Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change has halted the demarcation of plots along M1 Road in Viphya Forest, commonly known as Chikangawa, and has asked the M’Mbelwa District Council to cancel the advertisement and notice that it issued recently in the newspapers.
Secretary for Natural Resources Yusuf Nkungula has written the council that the land falls within the protected area.
In a letter dated May 13, 2024, Nkungula says the council’s public notice inviting investors to develop plots in the area is illegal as the land in question is part of the Mtangatanga Forest Reserve and cannot be used for non-forestry activities.
“The Department of Forestry is dismayed by the recent public notice issued by M’Mbelwa District Council in the newspaper to investors to develop plots in Chikangawa next to Raiply Factory along the M1 road,” reads the letter.
According to the letter, this comes after the department engaged M’Mbelwa District Council in several meetings, reminding them that the said land is part of the Viphya Plantations, which are within the Mtangatanga Forest Reserve, and has never been degazetted as such.
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“We find this lack of understanding and respect for the Forest Act 1997 and the Amendment Act 7 of 2020 unfortunate, irresponsible and uncalled for.
“The ministry would like to reiterate that the said land is part of the Mtangatanga Forest Reserve and therefore cannot be converted or used for anything else other than forestry activities.
“We would further like to advise the M’Mbelwa District Council to follow the right procedure for acquiring public land, which is through application to the Ministry of Lands.
“In view of the aforementioned, we further request that M’Mbelwa District Council to withdraw the public notice with immediate effect until the matter is resolved.
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“Failure to comply may lead to legal action to protect the forest reserve and uphold relevant laws,” Nkungula says in the letter.
According to the notice signed by the M’Mbelwa District Commissioner, Rodney Simwaka, the council said it was “looking for investors to develop commercial, residential, institutional, and industrial plots in Raiply along M1 road in varying sizes”.
It called on those interested to get an application form at a non-refundable fee of K20,000 from the Directorate of Lands and Public Works through the District Estates Office.
Those interested were to contact the council’s Director of Public Works, Allan Chitete, for more details.
When we asked Chitete about the government’s decision to halt the process, he expressed ignorance about the development.
Land expert Jimmy Gongwe has since advised the M’mbelwa District Council to follow the law on the matter.
And economic commentator Velli Nyirongo has hailed the ministry for stopping the process.
“How do we arrive at such destructive decisions on matters concerning our sensitive ecosystems? Thirty years of democracy have aided chaos in the management of our environment and natural resources, and nobody wants to stop the madness,” Nyirongo said.
He said the Malawi 2063 vision without environmental sustainability is unattainable.
“We aren’t learning anything from all the shocks and disastrous events around us. Someone stop this madness! Most worrying is the precedence we are setting. We have lost so much of our pristine greenspace to such careless decisions,” he said.
The 53, 000 hectare forest, at one time considered the largest man-made forest in Southern Africa, has been subjected to deforestation in the past 30 years.
