Most Indians working at Salima Sugar Factory are illegal in Malawi

Salima Sugar Company has been accused of  being dodgy employers hiring illegal immigrants from India after  Homeland Security Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda’s visit to the factory on Tuesday after arrival of experts from India as the company resumed production.

Minister Chimwendo Banda demanded top management from the factory to submit files and work permits for the company’s employees

About 60 Indian nationals are working without permits  and Minister Chimwendo Banda noted during the visit that even some bosses at the factory do not have work  permits.

The minister described the tendency as unfortunate saying no one is supposed to enter into the country and start working without following what the law says on work permit for foreigners.

He added that he visited the factory to make sure that the law and work permit procedures are followed, and not to scare away investors.

The minister has since demanded top management from the factory to submit files and work permits for the company’s employees same Tuesday as deadline.

He has warned them that if they fail to do so, the law will take its course.

Most of the workers have come with experts from India who were affected  by the Covid-19 travel restrictions.

The factory was supposed to start sugar production in April but delayed because the experts from India are the only ones with expertise to operate the machinery.

Greenbelt Authority (GA) acting chief executive officer Amon Mluwira under whose responsibility the Salima Sugar Company falls said the Indian staff were supposed to be working in shifts “to ensure that production should not be disrupted.”

Salima Sugar Company  has recently become a competitor to Illovo Sugar (Malawi) plc which has been a monopoly for the past decades.

The company grows its own sugarcane as well as procures cane from about 250 small-scale sugar growers.

Salima Sugar Company has 3 500 employee with 200 on permanent employment while the rest are seasonal or casual workers.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
40 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
ofatsa3
3 years ago

Expatriates for life? are we not qualified to take up their posts, its high time govt. and Human rights organisations look into this seriously These so-called expatriates are drawing huge salaries which are sent to their respective countries and they draw another salary slightly higher than Malawians here inform of allowances shame !!!!

FORGIVE THEM
FORGIVE THEM
3 years ago

Nde poti awathothako onse
Atengedwa mu chi bus lero,nde muziti chani omwe mukutukwana kuti ma minister akukakwitsanu,asiyeni anthu agwire ntchito ndipo muona zipatso pompano

kanjedza
kanjedza
3 years ago

What about Chipuku stores , they have 400 expatriates all around Malawi and they sue Temproray resident Permits renewed every six months. It is cheaper with TRP. which is 20,000-00 kwacha whereas TEP are Million kwacha. Some of the wives are also working there and who are paid in cash. All these expatriates are accommodated in rented house, monthly grocery given and Mk20,000-00 in Malawi and Indian rupees 10,000-00 in India. No PAYE records, No pension scheme, No qualifications what so ever. Look at FMB, highest no. of expatriates more than the total expatriates of other banks. that any bank… Read more »

nafundo zalo
nafundo zalo
3 years ago
Reply to  kanjedza

Fault Mw India ambassador. anayamba kale ili ndi la 40.
Deport them and let whoever hired them pay.
under pitala muntharika ma bwana angolandila phukusi la ndalama basi kubweretsa timalalamulo ngati mmanyumba mwao.
mukuti Rice factory: has anyone realisised the type of polished rice l8ke the chinese new crop rice????? si kil8mberoso. otelela mpunga wake. akubweretsa nzeru zao.
WATCH THESE EXPATRIATES CLOSELY.

