Court convicts 20 Malawi land grabbers, Wandale case adjourned
Blantyre Magistrate court has convicted 20 land grabbers who belonged to so called Peoples Land Organisation (PLO) whose leader Vincent Wandale is a self claimed president of Mulanje and Thyolo.
Principal magistrate Thokozani Soko convicted the 20 after the convicts changed plea from not guilty to guilty.
Lawyer for the 20 convicts, Mike Chitepa said he advised his clients to change the plea to guilty after the court went to the piece of land, which belongs to Comforzi Tea Estate in Thyolo.
“I gave them the merits and demerits of pleading guilty or not guilty in this case after we went to Thyolo and after weighing the options, they decided to plea guilty and the court has convicted them on their own plea,z” said Chitepa.
Chitepa then asked the court to spare the convicts a custodial sentence, saying there are other reasonable punishments that can be meted on the convicts.
Magistrate Soko said she would sentence the convicts on Monday, the day the state is expected to parade witnesses against the convicts leader, Wandale who has not pleaded guilty.
He was defiant at the land in question on Wednesdsy when he stubbornly told the court he want to take the ‘idle’ land from Comforzi Tea Estate to redistribute to the landless.
Owner of Comforzi Tea Estate Ivin Suleman disputed the land was idle and said he bought it in 2003.
This means Wandale and two others have pleaded not guilty.
Kodi a Wandale inu ndinu wa ndale? Anthuwatu akakugwiritsani ntchito akusiyani nokha mukuluza ndalama m’makhothi. Look from what you are talking about Independent states? Do you really think this can work on your side, or you are just doing it blindly. If it is blindness, then even if you are half healed you can not even see people walking like trees.
That’s why legal representation is always important. You get wise advice. Please magistrate spare the 20 people from custodial sentence and leave it to Wandale who fooled the people desperate for land
And will you then give them the land? Fwetseke
Wise advice and a plea for non custodial sentence is in order Mike. We have taken advantage of the povos for too long in order to drive our political agenda. In these times no one wants to bail out the povos. They are on their own.
I feel sorry for those acusse wndale for they clearly show that they are very ignorant of history.How Peole were murded by the BOMA-British overseas MILTARY to Africa and then thangata which lasted for more than fouty years in Malwi (1912_1957).I feeeeel sorry because Christianity ha eleveted Mzungu to Mulungu.Peole are very scared of truth when it comes to any one with white skin.
How canyou not feel the peole who were Murdered.