Wandale, 22 others refused bail: Court says Thyolo not State, Malawi has one President
The Blantyre Magistrate Court has again refused to grant bail to self-proclaimed leader of United States of Thyolo and Mulanje and Peoples’ Land Organisation (PLO), Vincent Wandale and 22 members of PLO charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour, unauthorised use of land, criminal trespass and inciting violence.
Wandale was refused bail during a first appearance before Blantyre Magistrates’ Court.
He was arrested on September 2 while the 22 of Wandale’s followers were arrested on September 1 2016 after hundreds of villagers, mostly from Thyolo, invaded privately owned Conforzi Tea Estate in Thyolo and started sharing land among them.
Senior Resident Magistrate Thokozani Soko said: “It is in the interest of justice that the accused be release on bail. However, those conditions are not absolute but depend on the conviction of the court. I therefore deny granting bail to the accused because doing so may lead to seriousness interference with the case.”
Soko said could not grant bail to the accused persons to prevent them from committing more serious crimes and for their safety, saying their conduct have caused shock to the Malawi community and their lives might be in danger.
She also said that since the accused persons stay in different places, it could be difficult for the police to monitor them during the time of trial.
The court also dismissed Wandale’s submission to court that arresting him was in violation of the law. The PLO leader told the court that he is immune to criminal proceedings as supreme leader of the United States of Mulanje and Thyolo, a state he declared on March 31 2016.
Magistrate Soko told the court that Malawi has only one elected President, emphasising that Thyolo and Mulanje is not a State but a district in Malawi.
She said the President of Malawi is mandated to look after all the land of the country and that he divided his powers to chiefs to look after customary land and not to the leader of PLO.
“PLO members have taken the law in their hands. They want to divide this peaceful nation. We all know that all land in this country is in the hands of the president. I would advise the members to follow proper channels in addressing their issues,” said Soko.
Wandale pleaded not guilty to the four counts while the remaining 21 people answering the first three counts also denied the charges.
The court also dismissed Wandale’s request to have the case changed from criminal to civil and that other accused persons should not be tried as individuals but him and trustees of the organisation be tried on their behalf and the State argued that the 23 were arrested as individuals and not on behalf of the organisation.
The case has since been adjourned to September 12, 2016 to start the trial.
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If Thyolo and Mulanje are indeed a State, then why is this Old Muthalika ruling us in Malawi – he must go to his country Thyolo Mulanje Ltd .
I guess most of comments are very fallacious as they are driven from unknown grounds.This is not about where Wandale is but the idle Land which has been there for about twenty years unproductive.so he has been communicating to government and concern Estates to share that land to people as what Illovo done but they are not giving back to the patricians. Now the courts ,citizens are not understanding him as the land act was prepared by colonial masters. We seem to understand Colonialist much than our fellow Malawians.Malawi The warm heart of Africa.Mzungu ndi bwana basis.
Panopa basi ndikuweluka nthawi yatha, koma Wandaleyo mutulutseni. Sindine Mlomwe koma sindikuwona chifukwa chomukanizila bail ndi anzakewo.
Shee! Wandale does not recognized APM as the president for all us.
Ali nankhwesa
So if Thyolo and Mulanje are not part of Malawi, then APM is not Malawian and must immediately step down as president. Mukuona bwa????
Wandale and followers must be set free now! Some of you do not know how our land was snatched from our ancestors to these Whites…its really very painful, We were left with just very small pieces of land that you can’t even harvest 5*50 bags of maize to sustain the livelihood….I tell you to live in MJ and TO districts its a challenge which some of you can’t understand!!So avoid making silly comments and what you have to know is that the so called freedom you are enjoying today did not just come on a silver platter someone had to… Read more »
No pax this is the northern region of Malwi where most atumbuka stay and the MCP leader Chakwera comes from
What wrong has Wandale done is it criminal to reclaim your stolen property ? No wonder the Malawi Housing Saga died a silent death “we know the President robbed Malawians by purchasing a number of houses at a give away price yet no one questioned and dared to bring him to book simply because he was a brother to the late Bingu wa Mutharika ” should we say its ok for OUR MALAWIAN PRESIDENTS and their cronies to steal from us and we let them go scot free and on the other hand we punish , imprison let alone kill… Read more »
Tresspassing is criminal. This thug deserves jail. If he had grievances, he should have taken the right pricedures not appropriating land which never belonged to him. We should avoid making Malawi a lawless country. This is the reason we have laws in the first place.
Chamba cheni cheni uyu ndi Kamlepo no.2 ayiwone kaye ndende mmene imawawira. asatuluke ameneyo
OOoooops!!!!!!! Is this not where the President come from?
It does not really matter where the President comes from for even in your own house there is a boy that is unruly and smokes chamba.
Eduardo, that’s very true. If the Presidents let’s his home boy create his own territory, we will chase him from our mother Malawi. And the Vandale criminal should know that they need an airport to travel to US and the rest of the world meaning every one from that “country”after we have chased them will never go abroad kikiki!!!!!!!
Koma abale fodya wamkuluyi ndi chakumwa chathuchi. Zonsezitu izi. Anangokhuta mkhululukireni. Za ziiiiii