Wandale drags in Mutharika, chief Ngolongoliwa in Malawi tea estates land grab case

The Blantyre senior magistrate court has moved to Thyolo again on the land grabbing case a day after leader of Peoples Land Organisation said he was influenced by President Peter Mutharika and chief Ngolongoliwa to take the tea estate land forcibly and distribute it to the landless.

This is the second time that the court has moved to Conforzi Tea Estate land in the case of Vincent Wandale and his co accused land grabbing case.

On Monday, Wandale told the court that he met Mutharika at Sanjika Palace, chief Ngolongoliwa and the Thyolo District Commissioner in 2015.

“Our discussions influenced me to grab the land and redistribute it to the landless whose ancestors owned it,” he said.

He said there are even graves of the people of the area. Wandale said he is ready to cease claims of the political independence of Mulanje and Thyolo if salaries for tea pluckers in the two districts are increased, people whose land was grabbed by tea estate owners were duly compensated and idle land is given to the landless in the two populated tea growing districts.

Chief Ngolongoliwa and the district commissioner of Thyolo said in their court evidence Wandale has no powers to distribute land under the laws of Malawi to which Wandale laughed as he said Mulanje and Thyolo districts is now one country, not part of Malawi and he is the leader.