MDF Chief General George Alexander Jaffu Jnr (right)
* To host Military Veterans Thanksgiving Golf Tournament beginning with next year’s edition
* It will be a home for the veterans — a place where every year we can gather, compete, remember and give thanks right within the MDF family
By Duncan Mlanjira
With support from corporate partners, including MBS Bank, Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has plans to construct a golf course with the precinct of Kamuzu Barracks in Lilongwe.
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This was unveiled by MDF Chief, General George Alexander Jaffu Jnr on Saturday after the 2026 Military Veterans’ Thanksgiving Golf Tournament.
He said the golf club, while being an entertainment venue for the veterans, will be used to host Military Veterans Thanksgiving Golf Tournament, beginning with next year’s edition
“It will be constructed by our corporate partners as a lasting legacy to our veterans,” said General Jaffu. “It will be a home for them — a place where every year we can gather, compete, remember and give thanks right within the MDF family.
“We look forward to breaking the ground soon,” he said, while also profoundly expressing MDF’s appreciation to the Lilongwe Golf Club, which has hosted all the tournaments since their inception.
“To Lilongwe Golf Club, to the organising committee, all staff and volunteers, thank you — you represented the MDF well.”
General Jaffu highlighted that the event “was about more than golf, it was about fellowship and about remembrance”.
“We are profoundly honoured to have in our midst veterans of the 1st and 2nd World Wars and retired soldiers. You were young young men from Nyasaland who answered the call of duty at a time when our country was under colonial administration.
“You served far from home, in distant lands, under the flags of our colonial masters. The world you fought in was not the Malawi we know today but history has brought us this moment, and as an independent nation we choose to remember you.
“We choose to honour your sacrifice, your endurance, and the lessons of service you left for the Malawi Defence Force that followed.
“We also remember our heroes who died during various peacekeeping missions in order to restore peace in the region.
“Today you are our elders, some of you in your advanced ages, yet you are here with us. While many of you no longer have an immediate family, we are grateful that you are cared for by the Veterans Affairs under the Ministry of Defence.”
The General thus gave his vote of thanks to the Director and staff of Veterans Affairs for the daily work his office does to ensure that the veterans live with dignity
“To our veterans, zikomo kwambiri, the Malawi Defence Force salutes you, the nation remembers you.
“To NBS Bank, your reputation for aggressiveness is well earned and we see that same spirit in your generosity. Funds raised will go directly to veterans’ welfare and medical scheme to support the medical care and livelihoods of our retired heroes who are now battling old age and illness.
The tournament had an international flavour as it was participated by golfer from Tanzania and Kenya.
General Jaffu acknowledged their presence, saying it demonstrated “more than just participation in a tournament but as a powerful act of solidarity and military comradeship that transcends the borders”.
“What the two teams have demonstrated is brotherhood in action. Your contribution will go directly to improving the health and welfare of the men seated here
To the Tanzanians, Jaffu recognised that their presence every year “is a gift of friendship but this year, just like the other years, you have made a donation of US10,000, which is a substantial amount of money to support the welfare of our veterans.
He concluded by highlighting the gathering of three things to take home with — “first, respect for history and for the men who served it”.
“Secondly, appreciation for partners and friends who continue to stand with us and thirdly a commitment that the MDF will always honour those who came before us.”
On its part, NBS Bank’s Chief Wholesale Banking Officer, Alfred Nhlema reminded the gathering that last April NBS Bank and the MDF a took another important step forward by signing a 10-year Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU), saying it “was more than an agreement signed on paper but a promise of commitment to veterans that the partnership would not be seasonal”.
“A promise that our support would not depend on a single event, that together we would continue building a stronger and more sustainable future for those who have dedicated their lives to serving Malawi.
“There is a military principle known around the world: ‘Leave no one behind’. Those words carry great meaning on the battlefield but I believe they carry equally great meaning long after service has ended.
“If we are determined not to leave soldiers behind during service, then we must be equally determined not to leave veterans behind after service.
“Retirement from duty should never mean retirement from our care. The uniform may come off, but our responsibility remains.
“The medals may fade with time, but our gratitude must never fade. The years may pass, but our commitment must endure.
“Because a grateful nation does not simply remember its heroes but stands by them. Today, through our presence, our participation and our generosity, we demonstrate the kind of nation we aspire to be, that remembers, that honours, that cares.”
He described the Red Poppy as a symbol that has carried a simple but profound message: ‘Remember. And Act’.
“At NBS Bank, we are proud of our history of service but today, we are even prouder to stand beside the men and women whose sacrifices have helped preserve the peace, security and stability of our beloved nation.
“Our veterans answered the call of duty for Malawi. Today, it is our turn to answer the call of duty for them. As Your Caring Bank, we remain steadfast in that commitment,” said Nhlema.
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