By Vincent Gunde
A Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has advised President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to tread carefully with Songwe Border agricultural trade ban expressing fears that his fall will start from there.
Kamphangala said President Chakwera has a crucial role to play to make sure that the cordial relationships which is existing between Malawi and her neighbors should not be destroyed by poor decisions which in the end will punish Malawians who already are being punished through his leadership.
He said for years since independence in 1964, Malawians have been living in peace and harmony with the neighboring countries of Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique saying this time under the transformed MCP led by man of God, President Chakwera Malawians should not be in pain for cross-border trade.
The MCP diehard has questioned President Chakwera on why letting his Minister of Trade and Industry Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba to impose agricultural trade sanctions between Malawi and Tanzania while the country itself is depending entirely on Tanzania for its survival?
He said it is a disputable fact that the country has no bananas and the bananas which are coming into the country are coming from East African countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania through Songwe Border into Malawi.
Kamphangala said visiting in towns and cities, one could see women carrying their babies at the backs toiling for businesses carrying basins of bananas on their heads to make their end meet every day but today with the ban on bananas, these women are helpless.
“Mr. President, before making any decision, think of the end result and not rushing into making it because you are at the helm of government,” said Kamphangala.
Writing on his face book page, a winning parliamentary elections candidate in Dedza under the MCP ticket Gerald Chavez Kampanikiza says the “consequences of decisions we make in a hurry without looking into the negative impact that follows,”
Kampanikiza has expressed his concern about the emotional decisions observing that travelling in Lilongwe or Blantyre women are crying no more buying bananas advising the MCP government that these decisions must be revisited, reversed or revised.
And in Tanzania, effective from the 24th April, 2025 Trade and Industry minister announced punitive measures for which Malawi and its people cannot stand only those supporting stupid decisions and singing “Boma ndilomweli silikuchoka to be clapping hands.
The Tanzanian government says it is illegal to bring or allow food produce from Malawi into Tanzania, transit food produce from Malawi to other countries won’t be allowed to pass through Songwe Border and all the maize bought to solve hunger crisis in Malawi, the deal has been terminated.
The Tanzanian government has further announced that the agricultural inputs which Malawi was expecting from them in preparation for the next farming season, will not be allowed, this is being done following Malawi’s decision to impose a ban on foreign agricultural produce to support its local growers.
