By Vincent Gunde
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Millennium Resource and Information Centre (MIRECE) has requested Malawi government to gazette a new settlement of Ex-tobacco tenants, Somanje village in the area of Traditional Authority (T.A)Kapondo in Mchinji district.
The village is made up of ex-tobacco tenants from Kasungu and Mchinji who were left stranded after the management of Kasungu Flue-Cured Tobacco Authority [KFCTA], General Farming and Chamwabvi Group of companies abandoned them without land for settlement and farming.
After learning the plight of their sufferings, Reverend Flywell Somanje identified a government land at Rusa estate in Mchinji where he took the suffering EX-Tobacco tenants to settle at a new place, a big area of land which was left idle by government some years back.
It is also alleged that the councilor of the area, business people and some other government officials are influencing some ex-tenants at Rusa estate grabbing land by force for selling.
However, they started waging wars against fellow settlers and this resulted to many women and children hacked with panga knives and other dangerous weapons protecting their land from being taken away.
Even though this attack was reported to police at Kapiri, they did nothing to arrest the offenders besides knowing their names and it was alleged that police officers at Kapiri were part of the communities not happy with land given to the settlers.
In the ambush, a total of 148 houses were demolished, 8 houses burnt into ashes, faming implements, livestock were all stolen leaving them to live like refugees in a foreign land and despite of this reported to police, the same song was recorded with no arrests made to this day.
According to situation analysis for ex-tobacco tenants resettled at Rusa estate in Mchinji, there is high levels of hunger, no water and sanitation facilities, no children care centres, more school dropouts and early marriages as a result of extreme family poverty.
The history of ex-tobacco tenants coming for settlement and farming at Rusa estate date back from April, 2017 to November, 2018, there population increased steadily because they were not practicing family planning methods, currently, there is a population of 6,723 people from 8,000, many settlers run away into safety and are still in hiding.
Speaking in an interview, MIRECE’s Director, Reverend Flywell Somanje appealed to government to provide security to these ex-tobacco tenants for them to go back at the resettled Rusa estate and provision of water which is priority number one and sanitation facilities to prevent water-borne diseases especially now with the rainy season.
“These people after their houses were demolished, burnt and property stolen, they have nowhere to depend upon, organizations, well -wishers and individuals who have the spirit of sharing a little they have, are being encouraged to come at Rusa estate in Mchinji for the ex-tobacco tenants to see the difference in their lives,” said Somanje.
He also called for police support in arresting all those who took part in the demolition of houses burning, hacking people with panga knives and above all, those who violated the rights of the settlers, must be prosecuted in the courts of law so that justice prevail.