Former Malawi Defence Force deputy commander says he never told Moses Nthakomwa the aircraft had been found with no survivors, insisting he merely expressed his belief that the missing military plane had crashed.

NEWS | Chikangawa Plane Crash Inquiry | By Edwin Mauluka

Lieutenant General John Msonthi (Jnr) has denied claims by Moses Nthakomwa that he disclosed the discovery of the wreckage of the Malawi Air Force Dornier 228-202K hours before the government officially announced it.

The aircraft crashed at Nthungwa in Chikangawa Forest on June 10, 2024, killing Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others.

Msonthi, the former Deputy Commander for Operations in the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), appeared before the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash on Friday to respond to testimony Nthakomwa gave on July 3, 2026.

Nthakomwa, a close acquaintance of Chilima, told the committee that Msonthi had phoned him on the evening of the crash and informed him that the aircraft had been found with no survivors, hours before the government announced locating the wreckage.

The government has consistently maintained that the aircraft was found at around 10am on June 11, 2024. In a televised address on the night of June 10, then-president Lazarus Chakwera said search-and-rescue operations were still under way before announcing the following afternoon that the wreckage had been located.

Appearing before the committee, Msonthi confirmed that he spoke to Nthakomwa that evening but firmly denied telling him the aircraft had already been found.

Instead, he said he expressed his belief that the plane had crashed.

“The conversation began with me saying, Pepani (sorry), Moses. He replied, ‘Bwanji (what is the matter), Chief?’ I then said, ‘Moses, brace yourself. It’s not looking good. I believe this plane has crashed,'” Msonthi told the committee.

He said Nthakomwa struggled to accept the possibility.

Msonthi also recalled mistakenly telling Nthakomwa that Chilima’s wife had been travelling on the aircraft.

“I said, ‘It’s a terrible tragedy that Sean and his sister have lost both their parents,'” Msonthi testified.

He said Nthakomwa immediately corrected him, saying he had been with Chilima’s wife, Mary, at her home that afternoon.

Msonthi told the committee he had relied on inaccurate social media reports suggesting the Vice-President had travelled with his wife.

He said his conclusion that the aircraft had likely crashed was based on several factors, including the unusually long loss of communication with the crew, poor weather conditions and the length of time the aircraft remained unaccounted for.

“The aircraft was expected to land at around 10 in the morning. By the time I spoke with Moses, almost 10 hours had passed. The crew were experienced military professionals, and I did not believe they would deliberately remain silent over the radio for such a prolonged period. Taking these three factors together, my instinct led me to believe the aircraft had crashed,” he said.

Msonthi described the conversation as one between “an elderly brother” and someone overwhelmed by grief.

He said his only intention was to comfort Nthakomwa emotionally during a distressing moment.

The retired military officer also explained how Nthakomwa came to testify about their conversation.

He said the matter arose on July 1, 2026, when Nthakomwa sought his views on testimony by the widow of the late Abdul Lapken, one of the crash victims, who had suggested — without presenting evidence — that her husband had known something was about to happen before the flight.

According to Msonthi, Nthakomwa called again at about 10pm on July 2 to say he had been summoned by the parliamentary committee.

“He said he was apprehensive about coming here. I encouraged him not to worry but simply to tell the committee the truth. He informed me that he intended to mention my name during his testimony and asked whether I had any objection. I told him to go ahead,” Msonthi said.

Earlier on Friday, the committee also heard from former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Dokani Ngwira, who testified that the late Vice-President Chilima had never been a person of interest to the intelligence agency.

—

Also Read: New witness challenges official timeline in Chilima plane crash inquiry