Malawi National Land Policy - Mokoro

Ministry of Lands Page 4
TALT Traditional Authority Land Tribunal
TC Traditional Courts
TLT Traditional Land Tribunal
TLB Traditional Land Board
TLC Traditional Land Clerk
USAID United States Agency for International Development
CLC Customary Land Committee
VLT Village Land Tribunal
WB World Bank
WGS World Geospatial System
GLOSSARY
Allodial Interest: The highest proprietary interest known to customary schemes of interest in
land. It is sometimes referred to as the paramount title, absolute title or radical title.
Cadastral Map: A map that shows how a locality is divided into units of ownership.
Cadastre: A public register of the quantity, value, and ownership of the land of a country
compiled for the purpose of public policy.
Customary Law: Unwritten law established by long usage. Malawi and most African countries
define customary law as rules of law, which by custom are applicable to particular communities.
Dambo : Permanent wetlands
Encroachment: Any development on land for which the developer has no legal interest or
planning and building permit for the development.
Ndunda System: A tenure system designed for the Lilongwe West Development Project to give
security of ownership over customary land through the registration of title.
Open Market Value: This is the best price at which the sale of an interest in property might
reasonable be expected to have been completed unconditionally for cash consideration on the day
of valuation assuming:
a) Willing seller and a willing buyer;
b) That, prior to the date of valuation, there had been a reasonable period (having regard to the
nature of the property and the state of the market) for the proper marketing of the interest, for
the agreement of price and terms and for the completion of the sale;
c) That the state of the market level of values and other circumstances were, as on any earlier
assumed date of exchange of contracts, the same as on the date of valuation; and
http://www.malawi.gov.mw/lands/landpol.htm 29/03/2005 15:23:13