Sugarcane theft derails relocation plans
People of group village head (GVH) Kalima, Traditional Authority (T/A) Maseya in Chikwawa may not move to upper land because some of them are stealing sugar cane from a company that has offered to provide land for their resettlement.
Chikwawa last year
Speaking last Thursday during a meeting between community members and duty-bearers in the area, organised by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) Chikwawa Diocese with funding from Centre for Social Concern (CSC), T/A Maseya said the company, Agricane Malawi Limited, has expressed concern over how the communities continue to steal its sugar cane.
Said the chief: “The company has promised to provide the land on condition that people stop the stealing behaviour.”
About 1 000 households in the area fell victim to the January 2015 floods that affected 15 of the country’s 28 districts.
In his remarks, GVH Kalima confirmed the sugar cane theft, saying some use ox-carts to carry the stolen sugar cane.
CSC project officer Kondwani Hara said in an interview that the people need to change their behaviour and win back the company’s trust.
On Friday, participants at the meeting agreed to come up with tough by-laws to deal with those found stealing sugar cane.
