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Lever Brothers (Malawi) Limited, struggling to dissolve a crisis that is threatening to tear apart its corporate image due to side effects its Lifebouy brand caused on a Blantyre family, remained adamant yesterday, insisting that their soap did not cause the damage.
Businesswoman Gertrude Jana, wife of Malawi’s ambassador to Brussels, Jerry, told journalists in Blantyre that she bought a unit of Lifebuoy toilet soap from Metro Cash & Carry in February and her son, Jerry Jana, 3, developed pruritic rash over the whole body after using it.
Two reports—one from a medical doctor and another from Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS)—separately confirmed that the soap in question caused the skin rashes.
A medical report from Blantyre Adventist Hospital dated March 20, prepared by Dr. Martin Mwaiponya said Jerry was seen at the hospital on March 19 with a complaint of pruritic rash over his whole body which developed on February 27 after using Lifebuoy soap.
Mwaiponya said seven people who used the soap also developed a similar rash which resolved after a day or two of discontinuation of use.
“On examination, the child had scars and scratch marks all over the body. He has been taking anthristamines,” reads the report in part.
On the other hand, an MBS consumer complaint dated May 7, prepared by certification officer a Mr. L.P. Chikoko established that the soap tablets, taken to MBS laboratories for examination, failed on total fatty matter content which, at 48.9 percent, was below the recommended minimum of 75 percent.
The MBS report also says the number of free acids of 1.2 percent in the soap was exceedingly higher than the maximum standard specification of 0.3 percent.
“The skin rashes experienced by the family members may be attributed to the high levels of free acids present in the soap upon using it,” reads the report which added that the findings have been communicated to Lever Brothers to closely monitor its production activities.
But Lever Brothers technical director Panganani Chatapula dismissed the report at an impromptu press conference held in Blantyre on Wednesday, saying at no point during production is the soap in contact with acid.
“There is no way during the process where the product comes in contact with acid,” said Chatapula who declined to comment on MBS findings when asked to justify the authenticity of his own report as compared to that of MBS.
“We did our analysis and it shows that there is nothing wrong with our product. If our results and those of MBS contradict, then will have no problems having another third party doing an independent test,” he said.
Levers deputy managing director Nellie Mkandawire explained that the company is convinced that there was nothing amiss with the soap because all its products have toxicological clearance on all ingredients.
“We have done our own testing on the product in question brought to us by the complainant and the findings confirm that the product conforms to our product safety standards.
“We have followed up the soap made during the material time which was distributed in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe and no similar complaint has been recorded,” said Mkandawire.
Cama executive director John Kapito, whose office is now assisting Jana with the complaint, told journalists on Tuesday that Lever Brothers officials were rude when he confronted them with issue.
“When I phoned Lever Brothers to find out what they are doing about the issue, they told me the children don’t wash their bodies that’s why they are allergic to the soap,” said Kapito, adding Levers also told Jana the same statement.
But Mkandawire denied having been contacted by Cama on the issue while her public relations manager Roziliro Tembo dismissed claims her company officials made the rude remarks.
“I am sorry to contradict that but the first time we held anything about Cama on the issue was yesterday from the press who wanted to get our comment,” she said.
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