Grave Dug Up in Thyolo After Families Swap Bodies by Mistake

Police in Thyolo have confirmed that people in Kadzaalendo Village under Senior Chief Mbawera have today dug up a grave after mistakenly exchanging dead bodies.

According to Thyolo Police spokesperson Amos Banda, the villagers reported the issue at the police station earlier today.

Three weeks ago, a Malawian man and a woman died in South Africa. Last week, their bodies were sent to Malawi for burial — one was from Thekelani in Thyolo, and the other from Mzuzu.

In Thyolo, the family buried the body last Friday without opening the coffin, while in Mzuzu, when the family opened their coffin, they were shocked to see a man instead of the woman they were expecting.

Investigations are still ongoing to determine how the coffins were switched.