While Malawians are being sent away from public hospitals with unfilled prescriptions due to crippling medicine shortages, Johannesburg’s black market for pharmaceuticals has become a booming business, overflowing with smuggled medicines from Malawi.
According to GroundUp, a South African-based news agency, in Johannesburg, a thriving black market has emerged for pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, contraceptives, and antihistamines, mostly smuggled from Malawi and, to a lesser extent, Zimbabwe.
GroundUp reported that immigrants who struggle to access healthcare from clinics and hospitals due to documentation issues are turning to the black market for their medication needs.
Melina (not her real name), a Malawian immigrant, has been running an informal pharmacy from her home in Johannesburg for years. She sells pills for R2 each and offers wholesale prices to resellers.
Her business is booming, with customers flocking to her for medicines that would normally require a prescription.
“I saw an opportunity and decided to use it. People don’t need a passport or ID to buy medicine from me and I charge only R2 per pill,” said Melina. “It’s barely month-end, and a box full of medicine that I ordered from Malawi two weeks ago is already finished; my business is booming,” says Melina.
Mada Beni, a Malawian immigrant living in Johannesburg, says she does not bother to go to the clinic anymore. Whenever she feels sick, she buys medicine from Malawians who sell it on the streets.
“I know that medicine from my country is strong; that is why I trust it. What’s the purpose of visiting the clinic if they are going to chase me away or tell me to go and get treated in my country?” said Beni.
However, the availability of these medicines without a script raises concerns about antimicrobial resistance. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) warns that substandard and falsified medicines have become a global concern, accounting for at least 10% of all medicines consumed globally.
SAHPRA spokesperson Madimetja Mashishi says they are working with law enforcement agencies to root out unauthorized products within the country.
“Control of attempts to import such undesired health products are also curtailed in collaboration with the Border Management Agency and South African Revenue Services,” Mashishi said.
Malawi’s public hospitals have been facing acute drug shortages, forcing doctors to ration medicines or redirect patients to expensive private pharmacies.
