Kaombe Sugar’s “K16 Million Trophy” — A Public Relations Stunt Masking Corporate Greed

Photo: Social Media

Kaombe Sugar Estate has announced with great fanfare a so-called K16 million Football Trophy for local teams in the Bangula Zone, Nsanje District — a sum equivalent to less than US$4,000. The gesture, celebrated by company executives as community development, amounts to less than a single monthly salary for some of the company’s secretaries and other junior executives.

While Kaombe’s CEO, Christopher Mathews, claimed the tournament would “promote sports and community growth,” his speech quickly turned into a lecture to local residents — warning them against stealing sugarcane and vandalising cables. The message was clear: the company’s generosity comes with a scolding, not solidarity.

For years, communities surrounding the estate have accused Kaombe of exploiting local labour, paying meagre wages, and offering little in return for the vast profits it extracts from their land. This latest gesture, critics say, is another attempt to polish the company’s image while ignoring the deep economic inequalities between corporate executives and the struggling communities that feed the sugar industry.

A report by the Zodiak claims that the so-called K16 million sponsorship will fund 32 football teams under Traditional Authority Mbenje. Of that amount, a paltry K2 million — less than US$500 — will support a netball league.

“This is not community development; it is a distraction,” said one local youth leader who asked not to be named. “They call it millions, but it is nothing to them. Our children work in those fields; our families live without clean water or proper clinics, yet they expect us to celebrate a trophy.”

As the company basks in praise for its token contribution, the reality on the ground tells a harsher story: communities trapped in poverty, sugarcane workers underpaid, and a corporation more interested in public relations than justice.

The Kaombe Football Trophy may shine under the Nsanje sun, but for many residents, it is just another reminder of how little they are worth in the eyes of those who profit from their land and labour.