Former Secretary to the Office of the Vice President, Dr. Luckie Sikwese, told the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee on the Chikangawa plane crash that he facilitated requests for the Malawi Defence Force aircraft after returning from South Africa.
He appeared before the committee as part of its inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the crash that claimed the lives of Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others.
Sikwese
Dr. Sikwese said the Army Commander informed him that the only available aircraft could accommodate a maximum of eight passengers.
The limitation on passenger capacity became a key point of discussion during the hearing.
He also told the committee that Dr. Chilima had expressed his intention to attend the funeral of the late lawyer Ralph Kasambara.
According to Sikwese, the conversation about attending the funeral took place while he and the Vice President were in South Korea on official duty.
The testimony adds to the committee’s efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the ill-fated flight.
Renowned photographer Ras Peter Kansengwa has passed away following a prolonged battle with illness, leaving Malawi’s creative community in mourning.
Kansengwa died on Friday afternoon at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe after a three-year struggle with abdominal cancer and complications related to kidney failure, according to family spokesperson Faster Abdullah Mtenje.
Despite seeking advanced medical treatment in India, the celebrated photographer’s condition continued to deteriorate. Mtenje confirmed that funeral arrangements are underway, with a burial service scheduled for Saturday at Area 21 in Lilongwe, followed by interment at Area 18 Cemetery.
The news of Kansengwa’s passing has sent shockwaves through Malawi’s arts and media community, with tributes pouring in across social media platforms.
Kansengwa
“Malawi has lost a visual storyteller who captured our nation’s soul through his lens,” wrote fellow photographer Thandiwe Banda on Facebook. “Ras Peter didn’t just take pictures; he preserved our history, our culture, and our identity. His work will live forever.”
On Twitter, journalist Chimwemwe Mhango posted: “Rest in power, Ras Peter Kansengwa. Your photographs told stories words could never express. You elevated Malawi’s visual arts to international standards. We have lost a giant.”
Another admirer, creative arts promoter Blessings Mwale, shared: “I remember when Ras Peter mentored young photographers at the cultural centre. He gave so much back to the community. His legacy isn’t just in his images but in the countless photographers he inspired.”
Kansengwa was widely regarded as one of Malawi’s most distinguished photographers, known for his distinctive ability to capture intimate moments of everyday Malawian life alongside formal portraiture of the country’s political and cultural figures. His career spanned decades, documenting Malawi through periods of significant social and political change.
“I had the privilege of working with Ras Peter on several projects,” wrote artist and curator Mwiza Munthali. “His professionalism was unmatched, but it was his warmth and humility that truly set him apart. He made everyone feel comfortable in front of his camera.”
The arts community has called for a fitting tribute to honour Kansengwa’s contributions to Malawi’s cultural landscape. His passing marks the end of an era for Malawian photography, but his extensive body of work ensures his vision and talent will continue to inspire future generations.
Kansengwa is survived by his family, who have requested privacy during this difficult time. The funeral service will take place on Saturday morning at his Area 21 residence before proceeding to Area 18 Cemetery for burial.
Malawi is earning less from tobacco despite selling more leaf this year, with weak prices wiping nearly $50 million off export receipts by week eight of the marketing season.
According to the Tobacco Commission’s latest market update, farmers had sold 62.1 million kg of tobacco worth $128.8 million by the eighth week.
That compares to 58.3 million kg sold for $178.4 million in the same period last year.
The average price fell from $2.45 per kg in 2025 to $2.07 per kg in 2026, cutting revenue even as volumes rose.
Quality concerns persist, especially at auction floors. The overall rejection rate improved to 5.5 percent, but auction tobacco alone was rejected at 64 percent, remaining a major headache for growers.
TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe said the season was progressing and most leaf brought to market was eventually sold. He noted that rejections at auction had eased recently after interventions by the Commission.
Tama Farmers Trust President Abel Kalima Banda welcomed steps taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and TC to improve grades.
He said farmers want rejections cut to 3 percent or lower so more tobacco gets sold and incomes are protected.
Economist Velli Nyirongo warned the revenue slump could deepen Malawi’s foreign exchange squeeze.
He said the $49.6 million loss in earnings may add pressure on the kwacha and slow overall growth, given tobacco’s role as the country’s main forex earner.
With prices still soft, stakeholders are calling for continued focus on quality and market reforms to boost farmer incomes.
Old Mutual Unit Trust has introduced a new investment vehicle aimed at widening share ownership among Malawians, rolling out the Old Mutual Equity Fund this week.
The launch, held on Wednesday, marks the company’s third unit trust offering. It joins the existing Interest Bearing Assets Fund and Balanced Fund, which have been available since 2009.
