Malawian truckers threaten to block Chiweta road
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Maravipost
Malawi’s truck drivers’ union is threatening to suspend freight transport on the Mzuzu-Karonga road at Chiweta Hills unless repairs begin quickly. Potholes, subsidence, rockfalls and a lack of road signs make the strategic corridor to Tanzania dangerous, according to a letter cited by MaraviPost.
Malawi’s truck drivers’ union threatened on Wednesday 21 October 2026 to suspend heavy goods vehicle traffic on the Mzuzu-Karonga road around Chiweta Hills unless the government quickly begins rehabilitation work. In a letter to the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, its secretary-general, Gity Chisale, described the stretch as dangerous for drivers and other road users, MaraviPost reports.
The union cited numerous potholes, collapsed shoulders, a lack of road markings, safety barriers and warning signs on bends and slopes. Rockfalls and landslides also regularly block the road during the rainy season. Drivers have reported brake failures, near misses and dust mixed with gravel that reduces visibility and traction, particularly at Namiashi and on the S-bends before the Mchenga coal mine.
The road is a strategic corridor linking Malawi to Tanzania and is used, among other things, to transport fuel and other goods. The union, backed by transporters’ and drivers’ associations, is calling for work to begin immediately and be completed before the heavy rains. Otherwise, it says it intends to halt operations completely to protect its members and road users.
