By Cathy Maulidi:
UTM, a political party that former vice president Saulos Chilima founded and led until his death on June 10 this year, has dismissed findings of the commission of inquiry which President Lazarus Chakwera instituted on October 25.
The commission released a report of its findings on Saturday night.
The commission told the nation that the plane crash that killed Chilima, former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri and others was caused by weather and human factors that included ignoring necessary measures by the flight crew.
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In its response to the report, UTM, through its spokesperson Felix Njawala, said they acknowledge efforts of the commission in presenting its report “on this tragic matter”.
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“However, the report raises serious concerns about its depth, impartiality and the thoroughness of its investigations. Critical details such as the specific sequence of events, accountability of key decision-makers and comprehensive evidence appear either vague or entirely omitted,” Njawala said.
According to the party, the report’s reliance “on speculative conclusions rather than hard facts” has undermined its credibility.
“Furthermore, it conspicuously avoids addressing the roles of certain individuals whose decisions may have directly contributed to this tragedy. These glaring omissions leave the nation with more questions than answers.
“One of the most troubling aspects of the commission’s findings is the conclusion that the passengers in the plane died before the crash. While the report makes this assertion, it provides no clear explanation as to how this could have occurred. Were they killed mid-air? Was it due to sudden decompression, loss of oxygen or some other factor that caused fatalities prior to the crash? These critical questions remain unanswered,” Njawala said.
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He went on to say that, given that the passengers allegedly perished before the crash, it raises further concerns about the flight’s safety protocols, the aircraft’s condition and whether appropriate measures were taken to ensure the wellbeing of those onboard.
“The report fails to offer a comprehensive explanation for this shocking conclusion, which is fundamental to understanding the true cause of the tragedy.
“The statement raises a crucial point about the importance of toxicology reports in investigations involving deaths. The core argument is that without conducting proper toxicology tests, one cannot definitively rule out the possibility of homicide. This is because toxicology tests can detect substances like poisons or drugs that may have played a role,” Njawala said.
Meanwhile, the family of late Chilima says they are waiting for the report to be submitted to the family before they can comment or give any reactions.
“We hope that the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) shall soon present the report to the family.
“So, our reaction will come after reading the full report,” said family representative Joshua Varela.
The Commission of Inquiry that was inquiring into the plane crash ruled out homicide in the plane crash, putting blame for the crash on environmental and human factors.
Presenting the report, a task that took four hours 25 minutes, the commissioners said their inquiry also did not find evidence of any technical fault with the plane.
However, the commission noted that German experts are still doing their investigations focusing on the technical part, with their report set to be released early next year.
The commission’s chairperson, Judge Jabbar Alide, also said the flight crew did not get weather information from Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) when departing from Lilongwe, according to evidence they received.
Alide also said the flight crew ignored the Instrumental Meteorological Conditions (IMCs) that require pilots to fly solely by instruments, rather than visually.
He said, instead they opted for the visual way.
The commissioners further stated that the two pilots—Colonel Owen Sambalopa and Major Florence Seleman Ngwirinji—despite having expertise, had expired licences by the time they were flying the plane.
The report also indicated that the search for the bodies was not properly done as the search party was not properly coordinated.
“They wasted time searching [in] wrong places because they also got wrong information. They lacked expertise in the search and lacked proper gear for the search,” the report reads.
The report also indicates that the search was called off by the Commissioner of Police for the Northern Region Richard Luhanga, who consulted before calling off the search.
But the Malawi Defence Force, according to the report, proceeded with the search stating that they do not take orders from the police.
The report indicates that they proceeded with the search until the following day; that is, June 11.
