By Taonga Sabola, Bertha Banda and Feston Malekezo:
The morning of June 11, 2024 dawned with a heavy, anticipatory silence hanging over Malawi.
The previous day’s news of the missing military aircraft, a Dornier 228, carrying then Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others had cast a pall of worry across the nation.
Then, the sombre announcement came, delivered by President Lazarus Chakwera on live television.
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His voice, thick with grief, confirmed the unthinkable. The plane had crashed in Viphya Plantations, commonly referred to as Chikangawa Forest, and there were no survivors.
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A collective gasp seemed to ripple across the country, followed by an outpouring of raw, unfiltered emotion.
Social media exploded with tributes, expressions of disbelief and shared grief. The nation, already grappling with economic hardships and political tensions, was plunged into mourning.
In a flash, Malawi had lost its vice president, former first lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy chief of staff Abdul Lapukeni, Chilima’s medical officer Dan Kanyemba, guard commander Lukas Kapheni and aide-de-camp Chisomo Chimaneni.
Operators of the aircraft, pilot-in-command Colonel Owen Sambalopa, second-in-command Major Flora Selemani-Ngwinjili and engineer Major Wallace Aidini also died in the crash.
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From that moment, Chikangawa Forest, once a place of serene beauty, became a symbol of profound loss.
Chilima, a figure who resonated with the aspirations of a new generation, emerged as a prominent leader in Malawian politics.
He served as the nation’s vice president from 2014 to 2024, a period marked by both challenges and opportunities for Malawi.
Seen as a pragmatic leader, Chilima spearheaded UTM and was praised for apparently setting aside personal ambition to accept becoming the running mate of now President Lazarus Chakwera under the Tonse Alliance.
Amid the circumstances of his death, friends, family and Malawians at large demanded answers. What happened? What might have gone wrong for a plane which, on the previous day, had airlifted the remains of former Attorney General Ralph Kasambara from Blantyre to Mzuzu?
At the request of the government of Malawi to the German government, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) dispatched an investigation team to Malawi, supported by an expert from the aircraft manufacturer.
In an interim report in August last year, BFU did not mention the cause of the plane crash.
As speculation grew, Chakwera instituted a commission of inquiry on the matter.
Among other findings, the inquiry ruled out foul play.
In a final report on Saturday, BFU said the plane accident occurred because the crew flew into instrument meteorological conditions during flight under visual flight rules and the aircraft collided with the ascending terrain.
Speaking during the launch of the Saulos Chilima Foundation in Lilongwe in February, Chilima’s widow, Mary, said there were still lingering questions about the accident.
“There are still many unanswered questions regarding those 24 hours and so far, efforts to address these concerns have fallen short of being satisfactory,” she said.
The experts have delivered their verdict.
While Chilima preached unity among Malawians in his 51 years of life, his death has brought some divisions, as evidenced by the two memorial services planned for today.
While his family and UTM party will remember him at his home village and resting place in Nsipe in Ntcheu, the government has organised a memorial at Nthungwa in Chikangawa, the site of the plane crash.
A visit by The Daily Times to Nsipe yesterday revealed that preparations for the memorial event were at an advanced stage.
Chilima’s family’s spokesperson Ben Chilima referred us to Nsipe Catholic Parish for details.
Father Athanasius Manyenga of the parish said guests are expected at 8:30am, with the memorial mass concluding at 11:30am.
“The church relied heavily on him,” Manyenga said.
Group Village Head Gwedeza, in whose area Chilima hailed, will celebrate the late vice president as humble, dedicated, loving and extraordinary.
“My people should emulate the same spirit Chilima had,” Gwedeza said.
Joshua Valera, a family member leading the event’s organisation, promised an interview today.
On Friday, government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu said the government-led service is meant to complement and not replace family-organised memorials and prayers, showing national solidarity during this difficult time.
At Nthungwa, the memorial ceremony will take two forms: a visit to the plane crash site in Nkhata Bay and a wreath-laying and prayer session at Lunjika Turn-Off in Mzimba.
Before the wreath-laying at Lunjika Junction Ground, Chakwera, accompanied by Vice President Michael Usi, is expected to visit the crash site, located approximately four kilometres from where the ceremony will be held.
Access roads to Nthungwa Hill have been paved, with makeshift walking steps constructed atop Nthungwa Hill to where the aircraft crashed.
To be held under the theme ‘Blessedness of Unwavering Patriotism’, the memorial ceremony will also feature a military parade.
Those expected to lay wreaths include the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chief Justice, the Commander of the Malawi Defence Force, the Inspector General of Police and representatives of the bereaved families.
Others are the Minister of Local Government, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, Monsignor Patrick Thawale, Members of Parliament from Mzimba and Nkhata Bay and traditional leaders.
The second part of the ceremony will be a prayer session, moderated by Reverend Bizwick Nkhoma, with a sermon delivered by Archbishop George Desmond Tambala.
The prayer service will be followed by speeches from Mzuzu Diocese’s Bishop Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda, representing the clergy and a representative of the bereaved families, among others.
