The National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) has warned that if political tension in Zimbabwe continues, the business sector in Malawi will be greatly affected since the country is the Malawi’s second trading partner in Africa.

The remarks were made by NASME’s National Chairperson, William Mwale, when commenting on how the political tension in Zimbabwe can affect Malawi’s economy.

“It’s a worrisome situation because Zimbabwe import more raw materials from Malawi just as we import finished goods from them.  So it means businesses for those Malawians who rely on exporting to Zimbabwe will go down since there will be less cash inflow hence facing challenges in sustaining their businesses,” said Mwale.

He further expressed worry that the tension may affect the joint business partnership between the two country’s business organizations.

“There is a joint promotion of small and medium enterprises between Malawi and Zimbabwe. We conduct trade fairs together every year, here in Malawi and in Zimbabwe. So if the tension grows it will affect mobility hence these joint trade fairs cannot be conducted,” he said.

Tension is high in Zimbabwe as the Military holds the country’s president, Robert Mugabe, under house arrest.