The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) on Thursday shut down Mchinji Border Total Energies Filling Station for illegally selling fuel in jerry cans, an act that contravenes energy regulations.
MERA Legal Officer, Clement Ng’ambi, stated, that they received a tip-off and acted swiftly to seal the service station, which was violating Section 41(e) of the Liquid Fuels and Gas (Production and Supply) Act of 2004.
Ng’ambi emphasised that MERA will continue enforcing the law to ensure all fuel licensees comply with the regulation prohibiting fuel sales in jerry cans.
“We will not relent in holding service stations accountable to safeguard fuel supplies and prevent illegal activities,” Ng`ambi said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Central West Police Region, Barbra Mchenga Tsiga, warned that law enforcement will tighten border security to curb fuel smuggling.
“We are intensifying patrols in the district to ensure that Malawi’s fuel is not illegally exported to Zambia,” she said.
In a recent operation conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, police reportedly confiscated 840 litres of fuel and arrested six individuals—five Zambian nationals and one Malawian—for illegally attempting to smuggle fuel across the border.
