A key witness has told Parliament he was informed on the night of the crash that Vice-President Saulos Chilima’s plane had already been found with no survivors, contradicting the government’s official account and prompting calls for more witnesses.

NEWS | Parliament | Chilima Inquiry | Edwin Mauluka

A close acquaintance of Malawi’s late Vice-President Saulos Chilima has told the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash that he was informed the aircraft had been found with no survivors on the evening of 10 June 2024, hours before the government announced its discovery.

Appearing before the committee on Friday, Moses Nthakomwa testified that retired Major General John Msonthi Jr. called him that evening and shared details he said had haunted him ever since.

If verified, the testimony could undermine the official timeline surrounding the crash of the Malawi Air Force Dornier 228-202K, which went down at Nthungwa in Chikangawa Forest, killing Chilima and eight others.

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

‘I’m sorry for the loss of your friend’

Nthakomwa told the committee he was travelling from South Africa to Malawi on 10 June and had sent Chilima a WhatsApp message at 12:20pm requesting a meeting.

When he landed at Chileka International Airport, the message had not been delivered. Instead, he found several missed calls and messages informing him that Chilima’s aircraft was missing.

After speaking to civilian pilot Captain Charles Masi, who confirmed the aircraft had disappeared, Nthakomwa travelled to Chilima’s residence in Lilongwe.

Later that evening, at 8:19pm, he received a call from Msonthi.

“He began by expressing condolences for the loss of my friend,” Nthakomwa told the committee.

Confused, he said he asked what Msonthi meant because, according to official information at the time, the aircraft had not yet been found.

“He told me the plane had already been found earlier.”

Nthakomwa said Msonthi went on to describe what he believed were the aircraft’s final moments and how the victims’ bodies were found.

“He even had images,” Nthakomwa testified. “That information haunted me. I did not share it because I did not believe it and I did not want to create panic for the family over something I thought might not be true.”

Why did he remain silent?

Committee members questioned why Nthakomwa had kept the information to himself for two years.

Lilongwe Mude MP Mphatso Jones Boti asked why he had not informed Chilima’s UTM Party or the authorities.

“But the president was saying something different,” Nthakomwa replied. “Who was I supposed to believe — the president or someone else?”

He said he only shared the information the following morning with his close friend, Khwesi Msusa, at the UTM offices in Area 10, where party members were preparing to join the search effort.

According to Nthakomwa, some party members accepted his account and decided not to proceed with the search.

He said he later discussed the matter with some of Chilima’s friends but did not tell Chilima’s widow until the day before appearing before the committee.

Another witness could corroborate account

Nthakomwa also claimed a conversation with a police officer days after the crash reinforced Msonthi’s account.

While attending a ceremony at Area 30 Police Headquarters before the bodies of Chilima’s aide-de-camp, Chisomo Chimaneni, and guard commander Lucas Kapheni were transported home, he said Security Operations Officer Limbikani Ziffa Banda described events that closely matched what Msonthi had told him.

However, Nthakomwa did not explain how neither Msonthi nor Ziffa had obtained their information.

Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu asked whether Msonthi had authorised him to disclose the conversation.

“Yes,” Nthakomwa replied. “When I was summoned, I informed him. He told me, ‘If you want the truth, you have to tell the truth.'”

Committee probes inconsistencies

MPs also scrutinised inconsistencies in Nthakomwa’s recollection of events.

Dedza Mayani MP Savel Kafwafwa and Dedza Kasina MP Joshua Malango questioned his timeline, noting discrepancies between his account and established dates surrounding the funeral arrangements for crash victims.

Malango also pointed to a chronology issue. Nthakomwa said he doubted Msonthi’s account because it conflicted with the president’s address, yet records suggest the phone call came before Chakwera’s televised statement.

Nthakomwa acknowledged he may have confused the sequence of events but maintained that the government’s official position remained that the aircraft was not found until 11 June.

He also told the committee he still possesses the mobile phone he used to communicate with Msonthi.

Kafwafwa urged the committee to obtain call records from telecommunications providers, while other MPs called for Msonthi and Khwesi Msusa to testify.

Nyamilandu described Nthakomwa’s evidence as “a major twist” that had raised significant new questions requiring further investigation.

More witnesses expected

Nthakomwa said he had declined to appear before the previous Commission of Inquiry because he did not trust its independence.

He said he was discouraged after families of the victims were allocated only one representative on the commission instead of the six they had requested.

“That made me wonder whether the commission was really looking for the truth,” he said.

The testimony prompted further questions from MPs, including why he had not informed police, the president or the earlier commission.

Nthakomwa insisted he believed that, if Msonthi’s information had been accurate, it would already have reached the president through official channels.

“I trusted the president more than I trusted Msonthi,” he said.

Dowa Kasangadzi MP George Jivason Kadzipatike challenged him over whether withholding the information had deprived families of answers.

Nthakomwa rejected that suggestion, saying he could not present information he could not verify.

As questioning became repetitive, Nyamilandu intervened, cautioning members against discouraging potential witnesses.

“There may be others who were afraid to come forward before,” he said. “This committee has opened a hotline, and we should encourage anyone with truthful information to testify under oath.”

Nyamilandu appealed to Malawians with relevant information to come forward, stressing that failure to testify before the previous inquiry should not deter witnesses from assisting Parliament.

The committee also heard testimony from relatives of the late Patricia Dzimbiri, including her daughter Edna Muluzi and nephews Ben Michael Mankhamba and Argentina Malamulo. They alleged that police did not return Dzimbiri’s personal belongings after the crash, that no post-mortem examination was conducted, and that funeral arrangements were rushed.

The day’s proceedings concluded with evidence from Wilson Chima, head driver in the Office of the Vice-President.

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In photo above: Nthakomwa

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