Chilima crash probe resumes — new witnesses and foreign pathologists lined up

The parliamentary committee probing the Chikangawa Forest plane crash that killed former vice‑president Saulos Chilima and eight others is gearing up for a fresh round of witness hearings, set for 24 August to 4 September 2026 — a phase expected to dig deeper into unanswered questions surrounding the tragedy.

MPs met Wednesday Parliament in Lilongwe to review the first phase of testimony, with the session continuing today as they prepare for what insiders describe as the inquiry’s “make‑or‑break” stage.

Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda said the team is determined to produce findings that finally give Malawians closure after two years of speculation, grief and frustration.

In the next phase, the committee will not only hear from additional witnesses but has also hired two South African pathologists — Dr Robert Ngude and Dr Wilson Sibusiso Ntsele — to carry out forensic pathology, a move aimed at tightening the scientific evidence behind the final report.

The inquiry now enters a critical stretch, with families and the nation watching closely.