The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has written to Thyolo District Commissioner Hudson Kuphanga, asking him to stop the planned allocation of land at Nantipwiri until after the September 16, 2025, elections.
In a letter dated this week and copied to the Acting Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, CDEDI claims it has information that the council is already receiving applications for the plots ahead of a public advert that will be “a mere cover-up.”
According to the watchdog, the land in question has been earmarked for residential development and classified into low, medium and high-density areas. However, CDEDI argues that proceeding with the exercise now would undermine transparency and accountability, especially in a district grappling with what it describes as “unacceptable levels of landlessness.”
“Land is the only fundamental natural resource that sustains life; therefore, matters to do with access, usage, control and transfer of land ought to be handled in a manner that demonstrates unparalleled high levels of transparency and accountability,” reads part of the letter signed by Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa.
CDEDI also stressed that Thyolo’s painful history of land dispossession, dating back to colonial estates such as the Mbandaga/Dondi Estate, makes the matter particularly sensitive.
The organisation warned that any attempt to push through the allocation before the elections, in the absence of a fully functioning council and amid corruption allegations, would be resisted by the people.
The council has not yet responded to the petition.
