Patricia Shanil Muluzi

Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri

Early and personal life Dzimbiri was born Patricia Fukulani in the village of Chimpikizo, Traditional Authority Nsamala, Balaka District, Malawi, on 25 September 1964. She was the seventh child born to David and Sylvia Fukulani, a Roman Catholic couple from Chimpikizo.

Dzimbiri described herself as a "staunch Catholic" in a 2014 interview with The Nation newspaper. She made her first public appearance a day before the couple's second wedding.

Their second wedding took place in Malawi on 9 October 1999. Their lavish public wedding caused much criticism because the President's economic policies had led to a downturn in the economy. It included 3,000 guests,

Political career Following her divorce from Muluzi, she utilized her maiden name, Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, rather than her former husband's last name.

Dzimbiri was a schoolteacher. She was sworn into office on 9 June 2014 at the New Parliament Building in Lilongwe.

Death

On 10 June 2024, Dzimbiri was among nine people who disappeared after an aircraft carrying Vice-President Saulos Chilima disappeared from radar in Chikangawa Forest Reserve in Mzimba District while on their way to attend the funeral of former government minister Ralph Kasambara, prompting a search and rescue operation. Their aircraft was found to have crashed the next day, with authorities confirming the deaths of Muluzi and everyone else on board. She was buried on 14 June in Chimpikizo following a memorial ceremony that was attended by former presidents Bakili Muluzi and Joyce Banda.