By Vincent Gunde
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera will on Tuesday 10th June, 2025 attends the Memorial ceremony for nine plane crash victims tragically killed in the Chikangawa forest on 10th June, 2024 and one year has gone with no answers surrounding the victims’ tragic death.
This is the first time for President Chakwera to visit the site where the nine victims’ bodies were found and none of the MCP high ranking official has visited the site except for President Chakwera who had to take a picture at a place where Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda planted a tree in the Chikangawa forest.
According to the programme released by Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba, the event will take place at Lunjika Turn-off in Mzimba district from 9: 00 in the morning and it is expected that President Chakwera will lay his wreaths.
On the other side, all eyes and ears will be in Nsipe- Ntcheu when surviving families of the plane crash will hold their Memorial service which will start with a Mass to be held at Nsipe Catholic Church from 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon to 7 o’clock in the evening.
The events in Ntcheu will be patronized by those that loved Dr. Saulosi Chilima and those that will not make it to Ntcheu, will watch the whole programme on Times 360 Malawi and Mibawa Television live form Nsipe ground.
10th June, 2025 will mark one full year after Dr. Saulosi Chilima and eight others, closed their eyes bidding bye to the earthly world in tragic circumstances with graphic pictures allegedly coming from Chikangawa forest made millions of Malawians weeping with tears coming down from their cheeks.
Besides two events happening on the same day 10th June, 2025 in Mzimba by President Chakwera and Ntcheu by the families of the departed souls, silence is still gripping the nation with no answers and even President Chakwera himself, has no answers too but God who was in the Chikangawa forest has the answers and how long it will take, the truth will prevail.
Dr. Chilima and eight others, on the 10th June, 2024 were left in the cold for 24 hours after the MDF ordered a suspension of the searching mission as it was dark to resume the following day morning and the searching itself was allegedly suspicious.
Addressing the nation on the ill-fated aircraft, President Chakwera said the plane reached Mzuzu Airport but due to fog, the pilot was ordered to return to Lilongwe but the Germany report proved President Chakwera wrong that the plane never reached Mzuzu.
Malawi Defense Force (MDF) Commander General Dr. Paul Velentino Phiri told the nation that suspected area for the plane crash cannot be reached and is far away from the villages. this again was proved not to be true, the plane crashed close to the village and at an open ground.
A Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has expressed his sadness that without the support of Dr. Chilima accepting in good faith to be the running mate, Dr. Chakwera could not be President of the Republic of Malawi today.
Kamphangala said President Chakwera is all aware that Biyeni was laid to rest at his home Nsipe in Ntcheu, the family of the departed souls have agreed to hold the Memorial service and Mass to honor them, it could have been better for him to attend SKC Memorial ceremony in Ntcheu but he has chosen Chikangawa forest for the reasons best explained by himself and the MCP.
“Truth to be told, President Chakwera was supposed to go to Nsipe in Ntcheu but has decided to hold a Memorial service to honor the 9 victims at a place where they were tragically killed without the families of the departed souls,” said Kamphangala.
