Senior Chief Ngolongoliwa says ‘Wandale is a nobody’: Welcomes conviction of  Malawi tea estates land grabber

Senior Chief Ngolongoliwa of Thyolo has welcomed the conviction of People’s Land Organisation (PLO) leader Vincent Wandale, saying it is  a landmark in  fight against impunity for  land grabbers.

Wandale was convicted by the Blantyre Magistrate’s Court  Thursday on three counts of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour, unauthorised use of land and criminal trespass.

Ngongoliwa hailed the court for convicting Wandale, saying it will deter others from taking the law into their own hands.

“Wandale is a nobody, he is not even from any chieftaincy blood line,” said Ngongoliwa in commented published by The Nation.

“ I wonder where he got the power to mobilise people to start sharing other peoples’ land among themselves . I am very happy with the judgement as it will promote adherence to the rule of law,” he added.

The court found Wandale quilty of  aiding, abetted and encouraged people to encroach Conforzi Tea Estate as shown in the official notice presented in the court regarding the planned encroachment which the people ‘mistakenly’ believe belongs to their forefathers.

Wandale was arrested on September 3 in Lilongwe in connection to an incident that happened on September 1 at Conforzi Tea Estate where hundreds of villagers invaded the estate and started sharing land for permanent settlement and cultivation. They claimed the land belonged to their forefathers.

Sentencing has been set down for November 8 by Senior Resident Magistrate Thokozani Soko.