Communities in Mzimba District have called on the M’mbelwa District Council to take decisive legal action by reporting alleged illegal land dealings to the police, arguing that issuing a public notice alone is insufficient given the seriousness of the allegations.
The calls follow a recent public notice issued by the council distancing itself from alleged land transactions involving an individual identified as Moyo, who is accused of illegally selling land while falsely presenting himself as a council officer.
While residents have welcomed the council’s warning to the public, some community members say the response falls short of what is required to comprehensively address the issue.
Speaking in an interview with Malawi24, James Mphande of the Manyamula area said the council must go beyond issuing public advisories and ensure that the matter is handled through formal law enforcement channels.
“Much as we appreciate the information the council has provided to the public, we expected the council to report Moyo to the police so that he can be arrested. You cannot just leave him like that,” said Mphande.
He added that complaints have been raised by residents from different parts of Mzimba District, alleging that land in several areas has been sold through irregular and questionable processes, sometimes with the alleged involvement of council officers.
“In areas such as Mtambalika, people have lost land through deals that were not transparent. These things did not just happen overnight. There are many victims,” Mphande claimed.
The concerns have also been echoed by governance and land administration experts. The Director of the Mzimba Institute for Development Communication Trust (MIDCT), Christopher Melele, described the allegations as serious and potentially damaging to public confidence in local government institutions.
Melele, a governance expert, said all officers named or implicated in Malawi24’s investigative report should immediately step aside pending investigations.
“These allegations are critical. Land is a very sensitive issue, and if officers entrusted with managing it are implicated, strong administrative action must be taken to restore public trust,” said Melele.
He warned that failure to act decisively could further erode confidence in the council and fuel public anger over land governance in the district.
Meanwhile, the M’mbelwa District Council has not yet indicated whether it will take further action beyond the public notice warning residents against engaging in land transactions with unauthorized individuals.
The issue comes at a time when the M’mbelwa District Council itself has been taken to court over similar allegations of dubious land sales, allegedly involving individual council officers.
The ongoing court case has intensified public scrutiny of land administration practices in the district.
Land disputes remain a persistent challenge in Mzimba District, with communities increasingly calling for stronger enforcement of the law, greater transparency, and enhanced accountability in land governance to protect citizens from exploitation.
