National Oil Company (NOCMA) has refuted social media claims alleging that a train transporting 1.2 million liters of diesel was actually carrying molasses.

On Wednesday, President Lazarus Chakwera welcomed the first fuel shipment by rail in 41 years from Beira to Marka.

However, social media has since been flooded with rumors that the train did not transport the reported fuel.

Some went further to claim that the train carried nothing in it and it was a campaign gimmick by Chakwera and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

But speaking in an interview NOCMA spokesperson Raymond Likambale said the train was loaded with diesel.

Likambale said the process of offloading the fuel into 17 trucks is currently underway.

He said the fuel will be kept at the company’s reserves in Matindi, Blantyre