Thyolo, Mulanje land disputes refuse to die

Dec 31, 2015 Politics 42
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Malawi Tea

…ultimatum gets extended

The confusion that has erupted between government and people from Thyolo and Mulanje districts over the idle land in tea estates is refusing to settle as People’s Land organisation (PLO) has extended the 21 day ultimatum for negotiations with government and now says it gives the Peter Mutharika administration until 12 January next year to negotiate or else it will officially declare the two districts as a sovereign state.

Chairperson for PLO, Vincent Wandale, who claims to be the supreme leader, founder and trustee of the organisation, told one of the local radio stations that he has decided to give government a chance on the issue after realizing that as an organization they did not meet to ratify how they are going to proceed on the matter.

“We have extended the period because there were a lot of complaints. People were saying that we have done it prematurely and we did not give them enough room for negotiations. So we thought it wise to give the government period of time to do what they think they can do.

Malawi Tea
Hit by disputes.

“We gave them 21 days which I made it personally after realizing we didn’t meet to ratify that decision as an organization on how to proceed. We expected that everyone who is concerned is going to meet the acts within the next 21 days from 23 December,” said Wandale.

He further explained that their organization will meet to discuss the matter and he also clarified that what they need is not to be independent but their land.

“Government is just like family. We discuss with nothing and then we develop. So far what we want is to meet as an organisation to strategize how to proceed on this matter because to be frank we need our land, not to be independent.

“If you ask any PLO member why we are doing this, they need to secure their land. We are wondering, why should somebody under rule of law defend people who steal land,” wondered Wandale.

However, Wandale said he still stands on his decision to declare the two districts as one state if government this time will not intervene on the matter.

“Thyolo and Mulanje are richest districts. We spend over 4 billion US dollars on Macadamia in a month. Do you question that area will not be sustained? Most people are not doing us fair but for us we are not going back, if they don’t give us our land by the slated period we will finally declare as one sovereign state without any negotiations because we have given them enough room,” he said.

Last month Wandale issued another 21 day ultimatum to government to address the matter or else the two districts could become a sovereign state and will be called African Traditionalists Republic of United States of Thyolo and Mulanje (Must).

However, PLO board chair, John Henry Pindani, together with leader of Citizens for the Protection of Mulanje (CPM) Bon Kalindo dismissed Wandale’s threats.

The group organized a press conference to dismiss Wandale’s assertion and met President Peter Mutharika on Monday last week to assure him that the two districts will not secede.

The PLO has been agitating for the local people’s occupation of all idle tea estates land in the districts since its establishment in 2009 and has been demanding the estate owners pay €65 about (K53,000) per acre per year for all used colonial estate land from 1914 to date.

The organization has also been demanding from estate owners to wage rate of € 6.13 per hour (about K5000) per individual for those who were involved in Thangata (bounded labour) between 1914 and 1963.

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42 Comments

  3. Don’t beat about the bush, A thing is: most land was taken by europeans during colonial era almost free of charge eg chiefs were exchanging land for estate with a 20kg bag of salt, royal robe, a gun etc and they have profited alot from those estates since 1891 when Malawi became British protectorate up to day. I even support them becoz its high time now to have handed over the land to the rightful indigenous owners.

  5. Ndale ndiutsirudi.bola ndizingodya ma dollas anga ndili phe kuno.Phuzitsi wa primary,wa jc,kngopanga apamajiga awiri pa mbc,ADRA kumukweza lero ati agawa ziko!bagawanani ,Manganya,Head of state,Winiko weni weniyi vce???Hahahaha koma ,mutengenso lake kachulu muli mafuta,Blantyre Government asanalande.

  6. Malawi belongs to Malawians. Whether the estate owners bought the land or not we dont knw. Vuto ndi loti boma likumapanga mgwirizano ndi ma estate owner opanda eni ake malo kudziwa. This is happening also with Illovo company in Dwangwa and @ nchalo, ngabu & mbenje in lower shire. Some scruplus & greedy individuals r being used kumapusutsa eni malo nkumati boma lidagula kalekale malowo chikhalireni chiri chinyengo potengera mwayi mkusazindikira kwa eni nthaka. Tht is very bad & pathetic. Pple r being shifted frm their fertile mother land to poor unfertile land. The estates r doing little 4 th gd if not nathing to the natives. Mapeto ake ndi umphawi wa ntadzaoneni umene tili nawo lero u. Zikanakhala bwino if pple around were given chance to hav shares in these companies. Sizimene mukunena za Alomwezo ai. Infiriority complex itipweteketsa A Malawi. Which Malawian own land in UK, USA, France as these atsamunda did in Malawi. Malawi dzuka. Mulanje Thyolo men go ahead tili nanu pambuyo. Kaya tilephere lero kulima nthawi idzafika yoti zidzukulu zathu zidzagwiritse ntchito malowo moyenera, Malawi belongs to Malawians.

