The Sunday News
Belinda Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government will not hesitate to prosecute politicians and traditional leaders who are illegally demanding money from individuals so that they can be resettled on State land.
It has emerged that some politicians and traditional leaders are receiving bribes and then parcel out pieces of land to people who would have paid.
In an interview, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Retired Chief Air Marshall Perrance Shiri said the selling of resettlement land was illegal and the perpetrators should be reported to the police or straight to the ministry. He added that legal action would be taken on those found guilty.
“Issuing out land for payment is a criminal offence. It is important that people expose such actions, people who do this should be reported to the police or straight away to the ministry. Legal action will be taken as we work in ending corruption,” said Minister in an interview.
His warning comes at a time when President Mnangagwa has called for the fight against corruption and has declared zero tolerance on corruption.
The President has since established an anti-corruption taskforce in his office to expedite the prosecution of corruption cases.
Corrupt land dealings, abuse of office, demanding bribes, general mendacity and all other forms of graft have characterised the country’s economy, spelling more misery and pain to the ordinary person, the unemployed and those that are honest.
In Insiza (Matabeleland South), reports have emerged of disputes over land with settlers invading grazing land and some leaders and politicians allegedly grabbing and selling land in resettlement areas. In an interview, a local chief, Chief Jahana implored the Government to look into the land issue as there were some corrupt land dealings in the area.
“The Government must enforce the law by prosecuting land barons. The corrupt land officials are a problem causer with the police sometimes turning a blind eye to the cases as some have also benefited from the land dealings,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Land Commission is conducting an agriculture land audit addressing all issues related to land tenure in order to bring finality and closure to the management and ownership of land,issues considered critical for improved land utilisation.
The Government introduced the “use it or lose it” land reform programme in the past years to take a new direction geared towards monitoring performance by those who have been given land.
@MoyoOlivet
