Legendary commentator Kapangama laid to rest

Legendary football commentator Elias Kapangama has been described as a “humble and rare gem of talent in football commentary”.

Kapangama, who died on Friday in his mid 70s, was laid to rest yesterday at his home village in Malomo, Ntchisi.

In an interview yesterday, his fellow former MBC Radio legendary commentator Pearson Chunga said Malawi has lost great talent.

He said: “I am very sad that the country has lost a man of such calibre. His performance as a commentator was beyond comparison. He was skilful, talented, appealing and carried along his listeners.

“As a person, he was humble because he was manager for MBC commercial department for a long time. Although he was my boss, he related with me very well and never allowed his higher position to overlook us. He was my mentor. He was human and assisted a lot of people.”

Chunga said Kapangama was doing commentary in Chichewa alongside former MBC director general Tony Kandiero in English.

“I worked with him after I replaced Tony Kandiero as football commentator in English,” he said.

In his tribute, MBC commentator Steve Liwewe Banda also  said Kapangama  was a good man who inspired him to become a commentator.

He said: “It’s a great loss to the nation. When we talked about football commentators in the 1970s and 1980s, Elias Kapangama, Pearson Chunga and the late Dennis Liwewe of Zambia, were in their own league. He was very good in native Chichewa.

“The combination of Kapangama and Chunga was fantastic because they were articulate in Chichewa and English, respectively.”

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu said the football fraternity learnt about the passing on of Elias Kapangama with deep shock. 

“Elias Kapangama was one of the greatest football commentators of all times. He set the pace of live football commentaries and made the game of football very lively.

He had a unique style of making football commentaries entertaining. 

“I remember when we were [kids], we were always glued to MBC Radio listening to his captivating live broadcast of matches.

He is an idol for so many people and he inspired others over the years to become football commentators as a profession,” said Nyamilandu. 

He said in 2015, FAM honoured him by naming one of the rooms at Mpira Hotel in Chiwembe after his name.