LILONGWE CITY COUNCIL COMMITS TO TACKLING LAND ENCROACHMENT AND GRABBING ISSUES

The newly elected Mayor for Lilongwe City Council, Esther Sagawa, has disclosed a new strategy to implement in dealing with illegal developments that result from land encroachment and grabbing.

In an interview with this publication, Sagawa said the city is ready to manage all concerns regarding illegal developments that the public has been complaining about.

“We understand the concerns of the public regarding illegal developments that arise from land encroachment and grabbing by people who do not want to respect city by-laws,” said Sagawa.

Mayor Sagawa said the council has by-laws that guide the city when it comes to developments, which the city will restrict according to those by-laws.

She further challenged to work hand in hand with the Secretariat to conduct enforcement operations, saying she will not tolerate anyone doing business as they please.

“As the leader of elected members of Lilongwe City Council, I will make sure that members of parliament and ward councillors work hand in hand with the Secretariat and do things in accordance with the law,” she added.

She assured the public that any future enforcement operation will not be politically influenced in any way.

Commenting on what the mayor said, one of the businesspeople in Old Town, Joseph Alli, said the city should focus more on enforcing its by-laws to address the problem at hand.

“What I have observed is that the continuation of illegal developments in the city keeps increasing because the council takes time to conduct enforcement exercises due to political interference,” he said.

He advised the council to handle enforcement issues with urgency because people continue to build however they want, which is contrary to city planning and affecting development.

Recently, residents in the city have been complaining about the lack of proper planning due to illegal developments where some people encroach on land and start building without the knowledge of the council.

Following such illegal developments, the council took the initiative to conduct demolition exercises in collaboration with some security agencies, such as the Malawi Police Services (MPS) and Malawi Defence Forces (MDF).

Some of the affected areas with demolitions are Nsungwi in Area 25, where some individuals encroached into the graveyard and constructed shops, and Malangalanga.