By Jimmy Chazama:
‘Eyewitness’ to the June 10, 2024 Chikangawa plane crash, Ephraim Duma, Tuesday told the Parliamentary Ad‑hoc Committee that he saw Vice President Saulos Chilima at the doorway of the aircraft, shouting and gesturing frantically as if he wanted to jump out.
Duma, a resident of Senti in Lilongwe City, said he was returning from Ekwendeni, Mzimba District, where he had gone to buy a motorbike, when he saw the aircraft hovering above Viphya Plantations.
He claimed that Chilima appeared to be pulled back inside the plane before it went down.
Duma told the committee that when the aircraft hit the ground, it did not shatter, and that more than 10 fair‑skinned men resembling white people were present at the crash site.
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He said the men opened fire on him and his companions.
One of his colleagues was allegedly shot and fell, but Duma said he did not know what happened to him afterwards.
Duma further claimed that he survived multiple ‘gunshots’ because he had been fortified with traditional medicine when he was being prepared to be installed traditional leader.
“I was shot in the back three times but the bullets did not penetrate my skin because of spiritual protection,” Duma said.
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He added that after hearing gunfire, he lost consciousness and later woke up on the morning of June 11 inside a bag‑like structure, alongside another person, who he said was dead.
He said he emerged from a body bag with blood on his clothes, which he believed belonged to a person who had been placed in the same bag.
He said he found K6,000 in his pocket, which he used to pay for transport home.
Committee members pressed him on his claims.
Dedza Kasina Member of Parliament (MP) Joshua Malango suggested testing whether Duma’s body was bullet‑proof, but Duma replied that he was unsure if the medicine was still effective.
Dedza Mayani MP Savel Kafwafwa said the committee was facing a difficult task; that is, balancing science with magic-related issues.
Another member, Mphatso Boti, challenged Duma’s account, saying it was impossible for the aircraft involved to hover in mid‑air.
But Duma insisted that he had seen it with his own eyes and would never forget the experience.
Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu told Boti to allow the witness to finish his testimony, saying the committee would later investigate whether the account was accurate.
Speaking afterwards, Nyamilandu said the committee was hearing from many eyewitnesses and would corroborate their accounts with forensic and pathological investigations.
“We have heard his side of the story. Members cross‑examined him and tried to verify facts.
“At the end of the day, it is a perception of what everybody else will have about that testimony. Later, we will corroborate with further investigations,” Nyamilandu said.
Nyamilandu addressed the issue of magic directly after Duma’s testimony.
He said the committee respected people’s values and cultural beliefs, but its work would rely on science and evidence.
“Unfortunately, that is the world we live in. Everybody has their own beliefs and values. We respect people’s values and cultural beliefs. It all depends on our inclination as individuals. People have their own different lifestyles,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the committee also heard testimony from Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) Commissioner Wilson Moleni.
Moleni told the inquiry that the Beechcraft King Air 350, registration N828CJ, which was being used for Malawi’s 3D mapping exercise, did not conduct missions on June 9 and 10, 2024 because of bad weather.
He said the aircraft flew on June 10 but returned to Kamuzu International Airport without carrying out mapping.
Moleni explained that his office had prepared a written submission covering the aircraft’s identity, ownership, purpose and its movements between June 9 and 11.
He said the department would provide all information within its custody and direct the committee to other competent authorities for primary records.
He also told MPs that Dodma had engaged the United States (US) Army Corps of Engineers in December 2023 and later consulted the US Embassy in February 2024, seeking assistance in disaster risk management.
The request included support for multi‑hazard risk assessment, deployment of space‑based technologies, capacity building and the use of geospatial data to strengthen search and rescue operations.
