Necessary court actions will be initiated to seize assets acquired by land barons using the proceeds from their illegal sale of State and council land to desperate homeseekers across the country.
The law that allows the forfeiture of assets acquired from
corrupt activity has rarely been used although a former Zimra employee has lost
property that, on the balance of probability, was acquired corruptly although
there was not enough evidence to convict him.
The actions to forfeit property that cannot be explained
are civil actions, not criminal actions, and so require a lower standard of
proof.
Harare Provincial Development Coordinator Mr Tafadzwa
Muguti said yesterday that many people that have ill-gotten wealth will be
affected as Government is also currently conducting lifestyle audits for
employees in all the local authorities across the country to identify those
that amassed questionable wealth whose provenance they cannot explain.
Speaking at a meeting with Chitungwiza Municipality
management Mr Muguti said he met Local Government and Public Works Minister
July Moyo, and senior police officers over the matter.
“There are people amassing enormous wealth at the expense
of the poor. I am happy to say that with effect from today, we are going to
start asset forfeiture from people like land barons. This morning, I met
Minister Moyo, commissioners of police and their spokesperson, Assistant
Commissioner Paul Nyathi, and we have put a taskforce in place.
“These things (forfeiture) have always been provided for
under the law. It is not like we are crafting a new law. This week you shall
see ZRP going after assets of those who acquired wealth illegally by selling
land which was not theirs. So to those who have got houses and cars we will
take what belongs to the State. That means if the money was supposed to have
benefited Chitungwiza Municipality, it should be directed there,” he said.
By 2022, Mr Muguti said, there should not be any land baron
in the country.
“We are not looking at the political party you support. As
you committed these crimes, we are coming after you. We are doing this for the
sake of progress of this great nation,” he added.
The Provincial Development Co-ordinator said it was a big
disappointment that State land had been parcelled out over the years without
the signature of the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.
“We have people that have taken the power of local
authorities, some of them conniving with staff members to issue offer letters.
Offer letters are not title deeds,” he said.
No individual, said Mr Muguti, should block development
when the State wants to develop its own land as was the case with Chitungwiza
Municipality which was blocked from constructing its civic centre by a land
baron. Herald
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