Malawi is mourning the death of its former iconic footballer, Esau ‘Black Mamba’ Kanyenda, who passed away on Tuesday December 2,2025 in the United Kingdom (UK ) after a battle with liver cancer.
He was 43.
Kanyenda’s death has sent shockwaves across the nation and the wider football community, with tributes pouring in from fans, former teammates, football authorities, and national leaders.
Kanyenda
Known for his explosive pace, lethal finishing, and charismatic presence, Kanyenda rose from humble beginnings to become one of Malawi’s most successful international players.
President the nation on Tuesday led the nation in mourning the Ex-Flames football star , describing him as a patriotic son of Malawi whose talent carried the nation’s flag with pride across the world.
Parliament observed a moment of silence in his honour, acknowledging his contribution to sports development and his role in inspiring young athletes.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) officials also expressed deep sadness, noting that Kanyenda paved the way for Malawian footballers in international leagues.
Throughout his career, he played for clubs in Malawi, South Africa, Denmark, and Russia, becoming one of the few Malawians to make a mark in European football.
As messages of sympathy continue to flood social media, many remember him not only for his achievements on the pitch but also for his humility, mentorship, and passion for developing local football talent.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by the family in due course.
National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc, says it is impressed with the Scorchers’ overall performance in the Women’s Three-Nations Tournament underway in Lilongwe as the team prepares for the upcoming WAFCON.
During the tournament at Bingu National Stadium, Malawi put up competitive performances, despite their 2–1 loss Zimbabwe in the opening match on Friday, before a one-all with Zambia on Sunday.
With those results, the hosts stand no chance to win the tournament as it is being played on a league-format.
This means Zimbabwe lead the table with three points, followed by Zambia’s point as they head into their last encounter on Tuesday.
Malawi’s consolation goal against Zimbabwe came through a 40th-minute strike from Faith Chinzimu, while Rose Kabzere netted a powerful 56th-minute rebound to secure the draw against Zambia.
NBM plc Product Development and Strategy Manager, Ibrahim Chapeyama, said that as the official Scorchers’ sponsors, they were satisfied with the team’s overall performance and described the tournament as an important foundation for WAFCON preparations.
“We are focusing on the positives because the coach was able to try out new players. We are impressed with what we have seen and are hoping for the best,” said Chapeyama.
He added that the Bank’s sponsorship aims to strengthen the development of women’s football and enhance Malawi’s competitiveness at the continental level.
“We have been with them from the start. We sponsored the premiership that led to WAFCON qualification. Our message has always been the same: keep pushing and make the dream come true. We want the team not just to qualify again, but to go beyond and win it,” he said.
Commenting on the matches, Scorchers Coach Lovemore Fazili said he was also encouraged by the team’s performance and emphasized the need for squad depth as part of the build-up to major future competitions.
“The games were not bad. I wanted to give a chance to players who have not played before. We cannot rely on just a few individuals building a strong team requires depth” he said.
He said friendly matches are vital for assessing new combinations and refining tactical harmony.
“Even though we failed to win the tournament, I was looking for coordination between the new players and the usual squad. We learnt a lot from Zimbabwe and Zambia, and I believe they learnt from us as well,” Fazili said.
Zambia Coach Charles Haaluubono also praised Malawi’s continued progress in women’s football.
“They keep improving, and we are now almost at the same level if not already there. You can see young players coming in and performing very well. I follow the Malawian league closely, and the development here is impressive,” he said.
Mzuzu University (MZUNI) emerged as the overall winner of the Tertiary Students Sports Association of Malawi (TESSAM) Weekend Sports Festival, held on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Malawi in Zomba in a competition designed to scout athletes for the 2026 CUCSA Games in Botswana.
MZUNI outperformed its rivals with victories in men’s and women’s football, netball and volleyball, securing its position as the top institution of the tournament.
Tawina Malata
Bunda College claimed both men’s and women’s basketball, the University of Malawi triumphed in chess, while Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) led in athletics.
The festival, sponsored by National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Plc through a K17 million investment, brought together universities and colleges for a high-stakes talent identification platform aimed at assembling the next national university team, TESSAM Malawi.
Zomba NBM Plc Service Centre Manager, Tawina Malata, expressed pride in the Bank’s role in supporting Malawi’s sporting youth.
“We strongly believe that the future of our country rests in the hands of the youth, and supporting this festival allows us to nurture their talents and potential. We are pleased that several outstanding players have been identified to represent Malawi. As National Bank, we are honoured to stand with institutions in promoting discipline, ambition, and national development through sports,” said Malata.
TESSAM Malawi Vice President, Geoffrey Biya, said the tournament fulfilled its primary mission of scouting athletes for the CUCSA Games and praised NBM Plc for bridging the resource gap universities often face.
