Chiefs cry foul over Jenda growth centre
Some chiefs in Mzimba have written government complaining that they have been denied a share of the Jenda Rural Growth Centre in the new mapping for the project.
But M’mbelwa DC Reverend Moses Chimphepo on Thursday said government is addressing the matter, saying the problem relates to land allocated for the growth centre.
In a letter to PS for Local Government, the chiefs say the initial mapping of the centre took all concerned chiefs on board, but government later changed the arrangement.
“The new mapping has allocated all the new projects under Traditional Authority (T/A) Mabulabo’s jurisdiction, leaving nothing for TA Mzikubola.
“We the people of Emalizweni, James Chirwa and Chimsang’aza villages are puzzled with the way the Jenda rural growth centre project is being carried out.
“We had agreed that the project will be centred on the people’s priorities but to our surprise some authorities are dictating critical issues,” reads the letter signed by Village Headmen Emalizweni, James Chirwa and Chimsang’aza.
The letter adds that chiefs provided land for the centre’s market and police station, but it has not been used for the project.
“The land which was surrendered by village headman Emalizweni for the market is being sold to vendors and settlers by the district commissioner’s office through the revenue collector.
“The initial mapping was agreed with all the concerned, but later the DC office brought a different map which has a lot of encroachment on villagers’ land and are to be demarcated into plots to be sold to anyone by the DC’s office,” adds the letter.
Chimphepo said chiefs complained that the growth centre took a lot of land from T/A Mabulabo’s areas, leaving small land for the villagers.
“That issue is being addressed. Inkosi M’mbelwa and Inkosi Mabulabo had a meeting. They have agreed to relocate some of the projects to the other side of TA Mzikubola. We have scheduled a final meeting to take place on the 20th of June.
“The complaint was that all projects were on one side and that they did not leave land for the villagers. The main issue was really about land that all of it had gone to the rural growth centre,” said Chimphepo.
