There is deep sorrow across Malawi’s music community as artists, fans and families struggle to come to terms with the sudden loss of five young and gifted musicians whose talent had begun to shape live music in the country.
The five instrumentalists, members of Eli Njuchi’s renowned The Hive Band, died on Friday morning following a road accident at Senzani in Ntcheu along the M1 Road.
They were travelling to Lilongwe ahead of a music show that Njuchi was scheduled to host on Saturday, 27 December 2025.
Those who died have been identified as drummer and sound engineer Raphael Chitsonga, guitarist MacFarlane Banda, road manager Vincent Mkwinda, pianist Wilfred Kapengule Jnr and vocalist Elivacy Myaba.
Known for their professionalism, energy and creativity, the young artists were widely regarded as some of the finest instrumentalists supporting live music performances in Malawi.
The news has sent shockwaves throughout the music industry, prompting an outpouring of grief from some of the country’s biggest artists, who described the deaths as a devastating loss not only to the music fraternity but to the nation as a whole.
Renowned singer Eliza Mponya shared her pain in an emotional message, writing, “Abale tilile bwanji anyamata inu Ralph ndi MacFarlane anyamata inu zoona. Sleep peacefully my dear brothers Mulungu salakwitsa ndipo tizazindikila bwino patsogolo.”
Musician Lawi also expressed his sorrow, saying, “This is tragic🙆🏽♂️ a sad day for music in Malawi.
Praying for the families,” while award-winning artist Onesimus said the country, particularly the music industry has lost giants.
Bassist Obed Kananji described the incident as heartbreaking, writing, “Dear God 💔 What a loss to the music fraternity!” while Guitarist Abraham Malinga echoed the collective pain felt by many, saying, “I don’t know how to process this💔.” Meanwhile, Eli Njuchi has canceled the music show which was expected to take place at BICC in Lilongwe.
Lulu, a renowned musician, has cancelled his scheduled performance at Club 24/7 tonight due to a vehicular accident. The artist based in Lilongwe was also unable to perform in Bvumbwe after his car encountered a pothole, resulting in two burst tyres.
