Zingwangwa

Zingwangwa
Zingwangwa
Location in Malawi
Coordinates: 15°49′7″S 35°0′55″E / 15.81861°S 35.01528°E / -15.81861; 35.01528
Country Malawi
RegionSouthern Region
DistrictBlantyre District
Time zoneUTC+2

Zingwangwa is a settlement within the Malawian city of Blantyre.

Description

Zingwangwa has several schools, a secondary school and a health centre.

In 2007 following a visit of a volunteer nurse from Scotland two years before, a twinning was set up between 10 health centres in Malawi. It was focused on the health centre here and one in Dundee. A three-year grant was used from the International Development Fund to establish health centre twinning including a staff member in each country.[1]

In 2017, future government minister, Vera Kamtukule, who was then the CEO of the Malawi Scotland Partnership returned to Zingwangwa where she spent a night to raise funds for the health centre.[2] The health centre did not always have permanent staff and it served over 120,000 people. Patients can face a walk of two to three hours to attend the clinic.[1] She confessed that as a child she had been scolded by her parents when they found out that she had tricked the staff there into giving her porridge that had been intended for the malnourished.[2]

In 2022 there was an outbreak of cholera and as a precaution the World Health Authority in collaboration with the government decided to vaccinate millions. Injections took place in Zingwangwe.[3]

In 2025 the Democratic Progressive Party won the national election and a key campaign promise had been free secondary education. Investigations in January 2026 revealed that although there were real challenges both money and new students had arrived at Zingwangwa Secondary School.[4]

Notable residents

  • Mary Chilima, second lady, was born here in 1980.[5]
  • Vera Kamtukule, Minister of Tourism, was born in 1981 in Blantyre and she moved to Zingwangwa when she was seven.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b mipadmin (26 June 2011). "Zingwangwa twinning". Management In Practice. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Blantyre Sleepover Challenge". www.scotland-malawipartnership.org. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Malawi Rolls Out Cholera Vaccine to Contain Outbreak". Voice of America. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  4. ^ Mtemang’ombe, Eric (6 January 2026). "Free secondary education gets K3.8bn disbursement". Nation Online. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Mary Chilima: earns second masters, wins awards". Nation Online. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2026.