By Vincent Gunde
The ongoing Chikangawa plane crash inquiry is now raising questions within the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), with Nkhotakota Central legislator Counsel Silvester Ayuba James saying accounts being presented before the committee have forced him to reconsider his understanding of the party and its response to the investigation.
James, writing on his Facebook page, says some accounts emerging from the inquiry raise serious questions that should not be dismissed on political grounds.
The Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee is investigating the circumstances surrounding the June 10, 2024 crash of a Malawi Defence Force (MDF ) aircraft in Chikangawa Forest that killed former Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others.
The inquiry has been hearing testimony from witnesses as it examines issues surrounding the crash and events before and after it.
James says there are people within MCP whom he describes as “dunderheads” who, in his view, are not acting in the best interests of the party and continue to support former President Lazarus Chakwera as the party’s possible presidential candidate for 2030 presidential election.
Ayuba James
His remarks come as the inquiry continues to receive accounts from witnesses, including members of the public who were in the vicinity of the crash site at the time of the incident.
Vice-constituency secretary for Lilongwe Urban, speaking on condition of anonymity, has urged party members and supporters who have information relating to the crash to present it before the inquiry rather than making unverified claims on social media that witnesses are fabricating evidence or are members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The source questions circumstances surrounding some of the information that has emerged in relation to the victims’ mobile phones and financial accounts.
He questions how a phone allegedly associated with one of the victims could have been ringing at around 11:11 a.m. on June 10, 2024, near the Mzimba Turn-Off, without being answered, although the circumstances surrounding that claim would need to be established through evidence.
The source also raises questions over claims that money was withdrawn from mobile-money accounts belonging to some of the deceased and called on Airtel Money and TNM Mpamba to assist investigators in establishing whether such transactions occurred and, if so, identifying the relevant transaction records, accounts or agents.
He further refers to remarks allegedly made during a previous Nkhanga Zaona programme on Limpopo FM, in which Comrade Ntanyiwa claimed that money had been transferred from the mobile phones of deceased victims through an Airtel Money agent around Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
The claims have not been independently established in the material available, and any alleged financial transactions will need to be verified through mobile-money records and other evidence before conclusions could be drawn.
The source nevertheless welcomes the fresh parliamentary inquiry, describing it as an opportunity to examine questions that he believes were not adequately addressed by previous investigations.
Parliament established the current Ad-hoc Committee to conduct a fresh inquiry into the crash, with its mandate including reviewing previous findings and addressing identified gaps.
The committee has also been gathering new evidence and hearing witnesses.
The source says the presentation of new accounts means that political parties should allow the inquiry to complete its work before drawing conclusions about what happened.
He also challenges MCP members to follow the proceedings and allow evidence to guide their views instead of dismissing witnesses based on their political affiliations.
“If former President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has been implicated in the killings of Dr. Saulos Chilima and eight others, who will be entrusted to lead the MCP?” he asks, while calling on the party to consider what he describes as a “Plan B” strategy..
