Don’t sell customary land, people told

Ministry of Lands registrar Anthony Nzima has warned people in Mzimba District against selling customary land to foreigners.

He said this in the district on Monday when the ministry in partnership with Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (Cepa) briefed stakeholders on the new amended Land Laws.

Nzima said the new laws give ownership of land to Malawians.

He said: “There has been an outcry that foreigners are taking over our land. So, the current laws do not provide for foreigners to own land. The laws are giving more ownership to the people of Malawi through registration.

“But for those foreigners who already own land, it will remain theirs. But once their lease expires, it will not be renewed.”

Nzima said the new laws have repealed Section 37 of the 2016 Land Laws and replaced it with a new Section 37 which reads: “Land shall not be granted or sold to a person who is not a citizen of Malawi”.

The previous section limited land leases by foreigners to 50 years.

He stressed the need to empower women to also own land.

Cepa project officer Haswell Mollande said the organisation in partnership with the ministry will raise awareness on the new laws to the district’s rural communities.

“We have partnered with the Ministry of Lands and M’Mbelwa District Council to disseminate the amended laws,” he said.

The council’s principal physical planning officer Bob Banda said land issues were complex in Mzimba.

“We are ready to work the ministry and Cepa to sensitise community members to the amended Land Laws,” he said.

With funding from the Government of Flanders, Cepa is promoting inclusive and progressive land governance in the district.