“These games were specifically organized to identify players who will represent Malawi next year. National Bank’s support made it possible for all these universities to come together and compete at this scale. We are grateful for their commitment to youth development and sports excellence,” said Biya.
MZUNI Sports Director, Thomas Movetie, whose institution delivered the strongest overall performance, described the victory as a proud moment for the university.
“We are extremely proud of what our athletes have achieved. Their hard work has paid off, and it shows the strength and determination of the MZUNI community. We also appreciate National Bank Plc for stepping in to support university sports and helping create opportunities for young athletes across the country,” said Movetie.
The festival successfully met its objective, with 30 netball players, 12 chess players, 24 volleyball players, 24 men’s basketball players, 34 women’s basketball players, 28 women’s football players, and 34 athletics competitors scouted for provisional inclusion in the national university squad.
Selected athletes will begin preparations for Botswana with their first training camp in January, followed by monthly camps until the final CUCSA team is confirmed.
Other institutions that participated in the TESSAM sports festival included Kamuzu College of Health Sciences, Natural Resources College (NRC), University of Livingstonia, DMI St John the Baptist University, MUBAS, and Bunda Campus of LUANAR.
National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc has donated K2.8 million to Malawi Business Coalition on Health (MBC-Health) in support of this year’s commemoration of World AIDS Day on 1st December.
Speaking during the cheque presentation on Friday, NBM plc’s Employee Benefits Manager Limbani Chakhoma said the Bank remains a responsible corporate citizen and is committed to being at the forefront of efforts to fight HIV and AIDS.
Chakhoma highlighted the Bank’s HIV policy, which prioritises the health and well-being of its employees.
“We have employees who are equally affected either directly or indirectly. We believe that helping institutions or organizations that are fighting HIV and AIDS is also of paramount importance to us. These policies also guide how we should prevent, control and even help our employees to be treated in terms of HIV and AIDS and other non-communicable diseases,” said Chakhoma.
Chakhoma further disclosed that the Bank has an in-house medical scheme, NABMAS, which enables employees to access ART drugs.
Chakhoma emphasised the Bank’s commitment to supporting people and government efforts to ensure that the right services reach people living with HIV and AIDS.
MBC-Health Chief Executive Officer, Treza Mphwatiwa, expressed gratitude for the Bank’s support.
“We are thankful to NBM plc for supporting this year’s Commemoration of World Aids Day, and making it possible for us to host it,” said Mphwatiwa.
She said that this year’s observance will focus on men, noting that data shows they are the least likely to go for HIV testing.
Mphwatiwa encouraged people to attend the commemoration in Makata, Blantyre, Lilongwe, Salima, NkhataBay and Mangochi, where free health services will be offered.
“Men are usually left behind in terms of HIV and other services. This is because when you ask the men, they say that they do not have time to actually leave their job and go to the health facility to access care,” said Mphwatiwa.
This year’s celebration is under the theme ‘Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response’.
Dowa District Council’s Economist Takondwa Katsobola, says strong leadership, good team work and collaboration among all stakeholders has led to completion of projects the council is implementing under the Performance Based Governance (PBG) in the district.
Katsobola said continuous and regular monitoring and supervision as well as regular site meetings are crucial to ensure that there is adherence to project standards and finding bottlenecks affecting project implementation.
He called on stakeholders in the district to intensify monitoring and supervision of projects, scheduled site meetings and encouraging contractors to increase workforce in stalled projects, and increase project duration to at least 5 months to finish the remaining works.
Updating the District executive committee (Dec) on Gesd and RCRP projects from 2021 to 2024 the council is implementing, Katsobola said the Public Based Governance (PBG) has contributed to increased Std 8 pass rate from 31 percent in 2021 to 66 percent in 2024.
Katsobola said PBG project implementation has contributed to reduced pupil classroom ratio from 1;119 in 2021 to 1;60 in 2024, improved health service delivery, improved access to security services, and improved public amenities such as markets, schools and hospitals.
He said in order to comply to complete projects under Health and Security, the council used other funding mechanism to complete Public Based Governance projects saying this has led to the construction of Chinkhwiri, Chibvala, and Maweru police senior staff houses in the district.
The Economist said the PBG project implementation has seen construction of Mtiti Bridge on Samvekato Mwancheka- Mtiti road, Chikudzo to Matekenya Bridges, completion of Chibanzi Health Post, Madzo maternity and Umoyo staff house, and Dowa turn- off market, among others.
“The PBG project implementation has rehabilitated Dowa District Hospital’s female ward, labour ward and antenatal ward, and Nalunga OPD and Under- Five Clinic,” said Katsobola.
However, Katsobola said the Public Based Governance (PBG) project implementation from 2021 to 2024 has been facing major challenges such as delays in completion of some projects, and devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha which resulted to raising cost of building materials.
