By Sylvester Kumwenda
Lilongwe, September 14, Mana: President Lazarus Chakwera will this week meet representatives of the Peoples Land Organization (PLO) in order to hear their grievances on the cause they have been fighting for in regards to recurrent land issues in Thyolo and Mulanje.
Executive Secretary and Assistant to the President, Sean Kampondeni, made the revelation Monday during the second State House weekly briefing to journalists in Lilongwe.
He said this is one of the steps the president is taking in trying to find ways of resolving land issues and justice in Malawi.
Over the years, PLO leader, Vincent Wandale, has been claiming that the land which was illegally obtained by estate owners during the colonial era should be given back to natives in these districts.
However, in an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), Kampondeni could not be drawn to comment on the stand the president has as regards on the issue.
“What the president is ready to do will be determined after that meeting. That is why he is granting them an audience to appreciate their grievances and subsequent actions will be determined by that interface,” said Kampondeni.
When MANA contacted Wandale for comment, he referred the issue to the PLO’s spokesperson Chakwana Chitsulo, whose line could however not be reached as we went to press.
The meeting will be one of the more than 15 engagements that Chakwera is scheduled to have this week.
Amongst others, Chakwera is also expected to meet the Council for Non Governmental Organizations (CONGOMA) to find mutual grounds on how NGOs can partner with government in transforming Malawi.
He is also expected to meet traditional leaders from Nkhotakota and Ntcheu, and also make a virtual address to the United Nations General Assembly which has started on Monday.
