On Thursday, 29 January 2026, villagers under Traditional Authority Katunga in Chikwawa will begin peaceful vigils at PressCane Limited premises, accusing the company of failing to address environmental and health concerns they say date back to 2006.
The affected communities include Lauji 1 and 2, Dandaula, Samson, Sumaili, Liyeje and Alesi, among others. Residents say the problems stem from a waste disposal site owned by PressCane Limited, an ethanol distillery located on the west bank of the Shire River near Dyeratu Primary School.
According to the communities, repeated effluent spillages and a persistent foul odour from disposed industrial waste have taken a heavy toll on their lives, affecting their health, livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
One of the concerned residents, Lovemore Jambo, speaking during a meeting between the communities and Chikwawa District Commissioner Frank Mkandawire on Tuesday, said anger and frustration have reached a breaking point.
“People are angry and frustrated because we have been patient for many years. Our children are growing up in a polluted environment, we live with this smell every day, yet the company remains silent. It feels like our lives do not matter,” said Jambo.
Speaking after the meeting, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) executive director Sylvester Namiwa said there was no concrete action plan to resolve the crisis, despite years of complaints.
“There was nothing like an action plan on the ground. What we are hearing remains rhetoric. These people have endured for over a decade, living in a very hostile environment. They ought to be saved, and we demand nothing but action,” said Namiwa.
Namiwa accused the National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) and the Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) of being complicit in the continued suffering of the communities, arguing that the ethanol plant should have been shut down immediately.
“It is clear that NWRA and MEPA are accomplices in all this. We expected that the responsible ministers would have closed down that plant immediately. What we are seeing is back and forth at the expense of human life,” he said.
He added that it was troubling that PressCane continues to operate despite admissions that it violated environmental laws.
Namiwa stressed that the demonstrations will be peaceful but said communities are no longer willing to accept empty promises.
“We are dealing with a situation between life and death. By now, we should have had a clear roadmap showing that this effluent will stop, how it will be removed, and how compensation will be handled. These people have danced to children’s promises for years. They can no longer stomach being played with,” he said.
Meanwhile, District Commissioner Frank Mkandawire has given the communities the go-ahead to proceed with the vigils, saying they are exercising their constitutional rights.
He, however, urged the group to maintain peace and order throughout the demonstrations.
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