  9. Paja owukila, ozikonda, osathokoza zitukuko za dpp ndi atumbuka eti? Inu atumbuka ku mulanje ndi kuthyolo; bwanji osayamika kuti dpp inakubweleselani Chiliza cha Mpumulo wa bata ndi Ndata Casablanka. Asaah. Muziyamika atumbuka inu ku mulanje ndi ku thyolo

  15. F U Follow Ths Issue Wisely,what They Are Fighting For Ts Nt Land Bt Fair Treetment Among Workers And Farmers ,they Are Fighting For good Payments And The Likes!

  18. Whether we secede or not, we are done with Mutharika. Thyolo will never vote for that good for nothing leader. I wonder if he really comes from thyolo. And to Bon Kalindo, we are not doing a double act or drama, or/and talking about Mulanje Mountain-zopenga eti(what a madness). Don’t take us for a ride, we have suffered a hundred times(tafa kwambiri).

  20. Musatitopetse mdikutukwana malo akufunika chifukwa anthu achuluka muzithandomu tiyeni tivomeleze. Nanga pali nkhani apa yonyozerana??

  24. Alomwe akusowa malo okhala pamene president ndi mlomwe. Nanga president akadzakhala muyao, mngoni or mchewa ndiye muzidzakhala mndende. Chepetsani kuswana ngati nkhumba. Apo ayi kamulandeni Mulli thuchila estate kuti mugawanenso

    1. Pathako panu akulu inu,president wachilomwe walowa liti? Tikufuna malo athu muli malo ukunenawo anagulatu sanachite kulanda mbuzi iwe kwabasi,the land we claiming belongs to our granies fotsek,unamva kut tikusowa malo chifukwa choberekana? Gwape iweti

    2. kumulanje ndi Thyolo mmalawi muno anthu mmati timasowa pokhala nanga timalima kuti popeza zipatso zambiri timalima komweko monga Nanazi. oranges.ma peala.ma papaya.and zina monga nzimbe.nthochi.chinangwa zimalimidwa kuti. ndie ukuti timaswana iweyo amako anakuswera ku mulanje? ngati timaswana timakwanitsanso ku phunzitsa ana athu thats why we manage to prduce presidents. nduna.ps.ambassadors. comp.directors. kusiyana ndinu mwana kum’bereka kuzakhala nyau pali nzeru?

  25. Zopusatu izi, Mulanje&Thyolo are but because of their association with other districts. On their own they are nothing.

  26. There is sense in Mr wandales nosense you just have to remove the no .the colonialists ripped us kamuzu gave them a blind eye the rest are cowards fearing the unknown.we need to renegotiate the deals and I tell u no matter how long it will take the white man has to pay.its unfare to buy vast amounts of prime land and leave the owners with rocky mountainous land.buying land for 50 pounds per 1000 acres and forcing the people to labour on it for nothing(thangata) in the name of protectorate.raping our virgins for nothing(maybe u have wondered why we have a lot of coloureds in thyolo mulanje).for how long are they going to steal from us with their fucken donations.Mugabe wasn’t wrong its the neighborhood that is still sleeping,lazy feeling contented with what is falling from their tables,shame.they didn’t compensate the murder of chilembwe and his cronies that’s why the queen loved kamuzu because he kept quite atadya chibanzi.wake up Malawians..timadonations tikumalililato it’d just nothing compared to what these neocolonialists are taking in broad day light.

  32. Even if they share that land. The way they are multiplying, which next land will they share after filling current one to the brim? Alomwe sadzathekanso!

    2. the 1999 presidential commission of enquiry on land issues for thyolo and mulanje found that no european paid money for that land.then why is govt failing to negotiate for the land which is not being cultivated?

    5. Promise owen & madaliso chanzah nonse nyini za amanu zachilomwe zonunkha kwambiri. Anthu odya njoka. Kusowa pokhala president alipoyu wamtundu wanu? Simudati mudakaziona akapolo adziko a Malawi inu!

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