* Is it poor workmanship or vandalism and stealing of foundation reinforcement bolts and nuts sold to unregulated scrap metal merchants?
* Vandals suspected to be street connected groups of people who routinely loiter beneath the billboards — especially two cases that have happened in Lilongwe
* Such conduct naturally places them among the prime suspects in the loosening of the reinforcement bolts
By Duncan Mlanjira
There have been two incidents in the Capital Lilongwe where two huge advertising billboards have fallen over along Paul Kagame Road and Saulos Chilima Highway, which are being attributed to either poor workmanship or vandalism and stealing of foundation reinforcement bolts and nuts that are sold to unregulated scrap metal merchants.
The Paul Kagame Road billboard fell on a passing vehicle, and fortunately — according to witnesses — no one in the vehicle was hurt. The incident prompted the public to comment on social media, suspecting that this is due to poor workmanship.
On his Facebook page, Nuncio Cosmas Luwanika observed that this is not an accident due to heavy rains — but “negligence with a price tag. Billboards don’t just fall — they fail because someone skipped engineering checks, ignored maintenance, or rushed installation to beat a deadline.”
“Every billboard is supposed to have a certified structural design, regular integrity assessments and liability insurance — and an accountable owner ready to answer when things go sideways.
“If any of these pieces are missing, then what fell today is not just metal it’s a compliance breakdown.”
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Chimwemwe Kakhuta Mtegha wrote that he had observed for some time that some billboards were bending over and was not surprised of this Paul Kagame Road and that “naturally, as always: ‘this just a small issue’”.
“Let’s review the suspects: [is it] the materials, the design, the wind loads, the approvals — or the lack thereof? In Malawi, accountability always plays hide-and-seek. And it wins.
“But here’s the thing: billboards don’t fall by accident — they fall because someone, somewhere, didn’t do their job. They fall because shortcuts are easier than standards. They fall because quality checks are treated like optional side dishes.
“And now, a Probox has been sacrificed at the altar of negligence. So as Lilongwe continues adding more billboards — because clearly the city needs them — let’s ask the real question: Who will be held accountable before the next billboard decides to audition for Fast & Furious: Lilongwe Drift?
“Because one thing is certain: if we keep pretending gravity is optional and engineering is a suggestion, then the next billboard won’t aim for a Probox — it might choose something bigger. And then, as usual, we will say, ‘Aah, but why?’
Others suggested that this is the “devastating consequences of unregulated scrap metal businesses, suspecting that some people steal the reenforcement bolts. One observed that some groups of boys along Saulos Chilima Highway “routinely loiter in the middle of the road, often seated beneath these billboards, with others standing along the roadside”.
“Such conduct naturally places them among the prime suspects in the loosening of the reinforcement bolts,” observed one commentator, but Arthur Chihana differed, saying the installers should have securely welded the bolts and nuts to make sure nobody unscrews them.
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He emphasised that when installing such a structure in a public place security and safety must be considered — thus he maintained that there was negligence on the part of the installer.
Chimwemwe Kakhuta Mtegha is an insurance professional and he he offered the vehicle owner that there are remedies that they could follow to “claim directly from the billboard owner’s public liability insurance or pursue the responsible company for full compensation through their legal and insurance channels”.
“This is a straightforward third-party liability case and the law is on the motorist’s side. I hope the driver is fine but I also hope this shakes us into reality — public safety is not a suggestion, and insurance exists exactly for this kind of preventable chaos.
“Malawi needs to stop gambling with people’s lives and assets. This is why professionals like us keep preaching risk management, even when people think it’s just ‘theory’,” Mtegha said.
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