‘Not that upon seeing him, it was definitely him’: witness wavers on Chilima ID

Extraordinary details have emerged from the cross-examination of witness Ephraim Duma, who claimed before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating former Vice-President Saulos Chilima’s death that he saw Chilima calling out for help from the doomed aircraft moments before it crashed.

Under sharp questioning from committee member Dedza Mayani MP, Savel Kafwafwa, Duma was pressed to explain how he could identify Chilima from a distance and what exactly he claimed to have witnessed.

Asked how he knew the figure calling out at the aircraft’s door was Chilima, Duma insisted: “We knew Chilima.”

Pressed further on what the man was wearing, Duma described a black suit with a red tie.

When Mayani questioned whether simply seeing a light-skinned man in a black suit and tie was enough to identify him as the former Vice-President, Duma appeared to shift his position slightly, saying: “Not that upon seeing him, it was definitely him.”

Asked to explain what exactly the man was shouting, Duma said the individual had opened his mouth as if calling out and beckoning, adding that the aircraft’s siren was also sounding at the time – meaning he could not actually hear what was being said, though he insisted the man was calling for help.

The most striking admission came when Mayani pushed Duma to clarify how he connected Chilima’s alleged calls for help to the aircraft catching fire.

Duma admitted the claim was based on assumption rather than direct observation.

“In our minds, we thought the plane was on fire and that Chilima was holding onto something and struggling to get out because he appeared to be going in and out,” Duma said.

“That is why we decided to follow the aircraft, believing it was because of Chilima’s shouting and beckoning to us. And it’s not that we actually saw it catch fire – these were just our assumptions.”

The admission raises fresh questions over the reliability of Duma’s earlier testimony, in which he told the committee he witnessed the aircraft crash, encountered more than 10 people at the scene – some allegedly in army regalia and others appearing to be white – and claimed to have witnessed gunfire that killed one of his companions.

The committee is continuing to test his account against other evidence as it works to establish the true circumstances surrounding the crash that killed Chilima and eight others in June 2024.