Fuel hauliers threaten to ground their trucks

Fuel tanker drivers and owners have separately threatened to ground their vehicles if authorities fail to address their grievances in time.

If implemented, the situation could lead to a disruption in the transportation of critical commodities such as fuel, thereby resuscitating scarcities.

Trucks parked on both sides of the M1 near Lunzu Trading Centre in Blantyre during a previous strike. | Nation

Bulk Vehicle Operators Trade Union (Bvotu) secretary general Mathews Sibale said in an interview yesterday that the National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) was yet to address their grievances as agreed in April 2026.

Earlier this year, the union wrote the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) complaining about prolonged delays at loading ports in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, as well as at Nacala and Beira in Mozambique.

The drivers threatened to stage a strike on April 7 2026, but called it off following a multi-stakeholder meeting that resulted in Nocma committing 85 percent of the contractual fuel transportation volumes to Malawian transporters.

But in a letter dated June 4 2026, addressed to Mera, Bvotu reminded the regulator of the resolutions that are yet to be implemented.

“We have been waiting for their response. If the resolutions are not implemented, we will start demonstrations,” said Sibale in a telephone interview yesterday.

Mera spokesperson Fitina Khonje asked for more time before commenting on the matter.

On his part, Nocma spokesperson Raymond Likambale said responsible officers were computing to establish how many volumes are currently being imported by Malawian transporters.

But he was yet to provide the figures by the time we went to press.

Transporters Association of Malawi (TAM) spokesperson Frank Banda said the association could not comment on the impasse because it was not part of the drivers’ agreement.

He said the truck owners also presented their grievances to authorities in April complaining of high operating costs that would necessitate upward adjustments of their charges.

“If they are not addressed, we will have no choice, but we will also demonstrate,” he said.

TAM has also faulted the government for adjusting drivers’ minimum wage without consulting them.

Meanwhile, Professional Drivers Union of Malawi deputy general secretary McDonald Chilanga said drivers have called off their strike against the newly gazetted minimum wages to give room for negotiations.

They have been demanding an upward revision of their salaries to about K557 000 monthly from around K400 000.

In December last year, Nocma said it sought to import about 412 000 metric tons of petroleum products in the 2026/27 fiscal year, representing 60 percent of the needed fuel.

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