ZIMBABWE Land Commission (ZLC) Midlands regional director
Lincon Kausiyo (45) has been taken to the court to face criminal abuse of
office charges after he allegedly grabbed a vast tract of land which was in
dispute.
Kausiyo appeared before Gweru magistrate Thomas Gurajena on
Thursday last week and was remanded out of custody on free bail to Thursday for
trial.
He faced two charges – violation of the Mines and Minerals
Act and criminal abuse of duty as a public officer as defined in section 174
(1) (A) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Prosecutor Constance Madzudzu told the court that Kausiyo
of 44 Cliffton Park, Gweru is ZLC regional director stationed at Gweru
Government Complex.
Allegations are that sometime in 2002, a farmer, Leonard
Gotora (44) residing at plot number lot 45 Wildbeast Block Gweru, reported to
the Gweru lands office a land boundary dispute between him and a miner, the
late Anna Majasi. The land boundary dispute was never resolved and it was
outstanding until 2016.
During that period, Gotora made numerous follow ups with
the lands office about the long-outstanding dispute. The matter was taken up by
Kausiyo whose duties as ZLC regional director involved settling such disputes.
However, instead of resolving the dispute, Kausiyo
allegedly proceeded to the site and removed the beacons marking the boundary
and occupied the piece of the farm himself.
The land he grabbed measured 17,5 hectares.
The court heard that Kausiyo had no lawful right to grab
and occupy the disputed land.
He was supposed to settle the impasse and deliver a
judgment on who between the two rightfully owned the land.
The value of the removed beacons which had been put by the
miner to mark the boundary of her claim was $700 and they were recovered by the
police. Newsday
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