Police in Kanengo have arrested prominent businessman and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) financier Matius Bonongwe, 33, along with his associate, Timothy Matias, 26, for allegedly possessing 670 bags of suspected counterfeit NPK fertilizer bearing the Export Trading Group (ETG) logo.
According to Kanengo Police spokesperson Sub-Inspector Macfarlen Mseteka, detectives acted on intelligence indicating that Bonongwe was storing the suspected counterfeit fertilizer at his warehouse in Kanengo. A subsequent search reportedly uncovered the consignment, which police believe was sourced from Mozambique.
During questioning, Bonongwe allegedly implicated Matias, leading to his arrest. The seized fertilizer has since been submitted to the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) for laboratory analysis.
Both suspects are expected to appear before the court once investigations and legal documentation are completed. They are likely to face charges related to the possession of counterfeit agricultural inputs.
Bonongwe is the Chief Executive Officer of Agrizone International Trading (AZIT), a company involved in agricultural commodities trading. The firm has previously sponsored sports teams and positioned itself as a supporter of local farmers.
Previous Fertilizer Conviction
This is not Bonongwe’s first legal battle involving fertilizer-related offenses.
In November 2023, the Blantyre Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court convicted Bonongwe for receiving 600 bags of stolen fertilizer valued at K22 million.
Court records showed that truck driver Menard Natulu had been assigned by his employer, Farmers World, to collect the fertilizer from Mozambique. However, prosecutors said Natulu conspired with Bonongwe to divert and sell the consignment.
The court heard that Natulu sold the fertilizer to Bonongwe and later abandoned the truck at the Maoni site in Blantyre before going into hiding.
Following investigations, Natulu was arrested in Liwonde, Machinga District, where he reportedly confessed to the conspiracy. Bonongwe was subsequently arrested in Lilongwe.
After hearing testimony from eight state witnesses, Senior Resident Magistrate Akya Mwanyongo ruled on November 2, 2023, that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to secure convictions against both men. The court subsequently revoked their bail.
Past Business Dispute
Bonongwe and his company, AZIT, were also involved in a high-profile business dispute in 2020 with former Vice President Everton Chimulirenji.
Bonongwe alleged that Chimulirenji owed him K100 million arising from a failed maize supply agreement with ADMARC, which he claimed had been facilitated during Chimulirenji’s tenure as Minister of Disaster Management Affairs.
The dispute escalated when debt collectors acting on Bonongwe’s behalf attempted to seize property at Chimulirenji’s residence, prompting court injunction proceedings and calls from civil society organizations for an Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation into the transaction.
Meanwhile, Bonongwe and Matias remain in police custody as investigations into the latest case continue.
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