Parliament’s Ad-hoc Committee investigating the June 10 2024 military plane crash yesterday faced an extraordinary witness whose testimony pitted science against claims of magic and spiritual powers.
During its hearing at Parliament Building in Lilongwe yesterday, Lilongwe resident Ephraim Duma, who claimed to have witnessed the events surrounding the crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others, said he encountered the aircraft in the Viphya Plantation on his return from Ekwendeni in Mzimba where he had gone to buy a motorcycle.
He testified that the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) aircraft stopped in mid-air with Chilima, reportedly clad in a black business suit, white shirt and a red necktie standing at the door calling for help while an unknown force pulled him back inside.
Duma further alleged that the aircraft later flew into the hills, where he and two others followed it and found foreign militia members waiting. He said two people emerged from the aircraft, one dressed in a black suit and another in military uniform.
black suit. | Jacob Nankhonya
According to Duma, the soldiers pursued them on the ground, killing one and shooting him three times in the back. He said he survived because he had undergone spiritual “body fortification” that made him immune to bullets.
But his account drew scepticism from committee members, who questioned how an aircraft could stop mid-air.
Lilongwe Mude member of Parliament Mphatso Boti (Malawi Congress Party-MCP), a former MDF soldier, said the Dornier aircraft could not have remained stationary in the air.
“What you are saying cannot happen. We are talking of science,” he said.
There were also follow-up questions from Dowa Kasangazi MP George Kadzipatike (MCP), Dedza Kasina MP Joshua Malango (MCP) and Dedza Mayani MP Savel Kafwafwa (MCP) who faulted Duma’s account, saying it contradicted other evidence before the committee, including information in the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) report about the aircraft’s flight path and altitude.
But Duma maintained that he was simply recounting what he saw.
Asked how he could have survived three bullet shots, he said he was spiritually protected after being earmarked at one point to become Chief Kabunduli.
“At one point I was earmarked to be Chief Kabunduli, so I had to undergo body fortification to protect me from bullets and other weapons,” said Duma.
His claim drew laughter among committee members, with some questioning his mental state.
Malango light-heartedly suggested that Duma’s bullet-proof claim should be tested to prove if he still possessed the powers that allegedly protected him. Duma dared the committee to proceed.
But committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu Manda joked that Duma might have lost his powers and warned that he could be killed.
Kafwafwa said the committee had found itself in an unusual position.
Nyamilandu said Duma’s account would be treated as testimony requiring verification rather than established evidence.
Duma said he decided to testify because he believed the truth was not fully told.
Earlier, the committee questioned officials from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) over a US-supported geospatial mapping exercise conducted around the time of the crash.
In response, Dodma commissioner Wilson Moleni said the department had requested US government support for the exercise which the US Army conducted with civilian personnel involved.
He said the exercise ran from May to August 2024.
But Moleni said the mapping aircraft did not perform the exercise on June 10 because of heavy cloud cover and returned to Kamuzu International Airport.
“On 10 June the mapping was not done. There was intense cloud cover and it returned to Kamuzu International Airport,” he said.
Moleni said Dodma did not have the aircraft’s flight plans and could not tell the committee which route it took that day.
His response became a major concern for MPs, especially after Mwanza Central MP Felix Njawala (UTM Party) raised reports that the mapping aircraft made two trips and may have flown to Kandahar in Afghanstan.
Moleni said Dodma had no information about any flight to Kandahar.
MPs also questioned the extent of Dodma’s control over the exercise, including its flight schedule, restricted areas and the presence of Malawian officials on the aircraft.
In response, Dodma chief resilience officer Samuel Gama said foreign personnel largely conducted the mapping independently and only updated Dodma after completing activities.
Dodma GIS officer Daniel Magombo said the aircraft had four seats, two for pilots and two for mapping personnel, and that Malawian officials had to request permission to join flights. He added that Chikangawa was mapped in July 2024, after the June 10 crash.
