A somber mood engulfed the media fraternity as the body of Gazette Media’s Media Consultant, Gracious Chitakata was been laid to rest at HHI Cemetery in Blantyre on Thursday.
Chitakata died on Wednesday morning at her home in Chimwankhunda in Blantyre Township without a known history of illness.
Scores of people, from the media industry, and corporates that work with Gazette Media were filled with sorrow as her body was being interred at around 2pm.
The body was collected from Mthunzi Mortuary at 9am for a brief ceremony at Nyambadwe where vigil was being held.
In his eulogy at the vigil in Nyambadwe, Blantyre, Gazette Media Senior Media Consultant, Benjamin Maona described Chitakata’s loss a big blow to the company.
“She was a mother figure at our office, hardworking, and a role model to us all. We were together on Monday and Tuesday at work, expecting to see each other again on Wednesday as usual. We will miss her deeply, may her soul rest in peace,” he said.
Association of Women in Media (AWOME) chairperson, Dorothy Kachitsa led the other members as they carried Chitakata’s coffin into the Taprama Funeral Services Hearse for the burial ceremony.
She described Chitakata as a friendly and loving person.
“Gracious was friend to everyone. We women in media will miss her,” she said.
MISA Malawi chairperson, Golden Matonga, in a statement, also expressed shock with the news.
Born in 1976, Chitakata started her journalism career at Blantyre Newspaper Limited (now Times Group) before she joined Living Waters Radio, Joy Radio, Rainbow Television, and Gazette Media.
She joined Gazette Media in 2023.
“She was a mother figure at our office, hardworking, and a role model to us all.”
Benjamin Maona
Gazette Media Senior Media Consultant
