Minister warns DPP cadres against ruining Chikangawa

Deputy Minister of Defence Jappie Mhango has warned Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadres against taking advantage of their influence to deplete Viphya Plantation as was the case during the past regimes.

Mhango, who is the governing party’s campaign director, sounded the warning on Saturday when he led Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers in planting trees at Nthungwa in the continent’s largest man-made forest popularly   known as Chikangawa.

The replanting exercise was bankrolled by Raiply Malawi to the tune of K7.5 million even though the spot lies outside the wood company’s 25 000-hectare concession area.

Subtly attacking politicians for wanton logging and timber-making ravaging the plantation in Mzimba, Mhango asserted: “Whether you belong to DPP or you are what, that does not give you a licence to start destroying this forest or anything in this country.

“This government is only keen to bring back Viphya Plantation’s lost green glory and there will be no sacred cows in this drive.”

For almost a decade, the civil society and conservationists have been blaming firms with political connection to governing parties, including DPP and its predecessor People’s Party (PP), for illegally depleting trees in the plantation originally established for pulp and paper.

When he visited Chikangawa in October last year, Minister of Energy, Natural Resources and Mining Atupele Muluzi cited a culture of political impunity as one of the factors ravaging  trees in the plantation.

This was the first time MDF has taken part in the replanting exercise and the minister said it signals the beginning of greater involvement of the soldiers as the forest awaits a long-time conservation measure.

In an interview, Raiply chief executive officer Tomas Oomen thanked the soldiers for playing a part in safeguarding the forest, asking the locals to avoid setting the newly planted trees on fire.

Having planted 205 600 trees on the 123-hectare fire-hit stretch at Nthungwa, Oomen revealed that Raiply has set aside K25 million for its reforestation exercise.

According to plantations manager Wellington Nyondo, the Department of Forestry plans to plant two million trees this season.