CDEDI demands justice for Balaka villagers affected by Portland Cement mining

The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has sounded the alarm over the suffering of villagers in Ng’onga, Balaka, who are living with cracked houses, damaged roofs, and choking dust from mining operations by Portland Cement Malawi Limited.

Speaking at a presss briefing on Thursday in Lilongwe,  CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa said the company has violated environmental and compensation laws, leaving local families in despair while officials look the other way.

Namiwa has called on the Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining Jean Mathanga, to immediately visit the affected area and review all mining licences and permits issued to the company and accused it of  starting operations at Chinkhumbe Hill without completing compensation and relocation procedures as required by law.

“Review all permits, licences and certificates that the previous administration granted to the Chinese Firm trading under the name Portland Cement Malawi Limited,” Namiwa pleaded.  “It was revealed that the very meager compensation was cut by 30 percent, allegedly because Ministry of Lands officials erroneously used Blantyre rates in computing it.”

CDEDI’s investigations show that some villagers received as little as K900,000 while others, who were not even affected by the project, pocketed millions of kwacha in compensation.

According to CDEDI, the corruption extended to local leadership. Group Village Head Mchenga was arrested by citizens after allegedly facilitating the payment of K16 million to undeserving beneficiaries, while Village Head Ng’onga has reported receiving death threats for exposing the scam.

CDEDI further discovered that Portland Cement began mining without conducting an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) as required under the Environmental Management Act of 2017. Instead, the company used a 2011 report that originally belonged to Lafarge. The Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) confirmed during a meeting on October 8, 2025, that the mining project had no valid ESIA.

“Now, this raises the question: If they managed to avoid ESIA, a critical step that determines the awarding of a mining licence, what else have they not done as required by law? According to the Environmental Management Act (EMA) 2017, ESIA is a must for all mining projects in Malawi,” he added.

Namiwa has also condemned MEPA and the Anti-Corruption Bureau for failing to act on the matter despite clear evidence of misconduct. He said CDEDI invoked the Access to Information (ATI) Act in January 2025 to obtain Portland’s mining contract, but nearly a year later, no document has been provided.

CDEDI is now urging President Arthur Peter Mutharika to extend his recent ban on raw mineral exports by ordering a full review of all mining agreements signed under the previous administration. Namiwa said most of those deals were “shoddy and corrupt,” warning that Malawi’s natural wealth will continue to benefit foreigners if the government does not act.