Minister of Lands, Kezzie Msukwa has expressed optimism traditional leaders and other players will accept implementation of the new Land Law of 2016 after their engagements with the ministry.
Some traditional leaders and players have been resisting the new land law for some time.
Speaking Monday in Mzuzu when he opened a two-day Inclusive Sensitisation Workshop on the new land-related laws, Msukwa said the laws have several benefits to people as they will be able to register their customary land parcels with permanent ownership.
He said once implemented, the laws will enhance land security to households and families including the disadvantaged people and that they will also address issues of favouritism in land distribution.
The minister also explained that the laws will facilitate maximisation of economic benefits of Malawians from their land as they provide for registration of customary land as a customary estate.
This, he said, will ensure security of tenure for individuals, families and cooperatives among other groups.
“People will be able to sub-lease out their parcels of land and generate steady income for the period of the sub-lease besides that they can use the same land as collateral when one wants to access a loan,” said Msukwa.
He said his ministry was doing everything to interpret the laws to different stakeholders to address misconceptions surrounding the same.
“To ensure that the laws are easily understood, the ministry has embarked on translation exercise of the laws.
“We have already translated them into Chichewa and very soon they will be translated into Tumbuka,” he said.
Reacting to concerns raised by some of the participants, Msukwa said the implementation of the laws will not reduce power and authority of traditional leaders over their subjects.
Speaking on behalf of Paramount Chief M’mbelwa V, Senior Chief Mabilabo said the gathering was eager to have clarifications on some of the contents of the laws.
“We have reservations on some of the contents of the laws as they are not in tandem with our cultural ways of handling land issues by our traditional hierarchies.
“Some of the protocols have not been considered in the laws. We do not know how traditional leaders such as village and group village heads, traditional authorities and the paramount chief will come in these laws,” said Mabilabo.
He, however, said stakeholders in Mzimba are still consulting on modernisation of the district’s cultural approach to land administration.
The workshop, which was attended by members of M’mbelwa Development Trust (MDT), Mzimba Heritage Association and M’mbelwa Investment Limited, is being held on request by MDT which is chaired by Paramount Chief M’mbelwa V.
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