In a statement last night, Minister Moyo said Government
had noted with concern the rampant illegal sales of land by politicians, both
in the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition MDC-Alliance, which is in charge of
most councils.
Some of the politicians abuse party regalia while others
name-drop President Mnangagwa and other high ranking party members, to grab
land and sell it to desperate home seekers.
Zimbabwe has over 1,3 million people on the housing list,
creating a fertile ground for land barons to exploit the desperation and fleece
citizens of their hard earned money.
“It goes without saying that we have seen some politicians
abusing their party regalia and positions invading land while name-dropping His
Excellency (President Mnangagwa) and other high-ranking party officials as well
as opposition parties,” said Minister Moyo.
“It is therefore our position as Government that all those
politicians who are invading land and creating bogus cooperatives are criminals
who deserve to be arrested and prosecuted for fraud, corruption and land
invasions.
“Our authorities in Harare are working with security
agencies to ensure that we arrest all those involved in land scams. Land
developers who have failed to deliver their obligations of government contracts
of developing and servicing land whilst selling stands and pocketing the funds
for themselves will be subjected to similar laws of the land.”
The chilling warning comes as one person was arrested
yesterday after police raided an area in Hatcliffe, Harare, where people were
being illegally allocated residential stands on State land.
A former Zanu PF councillor for the area, Mr Naboth
Munyengera, is alleged to be behind the illegal sale of the land to
unsuspecting home seekers. The home seekers were allocated stands after paying
an initial US$600 deposit.
When The Herald visited the area, police had cleared the
area. Chief Inspector Gilbert Mhaka from ZRP Borrowdale confirmed the arrest of
the person.
“When we arrived and they saw the police vehicle, some of
them sped off in a vehicle, while others ran away on foot. We only managed to
apprehend one person at the scene who indicated that he had been invited for
the allocation of stands.
“So we are making some follow ups to find out who was
allocating those stands and we hope the man we have arrested will assist us in
investigating who is behind the allocation of stands,” said Chief Inspector
Mhaka.
A resident in the area, Mr Kurai Hope, said Mr Munyengera
was behind the illegal land sales. “People are paying US$600 as deposit and are
allocated stands thereafter.”
Zanu PF Harare provincial chairperson Cde Godwills
Masimirembwa dissociated the ruling party from Mr Munyengera’s activities.
“As the ruling party and Zanu PF Harare Province, we
dissociate ourselves from Cde Munyengera’s land baron activities. We have
repeatedly warned him against selling State land but he has refused to listen.
“We have also taken up the matter with the office of the
Provincial Affairs Minister (Oliver Chidau),” he said.
Government has sent out teams across the country to
identify land that was allocated and settled by land barons, council officials
and the business community, with a view to fully account for the land and
expose criminal activities that include developments without necessary
approvals.
Minister Moyo said his ministry was working with the
Ministry of Housing in order to regularise most of the illegally settled
people.
“However, there will be no regularisation without
prosecution while protecting the vulnerable who have been fleeced of their
hard-earned money,” said Minister Moyo.
Citizens were urged to acquire land legally and verify land
authenticity with the Ministry of Local Government, Ministers of State for
Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Provincial Development Coordinators and
District Development Coordinators.
All local authorities have been advised to be strict on
land matters and to follow the law, in particular the Regional Town and Country
Planning Act, Urban and the Rural Councils Act.
The Regional Town and Country Planning Act, especially
Section 24 (4) (Control of Development), criminalises any form of land
development without permits or approved plans.
Land barons in breach of this law face up to a year in
prison if they fail to adhere to section 32 which criminalises non-compliance
to an enforcement order.
The land barons have parcelled out State land, local
authorities’ land and even private land across the country.
In Harare, they have invaded Mufakose, Budiriro, Hatcliffe,
and Aspindale, among others while in Chitungwiza, power lines, sewer lines,
schools, clinics and football fields have been taken over.
A number of councillors and officials have been facilitating
offer letters on approved and environmentally sensitive areas.
In Chitungwiza, backdated offer letters have been issued to
home seekers for a premium bribe paid to council officials.
Harare Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Tafadzwa
Muguti, is on record saying it was against the country’s laws to construct
houses haphazardly, adding that Government was working tirelessly to uproot the
menace of land barons. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment