The Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the June 10, 2024 Chikangawa plane crash says it expects to complete the third phase of its inquiry by October 30, 2026.
Committee Chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda said the committee on Monday spent time scrutinising and adopting the witness list for Phase Three, which is expected to involve an extensive search-and-rescue component and further engagement with witnesses.
Nyamilandu said the committee wanted to ensure that all relevant witnesses had been included before proceeding with the next stage of the inquiry.
He said the committee will resume Phase Three activities on Tuesday, with plans to travel to Nthungwa next week for further interviews with witnesses at the site.
According to Nyamilandu, the programme will include a week-long break before the committee returns to Nthungwa and later proceeds to Palembe to complete the remaining witness engagements.
“We are planning to finish by end of October, 30th of October,” Nyamilandu said.
The Chairperson also explained why some witnesses who were expected to appear before the committee were not interviewed on Monday.
He said the committee wants to interview relevant witnesses together where possible so that information can be compared and assessed within the same period, rather than creating significant time gaps between witness statements.
Nyamilandu said the approach is intended to help the committee establish a clearer picture of events and minimise the possibility of inconsistencies arising when witnesses are interviewed at different times.
He further indicated that the committee is working with a structured weekly programme covering the sequencing of witnesses and other activities.
The inquiry, which is examining the circumstances surrounding the crash that killed former Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima and eight others, has been conducting witness hearings and site-related investigations since May 2026. Parliament has previously indicated that the inquiry is intended to gather, analyse and validate evidence before drawing conclusions.
Nyamilandu said the committee will also rely on technical and scientific evidence, including forensic analysis and digital evidence, to help verify information and support the eventual findings.
The committee’s work is therefore expected to continue through October as it gathers and cross-checks evidence before preparing its final conclusions.
