Number of foreigners owning land alarming

In this interview, DUMBANI MZALE talks with LandNet national coordinator Yvonnie Mmangisa to find out more about the organisation’s work.

What are LandNet’s core objectives?

LandNet Malawi is a membership-based network of civil society organisations, incorporated as a trust, whose main objectives are to advocate for equitable policies, legislation and decision-making processes relating to land and natural resources in the country. LandNet is committed to strengthening its membership to advocate effectively for pro-poor land administration and management as well as equitable and prudent use of natural resources for the sustenance of Malawians.

How would you compare land issues in Malawi with neighbouring countries?

Land issues exist everywhere in the world. It is the extent and nature of the problems that may differ but the effects on the people are the same. Singling out Malawi, I would say that it is possibly the only country that allows ownership of land by non-citizens. If you look at the number of foreigners owning land in both rural and urban areas of Malawi, it is quite alarming.

Unfortunately, we seem to be indifferent to it. [Maybe we] think that that is the only way development is going to come. But I get concerned when I don’t see most of the people who are buying land off the ordinary Malawian in the banks. It makes me wonder where they keep their money, and whether Malawi is really benefiting in any way from the investments.

Local elites are also not making it any better for the poor. They are grabbing land either through chiefs or directly. In some areas, people are just notified that their land has been sold or given to an investor and they have to relocate, without being given any alternative piece of land. Women and children are the most affected regarding land issues.

QIn recent times, we have seen land wrangles escalating and a case in point is that of Nkhotakota where sugarcane growers are fighting with food crops farmers. What do you think is the problem?

When you force people to do something they do not believe in, or fail to meaningfully consult on the investments that are coming, wrangles are likely to occur. Coupled with this, when people finally discover that the sweet cream that the investment was coated with at its inception has worn off,  and a bitter taste remains, they will definitely feel cheated and decide to fight for what they have lost.

From their stories, these people have actually seen with their own eyes how their relatives, who went into sugarcane production, have eventually lost their land to people they do not even know, how a bigger chunk of the money realised from sugarcane production goes into other hands and not theirs.

They have also made comparisons among themselves and found that food crops growers earn more and lead better lives. You have heard them say they do not even use artificial fertilisers on the land under dispute despite having bumper yields. I believe it is only fair to let them use their land in the best way they know.

QDo you think most Malawians know their land rights?

Unfortunately, many people, especially in the rural areas, and surprisingly, even in the urban areas, are not aware of their land rights. When they fight, they only do so to protect their survival but not necessarily that they know what their rights are. There is a Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa that the AU/AfDB/UNECA developed and adopted and Malawi is a party to this. Malawi is among the nations that met in Libya in July 2009 where one of their resolutions was that they will ensure that land laws provide for equitable access to land and related resources among all land users, including the youth, the landless and other vulnerable groups, including those in Nkhotakota.

 We have also seen an increase in foreigners acquiring land easily in Malawi, what is the problem and how serious is the situation?

This situation, if it has not already gotten out of hand, it is definitely heading there sooner than we think. Just drive along Mchinji Road from Lilongwe City and check who the owners of those warehouses are, along Zalewa Road with those huge fences, and in the decent areas of our town!

The problem is that the law clearly stipulates that land has to be offered to a Malawian first before a foreigner gets it. But check in our papers, the notices that are there will always be quoting prices in millions of kwacha. How many Malawians can compete with foreigners? The prices are deliberately quoted at a prohibitive rate to ensure that the foreigner faces no competition.

With the poverty levels in the country, a villager who is offered a million kwacha for a piece of land thinks they have money enough to last them a lifetime. And the foreigners are taking advantage of this and are dispossessing poor Malawians of their land.

You have been lobbying for the enactment of a land bill. How important is this to Malawi?

LandNet realises the importance of having progressive land laws in Malawi as a key element in achieving development of the country.  We have an 11-year old land policy that spells out how issues relating to land need to be dealt with, but without a legal backing to implement it. A lot of issues relating to land will continue to emerge such that sooner or later, the policy may not be able to address them.

This will call for a revision of the policy before we even get to implementing the first one. As we do all this, let us not lose sight of the careless buying and selling of land to foreigners and local elites that is getting to alarming levels now. By the time we conclude all this, there will be no land to protect and our rural communities who rely on farming will have been dispossessed of their land. LandNet will continue to push for the enactment of the bills.