“African President Whose Name Was Changed After His Death In A Dramatic Cover-Up”
Bingu wa Mutharika served as Malawi’s third president from 2004 until his death in 2012. However, events following his death triggered a political crisis that led to the arrest of several senior government officials.
On April 5, 2012, Mutharika collapsed while at his official residence in Lilongwe. A government commission later established that he died while being transported to Kamuzu Central Hospital. What followed raised serious questions about how his death was handled and who would succeed him.
Instead of immediately announcing his death, officials delayed the announcement as the president’s body was transported to South Africa under the name Daniel Phiri, an arrangement that created the impression that he was still receiving treatment. The alleged move was reportedly intended to buy time and block his vice president, Joyce Banda, from succeeding him.
The crisis was rooted in a bitter political fallout between Mutharika and his vice president, Joyce Banda, who had been expelled from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Under Malawi’s Constitution, Banda was the rightful successor, but members of Mutharika’s inner circle reportedly tried to prevent her from taking power and considered installing his brother, Peter Mutharika.
The six senior government officials who allegedly sought to prevent Joyce Banda from succeeding Mutharika became known as the Midnight Six. Their actions plunged the country into uncertainty as they reportedly attempted to interfere with the constitutional transfer of power.
However, the military leadership backed constitutional succession, allowing Banda to become president on April 7, 2012, ending two days of uncertainty.
Mutharika was buried at his private Ndata Farm in Thyolo District, in a white marble mausoleum known as Mpumulo wa Bata, meaning Rest in Peace.
In 2013, following a commission of inquiry, his brother, Peter Mutharika (the current president), and 11 other people were arrested and charged with treason over the alleged plot to obstruct the constitutional transfer of power.