Concerned residents of Ng’onga village, Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka District say they have a sigh of relief following the implementation of a spot verification exercise initiated by the Ministry of Lands in collaboration with Portland Cement Limited and the Civil Society.
The community had been demanding a fresh assessment of land and property compensation, citing concerns over unfair practices during the initial valuation process.
According to the chairperson of the concerned residents, Alinane Ndanga, the residents are hopeful that the process will help in addressing their concerns, which will lead to adequate compensation for their ancestral land.
“We are grateful to the principal secretary for the Ministry of Lands for taking heed of our plea and providing room for a fresh evaluation exercise. We believe the move demonstrates the ministry’s commitment to making sure that justice is served,” Ndanga said.
While commending all the stakeholders for their efforts in the exercise, Portland Cement Company Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Violet Vilili, expressed her company’s determination to ensure that the welfare of the concerned residents is taken care of.
“Portland Cement is a law-abiding corporate citizen, and we are pleased with how the Ministry of Land has conducted the verification exercise,” Vilili said.
Vilili said it was pleasing to note that interim findings made available to the villagers display that there is no significant variance between the initial report and what the verification exercise is unearthing.
She further highlighted that the company will be guided by relevant authorities on the outcomes of the exercise.
Meanwhile, human rights activist and Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), Sylvester Namiwa, has expressed satisfaction with the exercise. However, Namiwa called on the concerned stakeholders to expedite resolving the long-standing issues which have dragged on for a long time.
“I am happy that the atmosphere was conducive—clearly demonstrating that it was a matter between persons affected by the project and the investor. This is the spirit we have always been yearning for all this time.
Portland Cement Limited, a subsidiary of Huaxian Cement is constructing a cement and clinker manufacturing plant in Balaka District, Southern Malawi.
This new integrated plant will mine lime and produce clinker to manufacture 800,000 metric tonnes of cement per annum, at least three times higher than its current production capacity of 300,000 tonnes annually.