The new fund will focus exclusively on stocks traded on the Malawi Stock Exchange.
Board Chairperson Alfred Majamanda said the product was designed to lower barriers for everyday citizens looking to participate in the country’s capital markets.
The fund will be supported by digital tools that let investors open accounts and track portfolios online, a move Old Mutual says will make investing more convenient and inclusive.
“The Equity Fund is about giving Malawians direct access to business growth,” Majamanda said.
“It provides a structured way for people to invest, benefit from company performance, and build wealth over time.”
Guest of honour Khumbo Mtalika, Director of Capital Markets and Microfinance at the Reserve Bank of Malawi, described the timing as crucial as the economy works to rebound.
She noted that collective small investments can pool into significant capital for businesses, supporting expansion and job creation.
Mtalika also stressed the importance of transparency and risk management.
She warned fund managers against misleading promotions, saying public trust depends on clear information.
She encouraged Old Mutual to strengthen safeguards around liquidity, valuation, and custody as the RBM shifts to risk-based supervision.
Old Mutual says the Equity Fund targets long-term investors who want exposure to local companies while contributing to national economic development.
There is a fine line between steering a parliamentary inquiry with firmness and using the chair’s podium to bully, intimidate, and pre-judge. Walter Nyamilandu, chairperson of the Adhoc Parliamentary Committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash, appears to have crossed that line—and in doing so, he is undermining the very purpose of the inquiry he was appointed to lead.
Nyamilandu’s recent warning that anyone giving false testimony will face legal consequences is, on its face, a standard procedural reminder. But context matters. When a chairperson issues such threats prematurely—before hearings have even reached their full stride—it sends a chilling message to witnesses: we already suspect you are lying. That is not how sober, impartial inquiry works.
The whole point of an inquiry is to hear people out
An investigation into a tragedy that claimed nine lives, including former Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima, demands patience, open-mindedness, and procedural fairness. The committee has summoned more than 150 witnesses and is still in its first phase, focusing on pre-flight planning and authorisation. Yet Nyamilandu has already signalled that he is prepared to brandish the law against those whose testimony might not fit a certain narrative.
Nyamilandu
This is not leadership—it is intimidation dressed in a suit.
Witnesses have already endured emotional exchanges before the committee. During testimony from Dr. Lucky Sikwese, Principal Secretary in the Office of the Vice President, Nyamilandu pressed him on whether security personnel had failed in their ground duties and whether Sikwese himself had regrets. While tough questioning is legitimate, the tone matters. When a chairperson leans into a witness with the weight of legal consequences hanging in the air, the line between scrutiny and bullying blurs dangerously.
Do not make conclusions before hearing from people
Nyamilandu’s approach betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of his role. A chairperson is not a prosecutor. He is not a judge. He is a facilitator—one who ensures that all evidence is heard, all voices are respected, and conclusions emerge after the facts have been examined, not before.
Yet his warning about false testimony suggests he has already formed a view that witnesses cannot be trusted. That is a dangerous prejudice for any investigator, let alone the leader of a parliamentary committee tasked with producing a credible report.
Consider the irony: Nyamilandu referred to reports that former Special Assistant on Media Winnie Nyondo had deleted a Facebook post about severe turbulence before the crash. But when Nyondo appeared before the committee, she told them the post is still available. This incident is revealing—not because of the post itself, but because it shows a chairperson who appears ready to believe rumours and social media chatter over the testimony of witnesses in the room.
Sober leadership, not strong-arm tactics
Nyamilandu promised Malawians that the inquiry would be “just, fair and transparent”. Those are noble words. But fairness cannot coexist with threats issued before the evidence is fully heard. Justice cannot flourish when witnesses fear that answering honestly—even if their answers are inconvenient—might invite legal action.
The Chikangawa crash has already been investigated twice. The public is desperate for answers, not for a spectacle of intimidation. If Nyamilandu truly wants to produce a credible report that addresses gaps in previous inquiries, he must first address the gap between his rhetoric of fairness and his actions of coercion.
A chairperson should be sober
Nyamilandu’s background in football administration—where he served as FAM president for a record 17 years—may have accustomed him to commanding rooms and issuing edicts. But a parliamentary inquiry is not a football association. Witnesses are not players to be benched or fined. They are citizens, many of whom are already grieving or fearful, appearing before a committee that holds immense power over their reputations and futures.
The gavel is not a weapon. It is a tool for listening. Nyamilandu would do well to remember that before he threatens another witness. The truth does not emerge from fear—it emerges from trust, patience, and the sober conviction that every voice deserves to be heard before any conclusion is drawn.
That is the whole point of an inquiry. That is what Malawians deserve.
