By Chisomo Phiri
High Court Judge Howard Pemba on Saturday dealt a significant blow to thin plastic manufacturers, dismissing their application for a judicial review of the government’s ban on thin plastics.
The manufacturers had sought to challenge the ban, but Judge Pemba ruled that their case was an abuse of the court process.
In his decision, Judge Pemba highlighted that the manufacturers had failed to disclose previous related court proceedings and had engaged in successive legal actions over the same matter.
This, he stated, pointed to an abuse of the court process.
On his part,minister of Natural Resources and Environment Owen Chomanika, welcomed Judge Pemba’s ruling describing it as an “environmental justice ruling.”
The minister confirmed that the government will now enforce the 2015 environmental protection regulations, which introduced the ban on thin plastics.
Malawi’s efforts to curb environmental pollution have been hindered by repeated challenges from manufacturers.
The case began when 11 companies obtained an injunction in June 2024, halting the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change’s enforcement of the ban.
