Justice Minister Completes Review of Chilima Crash Reports — Pressure Mounts for Full Truth
The mystery surrounding the plane crash that killed former vice president Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others has entered a decisive phase, with Justice Minister Charles Mhango confirming he has completed reviewing all reports previously released on the tragedy.
The crash, which remains one of the darkest moments in Malawi’s recent history, also claimed the lives of former First Lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, Lucas Kapheni, Chisomo Chimaneni, Dan Kanyemba, and Abdul Lapukeni. Malawi Defence Force officers Colonel Owen Sambalopa, Major Flora Selemani, and Major Aidin, who were operating the aircraft, also perished.
This week, Mhango acknowledged he had finished examining all three reports but refused to disclose either the findings or when he will present them to President Peter Mutharika.
“I am done looking at the reports, but I cannot say when I am submitting them to the President or what the recommendations are. The review is done,” Mhango said.
His silence has raised new questions and heightened public anticipation.
The review follows a commitment President Mutharika made during a September 2025 press briefing, where he said the incoming Minister of Justice would “examine the issues surrounding the crash to determine the way forward.”
Opposition Renews Demand for a Fresh Probe
The push for answers is far from over.
The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has intensified calls for a fresh, independent investigation, arguing that only a new probe can finally reveal the truth and absolve the party of long-standing accusations of a cover-up when it was in power.
Last week in Parliament, Lilongwe Mpenu MP Eisenhower Mkaka echoed the demand, insisting that Malawians deserve clarity — not recycled reports.
“When the Democratic Progressive Party was in opposition, it claimed the MCP was hiding the real cause of the accident. Now that the DPP is in government, it is only fair that a new probe is launched so the truth comes out once and for all,” Mkaka said.
Unanswered Questions Continue to Haunt Malawi
Chilima and his delegation were en route to Nkhata Bay for the funeral of former justice minister and attorney general Ralph Kasambara when the plane failed to reach Mzuzu Airport. Since then, unanswered questions, conflicting accounts, and political accusations have refused to die.
The review now sitting on Mhango’s desk may determine whether the nation finally confronts those unresolved questions — or continues to circle around them.
For grieving families, for a country still nursing the wound, and for a political landscape clouded by suspicion, one fact remains clear:
Malawi is still waiting for the full truth.
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