The letter from the Surveyor-General of the Minister of Lands clearly reveals that Patel will shortly lose his 99 year leasehold title to Farm 10442 as it 'has been discovered...'that almost all of it' falls within the West Mvuvye National Forest No. 54, which I am very relieved to find, has not been de-gazetted - as reported by Tom Younger of Royal Luembe who claims to have some sort of title to the other portion of the forest, title supposedly sanctioned - according to him, by the State President. However, the documents given to me in March of 2005 by the present MMD party Chairman, Whiteson Njobvu, one of which (see below) clearly reveals the boundaries of the farm as falling within the Forest Reserve and carrying the official Chieftainess Mwape stamp, makes the following absolutely clear:
1. Chieftainess Mwape sold land to which she had no title, and which did not fall within her chiefdom.
2. The headmen who agreed to the sale of the land appear to have been duped, other headmen not being consulted.
3. The Mwape/Patel lawyer who drew up the document should hang his head in shame
4. The Nyimba District Council, a member of which sits on our Luembe Conservancy Trust, knew that the area was national forest, yet agreed to the alienation - despite my writing to them on the same, for reasons of personal gain
5. The land planning officerand the Nyimba Forestry Department officer shold be invesitgated.
6. The Forestry Department HQ and the Provincial Office in Chipata connived in the process, refusing to see myself or community members
6. The cadastral survey and the whole process of registration at Commissioner of Lands went through in record time and was clearly totally corrupt.
7. Complaints to the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Commission for Investigations have had no response - . However, Gerald Mulowa, Mwape's brother, reports they are following the matter up energetically.
8. It appears that it is the brother and sister of chiefs Mwape and Luembe to whom we can ascribe this victory. Somehow they managed to get the Surveyor-General to act. They report that the people of Mwape are unhappy with their chief, as are the people of Luembe.
9. The coloured map shows the boundaries of what is now a national and not a local forest. Looking at the Patel map it is clear that the part of the forest lying between the Mvuvye river and the Nyamadzi is the piece illegally alienated. South of Nyamadzi we have the other part of the forest now in the hands of Royal Luembe
GOVERNMENT SHOULD IMMEDIATELY HOLD AN INQUIRY INTO THE WHOLE SHODDY AFFAIR
1 comment:
great job guys, great job!
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