HRDC to mobilise Malawi citizenry for demos over land grabs

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has warned government that it will mobilised the citizenry to take to the streets and protests the land grabs if government does not reverse any dubious transactions in relation to the sale of Livimbo School in Lilongwe within five days.

The five-day ultimatum follows revelations by the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament that apart from Livimbo School, other schools  like Chimutu, Chilambula, New Shire and Magwero in Lilongwe have also had their land encroached by some developers.

In a statement made available to Nyasa Times, HRDC said it is alarmed with the rate and scale at which authorities have allowed the dubious sale of public and prime land to the disadvantage of many Malawians.

“We at HRDC understand that the Livimbo land scandal is just [a tip of] an iceberg of the rot that has infested the management, sale and distribution of public land in Malawi,” reads a statement signed by HRDC leaders Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence.

The rights defenders said they are “dismayed but not surprised” with revelations that those that have been entrusted with authority to manage land on behalf of the citizenry are abusing the delegated powers with “reckless abandon” solely for their selfish and individual aggrandisement.

“We demand that this transaction be reversed within five days failing which we will mobilise Malawians and take to the streets to vent our anger against this malpractice,” reads the statement.

The coalition has also said if the issue is not resolved, they will call for the resignation of  Minister  of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Symon Vuwa Kaunda.