Mahala Mpholiwa’s dream was to play for Malawi’s Flames, but that will never happen as his life was abruptly cut short like a candle in the wind.

The Mlambalala Primary School Standard eight pupil in Blantyre is one of the victims of the devastating Cyclone Freddy.

But what makes the death of this 15-year-old talented Cobra United goalkeeper, on loan at Genesis Academy unique, is that he managed to get to safety when on Monday, a mudslide came roaring down Soche Hill, clashing everything in its path.

Mpholiwa, who was tending his sick grandmother, returned to the house to rescue the old and frail woman.

he was crashed to death together with her granny and buried in a pile of rubble of what used to be their home, according to a relative Yohane Kambenje.

Coach Bishop Ntchindi who groomed the goalkeeper at Cobra United before loaning him to Genesis Academy last season, said the country had lost promising talent.

Nyamilandu: We have lost promising talent

He said: “This boy wouldn’t have died if he had not decided to save his granny.

“Such was his character even on the pitch. He was a team player who never thought of himself. He always put the team first. May his soul rest in peace.”

His coach Mathews Dzimbiri said they were struggling to come to terms with the death of the player who helped his team finish fifth in Blantyre District Football Committee’ Mmela Mpoyamba Under-16 League in 2022-23 season.

Mpholiwa and her grandmother were buried at Mandawala Village in Mulanje on Wednesday on a day he was supposed to be manning the goals for his team against Soche United at Kamba Football Ground.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu said it was painful to lose Mpholiwa.

He said: “What a loss ! The cyclone has been devastating. It has not spared any sector. We have lost promising talent that would have anchored Malawi football in future.

“This monster has been very brutal and caused untold suffering and misery. It’s hard to accept that we have lost our loved ones in such a manner. This is catastrophic.”

Chitipa United coach McDonald Mtetemera, who also lives in the same area in Manja at the foot of Soche Hill, is another football personality also affected by Cyclone Freddy.

Luckily, the Chitipa-based coach’s family had already vacated the house when the mudslide destroyed it.

Mtetemela who has lost everything said he counts his family lucky to have escaped.

He said: “We are still in trauma. Our house is completely destroyed. Our property is gone. We have lost everything.

“But all that is not an issue to me. We can build another house. What is important is that God protected my wife and child.”

As of Thursday, Department of Disaster Management Affairs figures showed that the number of displaced households was at 19 676 or approximately 88 312 people while the death toll was at 326.

There are 707 people nursing injuries while 41 are reported missing.

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