Mugabe flies out to Malawi

President Robert Mugabe has arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi to join other regional leaders for Malawi's 50th independence celebrations to be held on Sunday.

He was met at the Kamuzu International Airport by Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima.

Earlier on, he was seen off at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Joice Mujuru, Minister of State for Harare Miriam Chikukwa, Minister of Defence Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda and service chiefs.

Malawi got its independence from British rule on the 6th of July 1964 under the leadership of the Malawi Congress Party led by the late Dr Kamuzu Hastings Banda.

Malawi was a one party state under Dr Banda until the advent of multiparty democracy in 1994 when Bakili Muluzi of the United Democratic Front was elected president beating the Malawi Congress Party.

Dr Banda died from pneumonia in 1997.

Malawi has had four presidents since independence and the newly elected Peter Wa Mutharika is the fifth.

Wa Mutharika beat his rivals by 36 percent of the vote in May this year.

Meanwhile, in an interview before departure, Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said the invitation is befitting considering the warm relations between Zimbabwe and Malawi and the fact that President Mugabe is the vice chairperson of the SADC while Malawi is the chair.