By Vincent Gunde
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has written a letter to Thyolo District Commissioner Hudson Kuphanga requesting him to halt the sale of land at Nantipwiri area in the district.
The CDEDI says it has learnt from impeccable sources that the Council is receiving applications in readiness for land allocation exercise at Nantipwiri area before the 16th September, 2025 the day the country will hold the much-anticipated General Elections.
The organization says according to its findings, an advert will be flouted shortly in various media platforms as a cover up for a process that is almost complete looking at applications which are being made before the 16th September, 2025.
Writing in a letter to the District Commissioner with a copy to the Acting Director General of the ACB dated 18TH August, 2025 signed by its Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, the CDEDI has claimed that the land in question is designated residential area and has been classified as low, medium, and high-density area.
The CDEDI has claimed that the land at Nantipwiri is the only fundamental natural resource that sustains life observing that matters to do with access, usage, control, and transfer of land ought to be handled in a manner that clearly demonstrates unparalleled high levels of transparency and accountability.
The organization has asked the District Commissioner to halt up the plots allocation exercise until the elections have been conducted when the council will be fully operational saying this will be a development that will inspire trust and confidence in the whole process.
The letter says Thyolo is one of the districts plagued with unacceptable levels of landlessness people in the country, this need to be overemphasized that any opportunity to apportion land should be approached cautiously.
The CDEDI says Thyolo citizens are yet to heal from the land grabbing suffered at the hands of the colonial masters –the British who established themselves in districts such as Thyolo, and Mulanje and opened up Tea factories.
“This particular parcel of Nantipwiri land belonged to Mbandaga/ Dondi Estate occupied by the colonial masters,” reads the letter in part.
The CDEDI has warned the District Commissioner that any attempt to proceed to apportion the Nantipwiri land amid serious corruption allegations and the absence of the fully functioning council, will be met with heavy resistance from the people of Thyolo.
