Fresh concerns have emerged over the allocation of part of the Nantipwiri estate in Bvumbwe, Thyolo, with an anonymous resident alleging that some people who are not among the targeted beneficiaries are being allocated plots.
The concerns come after president Arthur Peter Mutharika directed the Ministry of Lands and Thyolo District Council to allocate part of the government-owned land to vulnerable local farmers who have been demanding land for agricultural production.
According to the anonymous resident, some plots are allegedly being allocated to individuals who are not among the 836 legitimate beneficiaries identified from five Traditional Authorities(T/A).
The source further alleges that some officials working at Thyolo District Council and local political representatives are among those receiving plots, while some genuine beneficiaries from group village headmen’s areas have been left off the list.
The resident says the development undermines the intended purpose of the presidential directive, which is aimed at addressing land scarcity and resolving a long-running dispute over access to the land.
“I am concerned this defeats the intended purpose of ending the long-running dispute and helping the community with land scarcity,” says the source.
The source, who identifies himself as a resident near Bvumbwe, says they are willing to provide information and witnesses to trusted journalists on condition of confidentiality.
Earlier,Minister of Lands Chimwemwe Chipungu, who was delegated by Mutharika to engage communities over the matter, said the presidential directive is intended to bring an end to the dispute while ensuring that legitimate settlers receive formal documentation for the land they have been cultivating.
Chipungu said chiefs and settlers were instructed to compile a list of legitimate settlers for submission to Thyolo District Council, followed by verification before the ownership process is finalised and offer documents issued to beneficiaries.
The development follows an appeal by farmers facing possible eviction from the disputed land, who asked Mutharika to intervene, arguing that the land remains their main source of livelihood.
Farmers’ leader Hussein Dickson Chiwalo said former president Joyce Banda directed in 2013 that communities surrounding the estate should be allowed to cultivate the land because of shortages of arable land in Thyolo.
