Land & a bungling regime: a Short Story
1. It started with SI50/2021 issued on 26 Feb 2021. The decree sought to remove the Chilonga community from their ancestral lands to make way for DenDairy to grow grass for its cows. It promoted heavy resistance such as #boycottdendairy
1. It started with SI50/2021 issued on 26 Feb 2021. The decree sought to remove the Chilonga community from their ancestral lands to make way for DenDairy to grow grass for its cows. It promoted heavy resistance such as #boycottdendairy
2. A week later, government issued another decree, SI63A/2021. It changed the purpose of setting aside the land to “establishing an irrigation scheme” but retained the clause forcing the Chilonga community to depart permanently. We covered it in the BSR showing the illegalities.
3. On 16 March Government issued SI72A/2021, this time repealing the initial decree and removing the clause forcing the Chilonga community to depart permanently from their land. This is a big reversal of an unjust and arbitrary policy that disrespected citizens’ rights.
4. Why is this significant? It matters because the government has been forced into a reversal of an unjust policy. If it hadn’t been challenged, it was going to remove the Chilonga community. The revelation of cronyism, the legal challenges & social media protests helped.
5. It is those who were defending the unjust & inequitable decree that have egg on their face. What do they have to say now that it’s repealed? That’s the cost of defending absurd policies, defending out of duty without thinking. I don’t know how they do it!
6. As for the government, let’s hope the irrigation scheme is implemented & that this isn’t just a ruse to hoodwink people. As for the public, don’t let anyone tell you that protests are useless, whether on social media or elsewhere. It’s your right to SHOUT at the government.
7. Still, as I wrote in last week’s BSR, the Communal Land Act has unconstitutional provisions and as long as it remains in its current state, people who live there are vulnerable to the President’s whims. The constitutionality of that law should still be challenged.
8. You might have found the BSR a little heavier than normal but you will do well to file it for later studying. If you have family in communal lands, you should certainly take an interest in it: bigsr.co.uk/single-post/bi…
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