Workers and bereaved families in Mulanje District have complained about what they allege to be unfair compensation management for injuries and deaths sustained while on duty at tea estates owned by Lujeri Tea Estates Limited and Eastern Produce Malawi (EPM) Limited. In an e-mail response, EPM corporate affairs manager Rabson Kachilele acknowledged that workplace accidents occur, but said the company handles them according to labour laws. “EPM places significant emphasis on workplace safety.
With nearly 15 000 employees at peak times, some accidents do occur, but when they do, EPM complies fully with the Workers’ Compensation Act,” Kachilele said. Efforts to obtain a response from Lujeri Tea Estates were unsuccessful, as managing director Grant Bremsen did not reply to a questionnaire sent to him via email on December 1 2025. Mulanje District labour officer Asimenye Fweta said compensation follows procedures outlined in the Workers’ Compensation Act “and involves multiple stakeholders.” “There is a schedule for every incapacity.
However, some private lawyers take advantage of workers,” she added, referring enquiries on specific cases to the Workers’ Compensation Commissioner. Ministry of Labour spokesperson Tabbu Kitta Kauye said the ministry intervenes only when cases are formally reported. She noted that the Workers’ Compensation Act is under review to align with international labour standards and to introduce a central compensation fund.
[paywall]
Workers and families accuse the companies of delaying payments, offering inadequate compensation, or refusing claims outright, a situation they say worsens poverty in already vulnerable plantation communities. “I lost a finger while working in the boiler section at Limbuli Tea Estate factory in 2018. I was only compensated in 2023 when I retired, and I was given K300 000,” said William Bizwick, now in his late 70s,” he claimed.
Bizwick said the injury has severely affected his livelihood. “I cannot do farming with one hand. Losing a finger has affected my daily life,” he said.
Others alleged being abandoned for years after workplace injuries. “In 2019, I was employed at Chisambo Tea Estate under EPM. While uprooting tea, I fell and broke my wrist.
I could not work from 2019 to 2023 and had nothing to live on,” said 25-year-old Timothy Matope from Ntalika Village. Matope said the company stopped engaging him after the accident and only recalled him in 2024. “Six years have passed without any compensation,” he said.
Another worker, Lyson Katchenga, said he suffered severe facial burns in March 2025 while working in the boiler section at Limbuli Tea Estate. “The valve holding two pipes together had worn out. We reported the problem to our supervisor, but we were told to continue working,” Katchenga explained.
The valve later failed, releasing hot air onto his face. “The skin on my face peeled off following the explosion.”
[/paywall]
