Mumba Sends Warning to Sugar Hoarders: “We Will Smoke You Out”
Minister of Trade Vitumbiko Mumba came out swinging on Monday as he launched the nationwide distribution of Salima Sugar, declaring an all-out war against sugar hoarders whom he accused of fueling artificial shortages and hiking prices for personal gain.
In a no-nonsense tone, Mumba vowed to crack down on what he described as a “selfish cartel of opportunists” sabotaging the market. “Let me be clear—we will smoke you out,” Mumba warned. “The era of exploiting Malawians through hoarding and price manipulation is over. We are watching, and we will act.”
The bold remarks came during the official launch of Salima Sugar’s latest stock distribution, a critical intervention aimed at easing the acute shortage that has seen prices soar to as high as K6,000 per packet in some areas.
Mumba said the Ministry of Trade is rolling out a series of aggressive measures to restore stability in sugar supply, emphasizing that the days of unchecked market distortion are numbered.
Backing the government’s offensive, Executive Chairperson of Salima Sugar Company Wester Kosamu confirmed the company is offloading over 22,000 metric tons of sugar into the market this year, with strict safeguards to prevent the commodity from vanishing into black-market channels.
“We are monitoring every stage of this distribution to ensure the sugar reaches ordinary consumers—not unscrupulous middlemen,” Kosamu stressed.
In a powerful show of industry-government synergy, the Transporters Association of Malawi has stepped in with logistical muscle, deploying 20 heavy-duty trucks to ferry the sugar from Salima to retail hubs across the country.
Frank Banda, spokesperson for the association, said the 30-tonne capacity trucks are already on the move and more will be dispatched until supply stabilizes. “We’re committed to supporting this national cause. No one should suffer due to greed and logistical bottlenecks,” he stated.
As the government sharpens its focus on culprits behind the sugar chaos, Mumba’s message was unmistakable: hoarders beware—your days are numbered.
