Malawi’s parliamentary committee investigating the 2024 plane crash that killed Vice President Saulosi Chilima says emerging evidence from witness testimony could force it to extend hearings beyond the original three-week schedule.

NEWS| Investigation | Parliament | Edwin Mauluka

The Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the 2024 plane crash that killed Malawi’s Vice President Saulosi Chilima says it may extend its inquiry to accommodate additional witnesses as new evidence continues to emerge.

The committee was initially scheduled to conclude witness hearings by 1 July after three weeks of proceedings.

“There is a chance that we will extend our examination by maybe two days to accommodate new witnesses,” committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu told journalists at the end of the first week of hearings.

“There are always emerging issues when we speak to witnesses. Our list is not fixed; we are flexible in how we are progressing. Just today, we had an opportunity to examine officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

On Friday, the committee heard testimony from three government officials about their roles before and after the crash that claimed the lives of Chilima and eight others on 10 June 2024.

Gripps Chimzimu, an Assistant Protocol Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the committee that on the evening of 9 June he received a call from the late Abdul Lapken, then Deputy Chief of Protocol, instructing him to prepare for Chilima’s departure from Kamuzu International Airport to Mzuzu aboard a military aircraft the following morning.

“The next morning, at around 06:30, Mr Lapken called again to confirm that the vice president would travel to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of the late Raphael Kasambara in Nkhata Bay before returning the same day to see off the president, who was travelling abroad,” Chimzimu said.

He said protocol officers returned to their offices after the aircraft departed to prepare for then-president Lazarus Chakwera’s trip.

“However, at around 11:00 hours, we were surprised to see the vice president’s convoy returning to the airport. I was informed they had returned to collect the vice president and his entourage because the aircraft had failed to land in Mzuzu due to bad weather.”

Chimzimu said officials waited throughout the afternoon for the aircraft to return, but it never did.

Former Secretary for Defence James Chiusiwa told the committee he played no role in coordinating the vice president’s travel because he was attending his aunt’s funeral that day.

Former Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Mwayiwawo Polepole also said he was not involved in the travel arrangements because he was outside the country.

On Thursday, the committee heard from former Secretary in the Office of the Vice President Lucky Sikwese, who coordinated Chilima’s travel arrangements.

Sikwese said he had received condolence funds for Kasambara’s family from the Office of the President and Cabinet and handed the money to Chilima’s aide-de-camp at Kamuzu International Airport before take-off.

He also told the committee that at 10:41 he received a call from Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba informing him that the aircraft had been unable to land in Mzuzu because of bad weather.

Earlier, between 10:35 and 10:40, Sikwese said he had been alerted by operations security officer Limbani Banda, who was at Mzuzu Airport, that the aircraft had not yet landed.

At about 11:10, he sent a text message to the vice president reading: “Sir, I understand you are not able to land due to bad weather. I advise that you return to Lilongwe.”

He never received a reply.

The committee also heard evidence from Principal Secretary in the Office of the Vice President Eric Yesaya, former Special Adviser to the Vice President Joshua Varela, and former Special Assistants Chimwemwe Kachikuwo and Winnie Nyondo.

Varela testified that initial search operations in Chikangawa Forest were quickly suspended because of thick fog, poor visibility and what he described as inadequate preparedness by the search teams. He also criticised communication between officials at Mzuzu Airport and the aircraft, noting that the plane was not equipped with cockpit voice or flight data recorders.

The parliamentary inquiry resumes on Monday.

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In the photo above, Joshua Valera takes the oath.

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