Chilima crash inquiry nears milestone as ex-police, military chiefs set to testify

The Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash says it’s on track to wrap up the third phase of its probe by the end of October, after hammering out a fresh six-week schedule to grill key witnesses involved in the search and rescue operation.

Committee members were locked in lengthy talks over the revised programme, which had to be reworked to squeeze in extra witnesses who weren’t on the original list.

Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu said he was confident the interviews would be wrapped up by month’s end — but stopped short of putting a date on when the committee’s much-anticipated final report will actually see the light of day.

“Once we complete the third phase, then we will wait on the analysis with the pathologists and digital forensic experts,” he said. “The report will be released once all those processes are complete.”

Tomorrow, the committee is set to hear from four heavyweight witnesses:

• Samuel Kalua — Former Acting Director General, Civil Aviation Authority
• Fredrick Chisepeya — Director of Aerodromes and Air Navigation Standards, Civil Aviation Authority
• Akis Muwanga — Former Deputy Inspector General of Operations, Malawi Police Service
• General Paul Valentino Phiri — Former Commander, Malawi Defence Force