400 drivers demand Sadc allowances

Four hundred Malawi Government drivers have threatened to march to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to push for payment of their allowances after working during the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) Summit.

Some of the drivers were involved in driving the visiting heads of State and government.

The drivers have been assembling outside Civo Stadium since Monday where there was a temporary office that coordinated transport, but as of Tuesday afternoon, no one had been paid.

The drivers were irked further after the transport coordinator, Jomo Mkandawire, who is director of technical services at the Ministry of Transport and Public Infrastructure on Tuesday left them in suspense and allegedly switched off his mobile phones despite his earlier promise that he would update them on the way forward on their demands.

But The Nation managed to get Mkandawire on his mobile phone and he explained that he was in a meeting at OPC sorting out the same issue.

He acknowledged that there was a problem with the payments for the drivers, but said the issue has since been sorted out.

“Some of them, especially those coming from other districts, will start getting their money today [Tuesday] and others will have their money by tomorrow [today]. At the moment, I am going to Civo Stadium to explain the situation to those gathered there,” said Mkandawire.

He said the delays were mainly because government was scrutinising the list of the drivers to avoid unscrupulous drivers getting themselves on the list.

Some of the drivers who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were surprised that other people who also worked during the summit, such as police officers, were instantly paid their allowances and it is only them who are still fighting.