Maravi

Chief Kaindu unhappy with govt giving land to investors

Chief Kaindu unhappy with govt giving land to investors
By Agness Changala
Sun 10 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

CHIEF Kaindu of Mumbwa district has said he is very upset with the government in the way it is giving out land to investors in his chiefdom. In a statement, chief Kaindu said that customary land in his chiefdom was now in private hands because he was not consulted.

“I am very upset and dumbfounded on the way the Ministry of Lands is dispersing land in my chiefdom and all customary land in private owners including D-block,” he said.

Chief Kaindu also appealed to the government to send surveyors to his chiefdom to make a clear demarcation between state and customary land.

He said that his subjects had nowhere to stay because land had been taken away from them by investors who claimed to have bought the land from the government.

Chief Kaindu said that the poor should be protected instead of being displaced from the land they had owned for a long time.

He also called on the government to resolve the matter amicably because his poor subjects needed protection and not victimisation.

And chief Kaindu has urged the government through the Ministry of Mines to issue licences to those involved in mining.

“I have noted with sadness that there’s a lot of illegal mining taking place in my chiefdom and these people are getting wealthy minus paying back to the community,” he said.

Chief Kaindu said the issue of illegal mining should also be resolved as soon as possible, adding that such problems coupled with land wrangles caused disputes among generations.

Labels: CHIEF KAINDU, CHIEFS, CORRUPTION, LAND RIGHTS, MINISTRY OF LANDS

posted by MrK @ 4:12 PM