Chiefs Order Govt To Arrest Wandale

By: Chikondi Magalasi

Just a few days after The Malawi Star reported that some angry people in two tea growing  districts , Thyolo and Mulanje, have vowed to form their own Nation, Chiefs in the districts have brushed the idea aside.

The Chiefs from the  districts had a meeting on Thursday at Senior Chief Ngolongoliwa’s Mtundawosema Headquarters in Thyolo district in which they discussed to summon Vincent Wandale a torch-bearer for the move of forming the State.

Wandale, who is the leader of Peoples Land Organisation (PLO), recently said People in the districts are tired of the Malawi government for failing to resolve their concerns against Tea estates owners in the two districts.

The PLO leader claimed that there are idle lands owned by estate owners of which people in the districts can use for cultivation in order to feed themselves. He called the newly formed nation as United States of Thyolo and Mulanje.

Speaking after the meeting, Senior Chief Ngolongoliwa who was the Chairperson of the meeting asked the Police to nab and bring him to them so that he should explain what he is saying regarding forming a State since he has never approached them.

He further said that Wandale has no power to challenge President Peter Mutharika on such an issue, therefore he ordered that he must be arrested as he is stealing money from the people.

“This man should be arrested because he has swindled peoples’ money under the pretence that he will give them land. We know very well that land in the districts is a problem but that cannot warrant anyone to challenge the government let alone come up with an idea of forming a ‘state’,” said Ngolongoliwa.

Meantime Wandale has said that he is not shaken up with what Chiefs are saying and has assured them that he is ready to face them for discussions. He further claimed that some of these Chiefs are aware of the issue because he approached them sometime ago.

Despite demanding the idle lands from estates Owners, PLO is also claiming some money for all used estate land from 1914 from people who own estates in the two districts.