The recent investigation by journalist Ephraim Mkali Banda reveals a chilling truth: Mzimba District has become a breeding ground for illegal transporters who are endangering the lives of desperate Malawians seeking opportunities in South Africa.
These transporters are not just violating immigration laws, they are complicit in a silent crisis of human exploitation and loss.
It is deeply troubling that people, especially women and girls, are being smuggled across borders without documentation, facing grave risks such as abuse, sexual violence, and even death. The fact that this is happening under our noses, in broad daylight, should alarm every responsible Malawian.
The government can no longer afford to treat this as a peripheral issue. This is a matter of national security, human rights, and public safety. The reported deaths of several Malawians from Mzimba en route should jolt the authorities into immediate action.
We cannot ignore the role that poverty and unemployment play in driving people toward dangerous migration paths. However, addressing root causes does not mean tolerating criminal networks that profit from people’s desperation. Both long-term economic reforms and immediate law enforcement responses must go hand in hand.
The Ministry of Homeland Security and the Department of Immigration must step up. This includes establishing roadblocks in key hotspots, verifying travel documents at all major exit points, and dismantling smuggling networks through coordinated operations. Border police must work closely with their South African counterparts to curb this flow.
Moreover, communities need to be sensitised. Chiefs, religious leaders, and civil society must rise and speak out against these illegal transporters, some of whom live among us. Silence and inaction will only allow these networks to grow bolder.
The risks involved in these illegal journeys are too high, and the nation cannot afford to look away. This is not just about stopping irregular migration, it’s about protecting lives and upholding the dignity of every Malawian.
It is high time the government demonstrated zero tolerance toward those who gamble with people’s lives. The lives of vulnerable migrants, our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, are far too precious to be left in the hands of unscrupulous criminals.
