Traders defying MBS ban on liquor
Despite the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) banning the manufacturing, distribution and selling of liquor in sachets and plastic bottles, the product is still finding its way to the market.
MBS banned packing of spirits in sachets in 2010.
Following the ban, some manufacturers and producers of the plastic bottles obtained a court injunction against the ban.
However, on January 4 this year, the High Court of Malawi ruled in favour of MBS that manufacturing, packaging, distribution and sale of liquor in sachets and plastic bottles is illegal in the country.
But spot checks by Business News established that many traders are removing the labels on cartons to confuse police officers manning roadblocks on the contents of the boxes while others are hiding illicit alcoholic beverages in bushes near their business places.
Interviews conducted by Business News in Lilongwe’s Old Town high density residential areas of Kaliyeka, Biwi and Kaphiri established that traders are still selling the banned products despite being aware of the standing court order.
Said one trader in Biwi: “This is our livelihood and some of us managed to go to school because our parents were distilling ‘kachasu’. So, if government says we should be kicked out of business, where are we going to get money to look after our families?
“We do not force people to come here and buy the liquor and it could have been better if government empowered us not to sell to minors a thing we already do.”
Another supplier in Old Town said they cannot stop selling the liquor because they had ordered the products in large quantities.
“We will continue selling until we exhaust the stocks. We want to plead with police and the Malawi Bureau of Standards to give us time before banning the liquor so that we clear the stocks,” he said.
In an interview at the weekend, Lilongwe Police Station spokesperson Kingsley Dandaula said the police are indeed confiscating the liquor, but he did not have statistics of how much they have managed to get away from traders in the district.
MBS director general Davlin Chokazinga said they will ensure that manufacturing, packaging, distribution and selling of liquor in sachets and plastic bottles is completely stopped.
“These products are killing innocent Malawians and we cannot stand aside and watch people dying without taking action. We will continue working with police and other agencies to make sure that they are no longer available on the market,” he said.
Drug Fight Malawi executive director Nelson Zakeyu said the country has lost many young men and women who, because of its cheap prices, have had easy access to the liquor.
