By Burnett Munthali
One of the sisters of the late Saulos Chilima, Tionge Phiri, said his death had left them truly orphaned, noting that Chilima was the one who raised her and their other sister, Maria Makina, after their parents passed away.
“We were still young at that time, but he took on the role of a parent for the two of us,” Ms. Phiri said.
“That responsibility continued even after we all had our own families.”
“For him, it was about carrying our burdens, and he never judged us, not even once, but listened to our concerns,” she added.
Although the occasion was solemn, the gathering shared a moment of laughter when the sister revealed that Chilima’s well-known love for jokes and quips was genuine.
“Indeed, he would even tease us when we were at home,” she said.
“And for those who were close to him, I can assure you that he would practice those sayings first before delivering them at a public event.”
“These small things are what we miss most about our brother. Rest well, my brother, rest well,” Ms. Phiri said.
According to her, Saulos Chilima was the firstborn in a family of five children.
Currently, only the two sisters remain alive.
