An acquaintance of the late Vice-President, Moses Nthakomwa, told the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee that retired Major General John Msonthi Jnr. called him at 8.19pm on June 10 2024 to convey condolences.
Nthakomwa’s testimony before the committee detailed receiving a phone call from retired the Major General at 8.19pm on the day of the crash, hours before official confirmation.
Nthakomwa said during the call, Msonthi expressed condolences and provided specific details about the accident, stating that the aircraft’s wing hit a tree and slid roughly 80 metres uphill.
Nthakomwa said Msonthi also described the condition of the bodies—details the former said were too disturbing to share with the committee.
This information directly contradicts the national address made by former president Lazarus Chakwera after 10pm on June 10 2024, where he stated that search operations were still underway and the plane had not been found.
Nthakomwa questioned the timing of the official announcement in light of Msonthi’s early briefing.
However, Nthakomwa explained that he chose to withhold the information at the time to prevent unwarranted panic, as he doubted the severity of the news.
Before disclosing the exchange to the committee, Nthakomwa said he had secured Msonthi’s authorisation to do so.
“That information haunted me. I did not believe it, and I did not want to cause panic among family members over what I suspected was untrue,” Nthakomwa explained.
He further noted that he shared this information with his close friend, Khwesi Msusa, before the president’s official announcement later that day.
Nthakomwa said he only connected the dots the following day, when a security officer who had visited the crash site provided a matching account of the aircraft and the condition of the victims during their send-off ceremony.
Members of the committee requested that Msonthi should appear before them, and that they obtain call logs between Msonthi and Nthakomwa from mobile service providers.
Dzimbiri family testimonies
The committee later heard from relatives of the late Shanil Dzimbiri, namely Edna Muluzi (her daughter), Ben Michael Mankhamba (her nephew), and Argentina Malamulo (her nephew). While Muluzi appeared virtually, Mankhamba and Malamulo testified in person.
Mankhamba told the committee that the family had arranged for private medical practitioner Dr Charles Dzamalala to conduct a post-mortem on Dzimbiri’s body, but the examination ultimately never took place.
He explained that individuals who appeared to be doctors at the mortuary carried out what he described as “rushed procedures,” after which Dr Dzamalala informed the family that he could no longer conduct his own examination.
Mankhamba also indicated that, subject to the committee’s permission, he was prepared to give an account of the exact condition in which he found Dzimbiri’s body at the mortuary.
Summarising the family’s frustration, Mankhamba added: “As a family, we identified Dr Dzamalala to conduct a post-mortem examination. However, things were rushed at the mortuary. When our doctor arrived, he waited for a few minutes and was informed that similar procedures were already underway.”
“When we entered the room where the body of the late Dzimbiri was being kept, no post-mortem examination had been conducted; we were merely told how it was supposed to be done,” said Mankhamba.
“There were people taking pictures and, in the end, as a family, we never actually had a post-mortem examination conducted”.
Muluzi testified that her late mother’s SIM card appeared to remain active for nearly four months following the plane crash.
She expressed shock that one of her mother’s phone numbers left family messaging groups and, when tracked, appeared to remain active on one of the family’s iPads.
Furthermore, while the families of other victims were invited to collect their relatives’ personal effects, Muluzi noted that her family was never given that opportunity.
She added that the family is still seeking answers to questions previously submitted to the inquiry. Their primary concerns include:
lSearch and rescue operations: How the operation was managed, alleged lack of coordination, and critical information gaps.
lAutopsy issues: Delays in releasing reports, failure to collect samples during examinations, and unexplained changes in the victims’ appearances before and after the accident.
lSensitive materials: The unapproved circulation of photographs of the victims’ bodies after the wreckage was discovered.
l Flight discrepancies: Contradictory information regarding whether the flight ever reached Mzuzu.
Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu-Manda stated that the inquiry gathered crucial information during the first phase of hearings. To accommodate an upcoming parliamentary sitting next week, the committee will pause its proceedings and resume the next phase in August.
Nyamilandu-Manda noted that additional witnesses are expected to be called based on testimonies heard so far, affirming the committee’s commitment to conducting an exhaustive inquiry to provide answers to the public.
