By Jonah Pankuku:
The family of former vice president the late Saulos Chilima says it is consulting experts, family members and its representatives in the Commission of Inquiry on the plane crash before making its consolidated response on the report.
Chilima and eight others died in the accident at Chikangawa Forest in Mzimba on June 10 2024.
Ben Chilima, who speaks on behalf of the bereaved family, told Malawi News that they have finished reading the inquiry report but he declined to be drawn into further questions on the matter.
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“Yes, we have read the report but we are still consulting. We will give a consolidated response later,” Chilima said.
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Two weeks ago, a Commission of Inquiry chaired by High Court Judge Jabbar Alide presented its final report to President Lazarus Chakwera at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
Among others, the findings ruled out any foul play-attributing the tragedy to human error and environmental factors.
Without specifying a timeframe, Chakwera promised that after going through the report, he will make decisions “in due course” based on findings and recommendations.
The report has received mixed reactions, with some expressing dissatisfaction with its findings.
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Among the prominent to have spoken their mind on the report is Archbishop Thomas Msusa who heads the Blantyre Archdiocese of the Catholic Church.
In his Christmas Eve homily at Limbe Cathedral in Blantyre, Msusa, said no matter how long it takes, the truth shall come out on what really happened on plane crash.
“I am not satisfied with the findings [of the inquiry] we have been presented with by those who conducted the investigations… We are respected and dignified people so we shouldn’t be cheated. We are yet to be told the truth.
“This darkness shall end and we shall all know the truth about what happened because the person who recorded the incident is still alive… I proclaim; the truth shall set you free, but if we attempt to cover up we will be restless,” Msusa said.
But the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), a group of Catholic Bishops, says it is yet to come up with its official stand on the matter, according to its Secretary General Father Valeriano Michael Mtseka.
Mtseka described the backlashes or public debate on the issue as “therapeutic in nature at times, [as] the more people debate on an issue, the more it shapes proper thinking in some.”
“Of course, sensitivity is a big issue here,” he said.
About Msusa’s comment, Mtseka said he was speaking to the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Blantyre.
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, what he said reached our ears. It could happen that his remarks represent many of those who cannot speak,” Mtseka said in a written response.
Mtseka said it was too early to talk of closure of the issue “since even inquiry report has left a piece on this.”
“This issue is very sensitive and we cannot just close it like that. A technical report by experts might help us to conclusively close the issue at the proper time. The President will only make his decision after a thorough read on expectations. I am sure he will be advised by the experts of the technical report,” he said.
In their preliminary report, investigators from German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), did not state cause of the plane crash but shared some details of circumstances surrounding the accident.
The details raised eyebrows regarding the aircraft’s fitness to carry passengers.
