* Let us be our brother’s keeper. When company property is stolen or destroyed, it is not only Illovo that loses
* The community also loses opportunities for jobs, business, social investment and development
* And when the company performs well and makes profits, those benefits can return to the community through employment and local opportunities
By Duncan Mlanjira
Minister of Homeland Security, Peter Mukhito has pleaded with communities surrounding Illovo Sugar Malawi’s Nchalo Estate to safeguard the company’s property by reporting those involved in theft and vandalism of the estate’s sugarcanes and irrigation infrastructure.
Mukhito said this on Tuesday morning at Nchalo trading centre in Chikwawa when he sided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of state-of-the-art Nchalo police station at an investment of MK2 billion.
Mukhito and Illovo MD Ronald Ngwira laying the foundation stone
“Let us be our brother’s keeper,” said the Minister, who was accompanied by Deputy Homeland Security Minister, Norman Chisale; Inspector General of Malawi Police Service Richard Luhanga; the area’s Member of Parliament, George Kyuma; Paramount Chief Lundu and a high entourage of top ranking police officers.
“When company property is stolen or destroyed, it is not only Illovo that loses. The community also loses opportunities for jobs, business, social investment and development.
“And when the company performs well and makes profits, those benefits can return to the community through employment, local opportunities and projects such as the police station whose foundation we are laying today.
“So my message is simple — when Illovo succeeds, Nchalo can also succeed. When Illovo grows, Chikwawa can also grow and when we protect the company, we protect opportunities for our own communities.”
While Illovo Sugar Malawi Managing Director, Ronald Ngwira stated that the investment is enhance response to security concerns, strengthen investigations and increase police visibility across Nchalo communities, this is a response towards the serious challenge Illovo’s faces at its Nchalo Estate of rampant theft of its sugarcane and irrigation equipment.
This prompted the company to engage Nchalo Police to increase security visibility — on top of Nchalo Estate’s security provided by private security firm, GardaWorld.
Ngwira disclosed that since March 2024, Illovo has been hiring 160 police officers to help to provide security for the Estate’s assets, employees, their families and contractors, whose monthly bill was over K200 million.
Mukhito thus amplified that the community members should safeguard Illovo’s investment as a company while stressing the importance of public and private sector participation to help in the development of the country.
“To the people of Nchalo and Chikwawa, I also ask you to recognise and appreciate the continued corporate responsibility that Illovo Sugar Malawi has demonstrated towards the communities surrounding its operations.
“This police station is one clear example of that partnership. But partnership carries responsibility on both sides.
“That is why Government deeply values Illovo Sugar Malawi as an important development partner.”
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He emphasised that the ceremony was not about simply breaking ground for a building — but laying the foundation for security, for confidence and for justice.
“And we are laying the foundation for a safer Nchalo. There can be no meaningful development without security.
“Businesses cannot flourish where people live in fear; families cannot prosper where they do not feel safe; farmers cannot enjoy the fruits of their labour where property is not protected and children cannot dream freely where fear has become part of everyday life.
“That is why this police station matters. It will bring policing services closer to the people — and more importantly, it will give the people of Nchalo greater confidence that when they need protection, Government is present and the law is within reach.”
After being appraised how the facility will pan out, Mukhito emphasised that “a police station must, however, be more than walls and offices — it must be a place where victims are treated with dignity, where concerns are heard, where the vulnerable are protected, and where justice is pursued fairly and firmly”.
“Security cannot be built on force alone, it must be built on trust. The police must earn the confidence of the community and tthe community must cooperate with the police.
“Both must remain firmly anchored in the rule of law,” said Mukhito, who is a former Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service.
In addressing the police officers, he stressed that “people will expect professionalism, discipline, integrity, accountability and respect for human rights”.
“A police station must, therefore, be known not only by the strength of its walls, but by the quality of justice and service delivered within those walls.
“The Democratic Progressive Party believes in Development, Security and Justice. These are not separate ideals — they reinforce one another.
“There can be no sustainable development without security, and there can be no lasting security without justice.
“This project speaks directly to that vision: development that improves lives, security that protects communities, and justice that gives every citizen confidence in the law.”
As a former police officer, Mukhito enlightened that “criminals exploit gaps, weak response and poor coordination and our responsibility is to close those gaps”.
“Nchalo Police Station will strengthen police presence and send a clear message — that Nchalo will not be surrendered to criminals.
“But even the finest police station cannot defeat crime without community support. To the people of Nchalo, I say: help us to help you.
“Report crime; share information; protect our children from drugs, violence and criminal influence; support community policing; and reject mob justice and vigilantism.
“We cannot strengthen the law by breaking it. Justice must come through the law, not through violence. When we speak about homeland security, we are ultimately speaking about people.
“We are speaking about the mother who wants her children to return home safely; the trader who wants to close the shop and walk home without fear; the farmer who wants the fruits of hard work protected; and the child who deserves to grow up believing that home is a place of safety, not fear.
“That is what security means and that is what we must all deliver,” said the Minister, while also expressing the “Government’s profound appreciation to Illovo Sugar Malawi for supporting this important project”.
“When this police station is completed, success should not be measured simply by the building — it must be measured by faster response, better investigations, stronger community cooperation, lower crime and greater peace of mind.
“The ground we break today represents presence where there was a gap, protection where there was vulnerability, and partnership where collective action was needed.
“So, as we build this police station, let us build something greater. Let us build trust; confidence; stronger communities and let us build a safer Nchalo.
“Because the true measure of this investment will not be the size of the building — it will be the mother who sleeps peacefully because her children are home safely; the trader who works without fear; the child who grows up with hope; and it will be every citizen who knows that when they call for help, someone will come.
That is the promise of this foundation. I once again thank Illovo Sugar Malawi, the Malawi Police Service, our traditional and community leaders, and all stakeholders who have made this initiative possible.
“May Nchalo Police Station become a symbol of professionalism, integrity, justice and service. Together, let us build a Nchalo where our people live in safety, dignity and hope.”
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