Aaron Gadama

Aaron Eliot Gadama was a former Malawian cabinet Minister and one of the 'Mwanza Four'.[1][2] He was born in Kasungu District and is thought to be a relative of President Kamuzu Banda.[3]

He was a Minister for the Central Region, and a Leader of the House.[4] He was one of the original trustees of Press Trust.[5]

He died mysteriously on 18 th May 1983 together with Ministers Dick Matenje, and Twaibu Sangala as well as Member of parliament, David Chiwanga. Their bodies were found in Mozambique.[6] The Banda government reported his death as a 'traffic accident.[7] In 1995, seven people were accused of his death including Kamuzu Banda, but were acquitted due to lack of evidence.[8]

Film and drama

  • The Mwanza Accident (Documentary) - 1995
  • The dramatic character Chibale Sakumbira is a political reference to Gadama and the Mwanza Incident.[3]

References

  1. ^ MALAWI NEWS ONLINE #34
  2. ^ In The Malawi Supreme Court Of Appeal
  3. ^ a b Chibale Sakumbira, Kungoni Centre of Culture and Art
  4. ^ Richard Carver, Where Silence Rules: Dissent- Malawi
  5. ^ History - Press Trust
  6. ^ Daniel N. Posner - Malawi's New Dawn - Journal of Democracy 6:1
  7. ^ Confronting the Past: Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Malawi, Robert F Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, 1994 Archived 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Director of Public Prosecution v Banda (Kamuzu) and Others | Malawi Legal Information Institute