BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Landowners on the Ng’onga Portland Cement Mining web site in Balaka live in worry after a daybreak police raid, which occurred simply hours following their submission of a petition to the District Commissioner’s workplace.
The petition highlighted grievances associated to their very own land, which they consider are being intentionally suppressed by the District Commissioner.
The scenario has sparked outrage among the many affected landowners, who really feel their proper to precise themselves on issues affecting their livelihoods is being denied.
A latest investigation by the Center for Democracy and Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI) revealed that the Balaka District Council Compensation workforce, led by Mr. Joseph Flugensio, employed coercive techniques to power landowners into signing paperwork they didn’t totally comprehend.
According to CDEDI Executive Director, Slyvester Namiwa, the workforce denied affected people the chance to barter phrases throughout the evaluation course of.
The scenario escalated when the workforce confiscated preliminary evaluation receipts, citing errors of their valuations and calculations.
Emmanuel Gwadani, a number one voice representing the aggrieved group, shared his frustrations concerning the scenario.
Gwadani revealed that after they tried to submit a proper petition to the DC’s workplace, they had been met with hostility.
The DC refused to simply accept the petition, dismissing the landowners’ issues with out giving them a platform to be heard.
Things took a darker activate February 4, 2025, when Gwadani turned the goal of an unsettling incident. Police officers arrived at his farm, demanding to go looking his house with out a warrant.
Gwadani was left shaken, believing the police motion was a direct results of his involvement within the Ng’onga Mining web site dispute.
The incident has raised questions on intimidation techniques getting used to silence affected people.
For many landowners, that is greater than only a dispute over compensation; it’s a battle for dignity and truthful therapy.
With mounting frustrations and a rising sense of injustice, the scenario at Ng’onga is changing into a flashpoint in the neighborhood.
The landowners are demanding higher transparency within the compensation course of, an finish to heavy-handed techniques, and significant engagement with the District Commissioner.
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