A wake-up from Lands minister

To many Malawians, land is a piece of ground or a bare plot on sale. In broad sense, land includes real estate in all its forms, including residential houses, commercial buildings, rental properties, offices, shops and undeveloped land. Although land is central to our lives and economy, many Malawians continue to lose money, property and peace of mind because they approach land transactions casually.

Minister of Lands Chimwemwe Chipungu’s statements in response to illegal land acquisition and corruption in cities should awaken the nation, not just land officers or politicians, that land issues are not just about money, but fundamentally legal in nature. Even ordinary citizens and investors should take land matters seriously. To avoid costly mistakes, one must appreciate the legal, financial and the physical dimension of every land transaction.

Most people encounter problems in the real estate market—such as being duped, buying land that belongs to someone else, having buildings demolished or losing investments—because they ignored or misunderstood one of these dimensions, especially the legal one. The physical dimension is the nice plot, solid house, promising neighbourhood, roads, electricity and water system we see. The financial dimension is the price we pay to buy, construct, rent and get profits.

[paywall]

Most people focus on the visible issues: If someone shows you land, you agree on a price, money changes hands and development starts. But the legal requirements answer critical questions such as who truly owns this land, whether they are authorised to sell it, is the land properly allocated, is it registered, is it dispute-free and is the intended development allowed under planning laws. Buyers must address these questions without any shortcut.

They determine whether your money is safe or lost. Many Malawians have bought land simply because they had the money. They did not verify ownership, check planning status or confirm whether the plot was designated for residential, commercial or industrial use. Later, court cases, demolition orders or government repossession ensue.

[/paywall]