By D.C. Katsonga

A Pastoral Letter was read on July 13, 2025 across CCAP [Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) churches — an echo of prophetic tradition, boldly speaking into the nation’s fractured soul. For this, I offer a reverent bow. Yet, as one formed by sacred rhythm and ancestral logic, I must say: the tone was tepid where it could have burned with holy fire. I say so with respect, and not arrogance. I am driven by my being a Malawian. My membership of the Roman Catholic Church has got no bearing on the way I view this Pastoral Letter.

Do we think that virtue flickers only in CCAP pews? When condemning corruption, must we whisper to “our members” alone, as if integrity were a denominational perk? No. Let every citizen feel the heat. Let every office tremble under the weight of collective scrutiny. If we preach justice, let it thunder.

And on the matter of expired goods — why plead for reports when evidence has already knocked on the church’s own door? Why dance in circles of pious delay when the snake is coiled in plain sight? Submit the names. Demand arrests. Provoke Parliament. Evil thrives not because it is powerful, but because we barter delay for decency. The danger to life of some of these expired products grows greater with each passing day. Lives could, in the meantime, be lost. 

As for mining — the royalties stolen in broad daylight—the Pastoral Letter whispers 10% (the figure gets as low as 2.5%). I roar Shame! That is not a figure. It is an insult. Samples taken like sacrament stolen from an altar. And who sits in the ministry, nodding in complicity? Where is the righteous indignation? Where is the sacred lament?

I was once there. Briefly. I saw the rot. I smelt the stench. And I was moved. Not to silence — but to this.

So let the next Pastoral Letter be a trumpet, not a flute. Let it confront, not console. Let it stir the ghost of prophets’ past — the ones who flipped tables and split seas.

We are not mere citizens. We are stewards of ancestral breath. Governance, for us, is not policy — it is ritual. To lead is to invoke. To command is to bow before the memory of those who led before.

We reject quiet compromise cloaked in religious diplomacy. We honour a gospel that confronts Pharaohs, exposes Judas, and dances in defiance like David before the Ark. We do not build governments; we awaken covenants.

Minerals are not assets. They are sacred inheritance. Corruption is not mismanagement. It is apostasy against communal truth. We refuse to sing lullabies when war drums are required.

Let the next leader wear ashes before garlands. Let the next policy be shaped like a prayer. This is my take. Not meant to annoy but to encourage you as our religious leaders to do more, much more. You should not sound like you are being apologetic in your divine work of saving the lives of God’s creatures.

Yours in Sacred Fire,

D. C. Katsonga

A Keeper of Memory

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This letter is from the Wall of ‘Chiza cha Abambo’