Former Officer-in-Charge of Chikangawa Police Post has told Parliament that Flora Mkandawire, a Nthungwa resident deserves recognition for her role in helping search teams find the wreckage of the missing Chikangawa aircraft.
Former Officer-in-Charge, Kingsley Ntope said Mkandawire’s information helped officers narrow their search for the aircraft following the June 10, 2024 crash.
Ntope told the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee investigating the crash that Mkandawire connected an unusual heavy sound she heard that morning to the missing aircraft.
He said the information she provided helped guide the search team as officers narrowed the area they were searching.
Ntope said Mkandawire’s contribution should therefore be recognised.
During the search, Ntope said his team also met Ben Banda, a guard at the TNM Network Tower.
According to Ntope, Banda reported hearing what sounded like gunfire from the eastern side of Pamphara Hill on the morning of the crash.
Ntope said Banda explained that such sounds were common in the area because poachers often entered the forest to hunt animals.
The former officer further told the committee that his team visited the home of Leah Mkandawire, a local resident who later appeared before the committee as a witness.
He said officers found only her children at the house and asked them to locate their mother.
Ntope confirmed that the woman his team had visited was the same person who later appeared before the committee, identifying her as Leah Flora Mkandawire.
