Dick Matenje (died 1983) was a former

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

an politician and cabinet minister. He was the secretary-general of the

Malawi Congress Party The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under Hastings Banda, pre ...

. He was one of the 'Mwanza Four' who mysteriously died during the

Kamuzu Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda ( – 25 November 1997) was a Malawian politician and statesman who served as the leader of Malawi from 1964 to 1994. He served as Prime Minister from independence in 1964 to 1966, when Malawi was a Dominion/Commonwealth r ...

regime.

Death

Matenje was

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 1972 to 1978. He mysteriously died on 18 May 1983, along with ministers Twaibu Sangala,

Aaron Gadama Aaron Eliot Gadama was a former Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, sou ...

and Member of Parliament David Chiwanga. The four were collectively known as the '

Mwanza Four Mwanza City, also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. With an urban population of 1,104,521 and a population of 3,699,872 in the region ...

'. They were known to be critical of aspects of the totalitarian rule of Kamuzu Banda. They died mysteriously in 1983. Their death was ruled as a traffic accident by the

regime, although independent investigations indicate that this may have not the case.

, John Tembo, MacDonald Kalemba, Augustino Leston Likaomba, Mcwilliam Lunguzi and Cecilia Kadzamira, were arrested for and charged with the murder of the four in 1995, ten years after their death. They were acquitted due to lack of evidence.Director of Public Prosecution v Banda (Kamuzu) and Others , Malawi Legal Information Institute
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Film

* The Mwanza Accident (documentary), Jupat Video Services - 1995

Personal

He is the father of Ambassador Steve Matenje.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matenje, Dick Finance ministers of Malawi Government ministers of Malawi Malawi Congress Party politicians 1983 deaths Year of birth missing