Educate Us
Educate Us
3 years ago

Its illegal for a person already in Malawi and working to apply for an Employment Permit. As the Immigration Act does not allow. Applicants for Employment Permits must be outside Malawi before taking up employment in Malawi. Let’s start from the beginning. Malawi’s Immigration Act, requires that before a person takes up employment in Malawi, he or she has to apply for and get an Employment Permit, before arriving in Malawi leave aside taking up employment. The Immigration Act also requires that the company which wants to employ the foreigner to prove that there are no Malawians with qualifications to… Read more »

Madingo
Madingo
3 years ago
Reply to  Educate Us

I agree during Kamuzu rule Malawi Passports were amongst world’s most respected passport, even to UK, we could travel without a Visa.
But now the value of a Malawi Passport is same as those of terrorist states like Pakistan and North Korea.

nafundo zalo
nafundo zalo
3 years ago
Reply to  Educate Us

koma ndiyetu. alowa bwanji pa cipata cathu kuno. ma embassy akutinji ku Pakustan India. ndipo ma zimbamwe nde anawatapa ma masport athu kukaowera ku UK. Obama Ciumia paja ankasaza mwano. Dzikoli Dpp crooks ankangopanga zofuna okha bola alemere. ku Immigration Road Traffic Mma parastatals they need REVAMP. Koma CV inali yoti mwana olo ine ndingokhala kunyumbako. Response, undipeze mawa.. eeee ndi zambili. Kagame ndiwabwino. Cool guy Magufuli timulandilaso . another cool guy.. uyu anaiwala ca uzika card mmagalimoto anataidwa kwa goliat mpaneni heve. another bwafu mfiti yacimuna mwananveka mbuli ina yabetsa ma million kupatsa guard to deposit . kufuna kusaziwika… Read more »

Nyekhwe
Nyekhwe
3 years ago

What have you done Hon Minister after 2pm? How many are deported?
WE knew that you are toothless just because they gave you a 50Kg bag of sugar and a million cash.
These guys are bloody crooks.
They havent even built a single school block to neibouring villagers.even building toilets for workers. come and visit the estates. we help ourselves in the farms. Let them show you toilets

English so hard
English so hard
3 years ago
Reply to  Nyekhwe

My frnd i am working with Salima Sugar zomwe wapanga chimwendo kuno sizachibwana sanatengeko even ka thumba ka sugar komwe ukunenako last time kunabwera achina Mchacha anangotenga dola nkumapita koma siza Chimwendo ase kungobwera no odi kkkkkkkkk zulo mazulo onse opanda ma documents awatapa akagona ku Immigration sakugawa kamba as i am writing this chigayo chinayima zulo until now.

Gift Ngwenya
Gift Ngwenya
3 years ago

this company will never improve if one DPP cadet Thupi Charles who is company secretary is there. He has betrayed Malawians at the company big time. He is being used to punish casual workers and staff and allowed these indians to live a hotel life. We locals when sick go to local clinic at SiaSia and these Indians go to ABC clinic company paying.
Their rooms are air conditioned but ours are old tin houses with broken fans.
we are denied advances and further studies

Albert Buleya
Albert Buleya
3 years ago

What Hon. Chimwendo has discovered is just a tip on the iceberg To clear mess as Salima Sugar Govt need to send asap a high powered deligation of experts to check on many illegal areas:- Send Labour experts to check on thangata of casual workers who work 7 days a week without lunch and no medical care and no safety gear. Check on poor hygiene conditions in the factory. MRA to check tax irregularities Reserve Bank to check on pension scheme which is not there. Environmental experts to see poor waste management Health experts to see how Indians can administer… Read more »

BigMan
BigMan
3 years ago

Illovo has trained hundreds of Malawian Engineers and technicians in sugar production. Why couldn’t the Salima sugar company tap from these people instead of bringing labourers from India?

Honorable minister, deport some of these chaps or give them short term permits during which time they should train locals before they go back home.

Mpare
Mpare
3 years ago

When someone is found working without work permit, what does the law say. This Minister just want to make noise out of nothing. In this situation the amwenyes were supposed to be arrested to taken to court before being deported. Why is the Minister waiting for report from management. Which report honourable Minister. The way you behaving it seems you won’t be different from DPP government…mxiiiii

Benjones
Benjones
3 years ago

They must go the way they came.

Read previous post:
HRDC exposes more procurement rot at MERA:  Furnishes ACB with documents to facilitateprobe

The veil is certainly off the face of the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) and it is now time for...

Close