Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola has asked SADC member states to take the issue of vandalism seriously by working together in order to curb the malpractice.
The call comes as the country is facing high cases of vandalism despite civic education campaigns. And the minister thinks the only way to end that is to ban the market, which is within the region.
In his contribution during the joint meeting of the committee of ministers responsible for energy and water, which was held in Luanda, Angola, the Minister said the problem should be tackled as a block.
“This is happening because these people have markets within the SADC region. So, if we want to end this, we must put laws that ban the import and export of these types of scrap metals. However, as long as there is a demand for these scraps within the region, this problem will not end,” he said.
He further mentioned the efforts that Malawi is doing towards changing laws to provide stiffer penalties for the perpetrators and asked other countries within the region to follow suit.
He added: “I must thank the President of our country, Malawi, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, who has shown interest in curbing the malpractice by allowing the parliament to debate about the change of the Act until it was approved. This is the only way to go.”
Concurring with Matola, the Natural Resources and Energy Minister from Eswatini, Prince Lonkhokhela Dlamini also said the matter is serious and needs serious attention.
The 42nd joint meeting of the Committee of Ministers responsible for energy and water started on May 27 and ended on May 30, 2024, in Luanda, Angola, where several issues were discussed that need attention, with much focus on regional integration projects.
