By nyasatimes
Africa-Press – Malawi. Faizal Latif, the embattled owner of Mapeto David Whitehead & Sons, is once again entangled in scandal, as questions mount over substandard police uniforms supplied under questionable multi-billion Kwacha government contracts.
Latif, a businessman with a growing rap sheet, has become a symbol of impunity in Malawi’s business corridors, moving from one controversy to the next while continuing to amass state contracts, despite facing an avalanche of serious criminal allegations.
Since 2021, Latif has stood accused of an array of financial crimes: conspiracy to commit customs offenses, smuggling, interference with goods under customs control, tax evasion, VAT fraud, non-remittance of PAYE, money laundering, and document falsification. Yet, mysteriously, these charges have either stalled or quietly vanished—leaving many to question how deep Latif’s protection within Malawi’s power structures runs.
BILLIONS AWARDED DESPITE CLOUD OF CRIMINALITY
In October 2023, Mapeto David Whitehead clinched a K972.8 million contract to supply uniforms to the Malawi Police Service (Contract No: MPS/NCB/07/10/2023). Barely eight months later, in June 2024, the company landed another jackpot: a K3.62 billion deal for uniform fabric (Contract No: MPS/NCB/08/06/2024-2025).
Sources inside the police allege these contracts were brokered in part due to Latif’s ties to then-Deputy Inspector General of Police (Administration), Happy Mkandawire. “Latif has always been untouchable, and Mkandawire was part of the machinery shielding him,” said one senior police officer.
One explosive allegation points to Mkandawire personally intervening to halt the prosecution of Latif by chastising Regional Prosecutor Kaputa—who was later transferred in what insiders call a “punitive reshuffle.”
“Latif was never just a contractor; he was being ‘looked after’ by Mkandawire,” another source claimed, suggesting an ongoing quid-pro-quo relationship between the businessman and the senior cop.
VIP TREATMENT FOR A SUSPECT
When Latif was recently arrested on fresh fraud and money laundering charges, insiders say Mkandawire once again stepped in. While detained at Chichiri Mall Police Station, Latif was reportedly treated like a guest, not a suspect. “Orders from above,” insiders say, saw him released without charge.
SHODDY UNIFORMS, ANGER IN THE RANKS
Now, outrage is simmering within the Malawi Police Service over the poor quality of the uniforms supplied under Mapeto’s latest contract. Multiple officers, speaking anonymously, say the materials are substandard, prompting widespread rejection of the garments.
“These uniforms don’t meet basic durability or quality standards,” lamented one female officer in Blantyre. “They fade, tear easily, and the fabric is completely unsuitable for our duties.”
The uniforms—sewn by Bombay Tailors in Limbe—are said to be constructed from fabric Mapeto supplied under the multi-billion-kwacha deal. However, tailors at Bombay admitted they initially refused the job, citing poor material quality, until Mkandawire allegedly forced them to proceed.
“The fabric is of inferior quality and even the color is wrong,” another police source revealed. Senior officers, sources say, have refused to wear them, deeming them unfit for duty.
TAX DODGING & QUESTIONABLE DEALS
Latif’s business dealings extend beyond shoddy fabric. In a separate scandal, he was fined K30 billion by the Malawi Revenue Authority for tax evasion. Yet, insiders claim this was later slashed to K5 billion and categorized as a civil offense, while Latif was given an unusually generous five-year window to pay—an arrangement few others could secure.
Mapeto, once a crown jewel of Malawi’s manufacturing and export sector, has instead pivoted to profiting off state contracts under Latif’s leadership. Critics argue that instead of driving exports, Latif’s strategy has shifted to exploiting the local market and public procurement loopholes.
Between 2013 and 2014, Mapeto claimed to have injected US$6 million into acquiring Salima Cotton Ginnery, promising a cotton value chain that never materialized. Investigations later exposed the imported equipment to be worth less than $50,000, while documents allegedly inflated the value to over $20 million—part of a suspected forex externalization scheme.
A TIPPING POINT?
With Mkandawire now retired, senior government sources say Latif’s grip on key contracts may finally be loosening. Homeland Security and top police officials are reportedly convening to decide whether to summon Mapeto for a confrontation or terminate the controversial contract altogether.
But the stakes are high: canceling the contract could expose the government to legal claims, while maintaining it could fuel further public outrage.
Despite repeated attempts, neither Latif nor Mkandawire returned calls for comment.
With mounting allegations, failed promises to the local economy, and now a supply chain scandal directly affecting Malawi’s law enforcement, the lingering question is whether Faizal Latif’s immunity from accountability is finally crumbling.
Source: Malawi Nyasa Times
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