Two tea companies that already paid 36 women for sexual abuse are now being taken to court again. This time, over 155 current and former female workers are saying they were also sexually abused at the same companies.
In 2022, a UK law firm called Leigh Day took Camellia PLC and PGI Group Limited to court. These companies own Eastern Produce Malawi (EPM) and Lujeri Tea Estates. The court told the companies to pay K2.3 billion to 36 women who had been sexually abused while working there.
At that time, the companies said they had put in place rules and systems to stop such abuse from happening again.
But new court papers that Nyasatoday has seen show that more women are now taking legal action. The Malawi Human Rights Commission, Women Lawyers Association, and a private law firm called Chidothe, Chidothe & Company are helping at least 90 women sue the companies. The women say they were harassed and abused by male managers and supervisors over the years.
One former worker said in her sworn statement that she was raped twice—once in 2017 and again in 2018. The first time, she was alone working in a tea factory in Thyolo when her manager raped her and told her not to tell anyone. The second time, a supervisor dragged her into a toilet and raped her. He also threatened her to keep quiet. She said she eventually quit the job because she was tired and scared.
Another woman said her supervisor often touched her inappropriately and kept asking for sex. When she reported it to the manager, she thought they would help. But instead, she was warned not to tell anyone and threatened with being fired.
Two other women said they had to sleep with managers to get jobs at Mini-Mini and Lauderdale Estates. One of them said she got pregnant and was later told to stop working. The other said she was infected with HIV after having sex with a manager many times. When she told him about her illness, he got angry and told her not to speak about it. Her health got worse, and she eventually had to stop working and go home.
The law firm DNC Chambers is said to be representing EPM in the new lawsuits. However, a lawyer at the firm, Davis Njobvu, refused to confirm this when asked.
Lujeri Tea Estate’s boss, Grant Bremsen, also denied that the company is facing new legal cases. But sources say he was at a meeting with officials from the Human Rights Commission and the two tea companies.
