi's Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) confided to Poloff, "They will surely think again before speaking against Tembo now." SULLIVAN