…mobilise to join court case, two former AGs to join case
…options include boycotts and demonstrations
Nine thin plastic manufacturers have been playing in Malawi courts to delay and stop the implementation of the country’s thin plastics ban, which has irked members of the public, who are now mobilising to challenge their moves.
Nine years after thin plastics were banned in Malawi, the Supreme Court ruled, after the companies withdrew their appeal, that the 2015 ban was valid. The Department of Environmental Affairs ruled that the ban will be effective on 8 July.
The companies include Golden Plastics, Jagot Plastics, O.G Plastics, Plastimax, Polypack, Qingdao Recycling Ltd, Sharma Industries, Shore RUBBER, Flexo Pack, City Plastic Industry, G Plastics Wholesale and Retail and G.S Plastic among others.
However, the companies had one more trick to play Malawians- go to constitutional court, and the court notorious for delaying cases could take another decade to decide. The delay tactics have now angering Malawians who feel thin plastic companies are abusing courts and taking Malawians for a ride.
“The law is the law, it is formulated in public interest. The thin plastics don’t serve any public interest save for selfish ends and profits of those few companies. They don’t care the future of Malawi, the environment and the laws,” Kingsley Mponda, one of the mobilisers has charged.
He said it was sad Malawians were being taken for a ride as the poor Malawians now face stiffer punishments which those contributing to greater degradation are using courts to continue doing the same.
“Charcoal burning is as bad as thin plastics. The Forestry Act passed in 2020 has introduced stiff punishment for charcoal possession, with those found with charcoal facing 10 years in prison or K5 million fine. Those engaging in production, possession, trafficking or selling of charcoal is punishable with K5,000,000 or 10 years imprisonment under Section68(30)(a). But the law has been working against the poor only while these rich and big companies go and play in courts,” cited Mponda.
Appeal for moral and financial resources to force thin plastic ban
Mponda said Malawians are in semi-colonisation by businesses that are working to undermine the laws that the country has opted to enact and should be followed by all businesses with legitimate concern for the country.
“We are mobilising resources to join the case as Malawians and conduct further displays of discontent with these deliberate delays to secure the country’s environment,” said Mponda, who said among the groups conducting the campaign include Open Malawi (Centre for Public Accountability) and Malawi German Cultural Society formed of those that have been educated or trained in Germany.
Two former Attorney Generals who had to defend the government in cases between 2015 and 2021 have offered free service to join the government legal team to defend the law. According to local media, the AGs are Kalekeni Kaphale and Dr. Chikosa Silungwe.
“This should tell these companies time is up,” charged Alfred Martin from the Open Malawi, who said the latest reports show Lake Malawi is at risk with amounting plastics dumps.
Lake Malawi and biodiversity at risk
Plastic have been identified as one of the biggest environmental challenges facing Malawi, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNDP) and is posing a threat to Lake Malawi — one of the country’s most iconic landmarks.
“Plastic pollution poses a major threat to the lake’s status as a World Heritage Site, with significant economic costs to the tourism industry due to loss in aesthetic value,” the UNDP said in a report.
Millions of Malawians rely on Lake Malawi and rivers for their livelihoods, and the plastics could affect the rich natural life in the waters.
“These companies should choose, or we boycott their products. We should name and shame them and ask them to relocate where they can’t disrespect nationals to continue destroying nature,” added Martin.
The Investigator Magazine will be releasing every day a poster on calling the mentioned companies to think of Malawi’s environmental profits.
