20 Wandale co-accused get suspended sentences
The Blantyre Magistrate’s Court has given a suspended sentence to 20 People’s Land Organisation (PLO) members, who were convicted on their own plea of guilty on September 14.
The 20 changed their plea of not guilty to guilty following professional advice from their lawyer Michael Goba Chipeta.
They were arrested in connection with an incident that happened on September 1 at Conforzi estate in Thyolo where hundreds of villagers invaded the estate and started sharing land for permanent settlement
and cultivation, claiming the land belonged to their forefathers.
Giving the sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Thokozani Soko said the first and second offences of conspiracy to commit misdemeanour and criminal trespass attracts a punishment of one-month imprisonment each while that of unauthorised use of land attracts a sentence of one year. The sentences were to run concurrently, meaning that the 20 accused persons were to spend a full year in prison.
However, she said since the convicts were first offenders and that they had shown remorse on their conduct by pleading guilty to the charges, and that the charges they were answering were a misdemeanour, a suspended sentence was reasonable.
She ordered the 20 to pay a bond of K5000 each and bring to the court one surety each.
“You are also warned not to commit any criminal offence within a period of one month for doing so will attract a penalty of K5000 and be committed to prison to serve the sentences,” said Soko, adding that
they would remain in custody until the bond was registered.
She, therefore, adjourned the case to today at 9am when the 20 will be expected to pay K5000 each and bring to the court sureties for examination.
Later the court continued hearing the same case, but involving PLO leader Vincent Wandale, his deputy Chrispin Nkhoma and Tendai Nsikita who pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.
The State, through Southern Region prosecuting officer David Mtete paraded four witnesses; Aniz Suleman, whose family owns Conforzi estate; district commissioner (DC) for Thyolo Charles Thombozi, Thyolo
District Council land officer Witness Mbendera and detective inspector Charles Tembo from Thyolo Police Station.
In their submissions, all the witnesses told the court that the land belongs to Conforzi estate and what the members did was unlawful.
The DC said as the one coordinating activities in the district, he never gave any permission to members of the PLO to invade the said estate.
The case continues this afternoon when the State is expected to parade five more witnesses.
Defence lawyer Chipeta told reporters in an interview that he intends to make a bail application for the three today.
