Company linked to Mark Simuuwe owed ZNS milling plant over K77 million, letters show A company associated with businessman Mark Simuuwe owed the Zambia National Service’s Chongwe Milling Plant more than K77 million for mealie meal bought on credit, correspondence between the…

Company linked to Mark Simuuwe owed ZNS milling plant over K77 million, letters show

A company associated with businessman Mark Simuuwe owed the Zambia National Service’s Chongwe Milling Plant more than K77 million for mealie meal bought on credit, correspondence between the two parties shows, with a repayment plan since proposed to clear the balance.

A demand letter dated 25 August 2025, signed by Colonel S Simambwe, Chief of the Chongwe Milling Plant, states that following a reconciliation meeting held four days earlier, WESIM Enterprises Limited owed the plant K77,515,665.50 in unsettled mealie meal payments. The letter, addressed to the company’s director, requested settlement “at the earliest” and noted that the plant was open to a payment plan should WESIM wish to commit to one.

WESIM Enterprises responded on 17 September 2025 through its managing director, Mr Simuuwe, requesting a time-to-pay agreement. The company proposed clearing the debt, listed in its letter as K77,397,289.50, a figure slightly lower than the amount cited by ZNS, over six monthly instalments running from October 2025 to March 2026.

Under the proposed schedule, WESIM committed to K6,449,774.12 a month for October, November and December 2025, rising to K19,349,322.38 a month for January, February and March 2026. The letter, copied to the Zambia National Service deputy commander, described the company as involved in general contracting, supply, transportation, agriculture, mining and car hire.

The correspondence has surfaced amid separate claims circulating on social media that the Food Reserve Agency has delayed opening this year’s crop marketing season, with reports that it also owes money to banks, transporters, warehouse operators and other service providers. Commentary shared alongside the letters has further described Mr Simuuwe as a senior figure aligned with the ruling United Party for National Development, and linked the matter to allegations involving other named officials, including a former Speaker of the National Assembly and former Cabinet ministers.

None of these wider claims appear in the two letters exchanged between WESIM Enterprises and the Zambia National Service, and none could be independently verified for this report. Nor does either letter allege wrongdoing on the part of WESIM Enterprises or Mr Simuuwe. What the correspondence documents is a commercial process not uncommon between the Zambia National Service’s milling operations and companies purchasing mealie meal on credit: a supplier falling behind on payment, and a request for structured time to settle.

It could not be established by the time of publication whether the instalments outlined in the September proposal have been honoured, or whether the account has since been settled. Neither the Zambia National Service nor Mr Simuuwe has issued a public statement on the matter, which surfaces as scrutiny grows over the Food Reserve Agency’s readiness for the 2026/2027 marketing season, with farmers in several provinces still awaiting confirmation of this year’s maize floor price.