The stems of these overwintere chilis are turning brown at parts, with some where I cut them, others seemingly random. Using google doesn't give me a lot of hope, as it looks like late blight?

I hope someone can give a 2nd opinion. I would hate having to destroy these plants.

These plants lived at a friends place last year, in the shade, so they grew extremely tall and fragile. I cut them somewhere early December, and the cuts started to turn brown early, then it stopped for a while. Now it's continuing it seems. The plants had like a brown wash at places before I cut them, first though it was sun-baked snail slime as I could rub it off with some effort. I had a basil plant that developed a similar brown stem, but at the part between the roots to just above the soil. Same potting ground, it died.

The leaves are light yellow-green, but not as banana colored as the photos show.