LUCKY MKANDAWIRE

News Analyst

Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) has demanded an immediate reversal of government’s decision to turn some land in Thyolo into residential plots.

Instead, Cdedi wants the land to be given to landless citizens to grow crops as opposed to demarcating residential plots to be “corruptly shared” among affluent and politically-connected individuals, including foreigners.

The land in question is at Nantipwiri, on the border between Thyolo and Blantyre districts, previously used to be Mbandanga/Dondi Estate, but the people of Thyolo claim it belongs to them.

In a letter addressed to Secretary for Lands Davie Chilonga, Cdedi executive director Sylvester Namiwa said government was aware of the plight of Thyolo people, which stems from the land-grabbing exercise suffered by their ancestors at the hands of colonial masters.

The letter has also been copied to the Minister of Lands Deus Gumba, Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo and Secretary for Justice and Solicitor General Alison M’bang’ombe.

The controversy comes few days after Cdedi wrote Thyolo district commissioner demanding an immediate halt of selling and allocating the 360-hectare (ha) land.

Villagers in a previous protest against eviction
from Nantipwili in Thyolo

Cdedi claims it has established that government has offered 50 percent of the land to demarcate residential plots to Thyolo District Council, 25 percent to Blantyre City Council while the Department of Lands has allocated itself the remaining 25 percent.

“Proponents of good governance say any law that punishes the people instead of serving them is a bad law, therefore, we beseech you, Sir, and your counterpart at Ministry of Justice, in copy, to listen to the cries of the people of Thyolo and rescind the decision to sell the land to the rich,” reads the letter.

In a written response, Chilonga acknowledged receipt of Cdedi letter but, without elaboration, said his office “will respond most likely next month“.

The ministry’s spokesperson Mphatso Nkuonera yesterday justified the decision to allocate the land, arguing that the people of Thyolo do not own the land as they have no documents to prove their claimed ownership.

Namiwa told our sister newspaper The Nation yesterday, that his organisation would mobilise communities to challenge government’s decision.

Tension over the ownership of the land first emerged last year, when some community members calling themselves ‘Concerned farmers’ from the area claimed they were ready to die for the land which they claimed was offered to them by former President Joyce Banda.

About 800 farmers from the area claimed they would fight on because it was the only land their households have for farming