Police arrest Mpingwe Hill ‘chief’
Police in Limbe have arrested a man who claims to be a chief around Mpingwe Hill and was allegedly selling plots to people, causing encroachment on the protected area.
Police have identified the chief as 42-year-old Kalakani Mdala from Kalakani Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Machinjiri in Blantyre.
In an interview on Monday, Limbe Police Station spokesperson Chifundo Kansunje said Mdala will answer three charges of unauthorised use of land, proposing violence and contempt of court.
She said the contempt of court charge has come about because the chief defied a court order which barred the people he sold the plots to from using the land.
Blantyre City Council (BCC) public relations manager Anthony Kasunda said although the arrest of the chief is a step in the right direction, the council, in collaboration with other stakeholders who have an interest in the place, will continue with its ultimate goal which is to see all illegal settlers moved out of the place.
During his recent visit to Mpingwe Transmitter Site last month, Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture Kondwani Nankhumwa expressed concern over the encroachment on the place.
In July this year, BCC officials accompanied by dozens of armed police demolished illegal houses and other structures that were constructed around Kachere side of the hill, covering an area of about 200 hectares.
