The government has warned traditional leaders and individuals who subdivide state land for desperate land seekers in exchange for bribes, saying such behavior is a criminal offence.
The government said it would not hesitate to dismiss and prosecute anyone proven to have violated the law. The warning comes at a time when the division and sale of state land has become rampant across the country as four village chiefs from Dima in Mashonaland East Province were found guilty after appearing in court for selling stalls in unallocated places and pocketing the proceeds.
To mitigate this threat, the government has organized capacity building workshops in the country’s eight rural districts to sensitize traditional leaders on their role and ensure they do not exceed their mandate. The issue of land distribution in exchange for bribes was one of the main objectives of the workshops. Available lands are being advertised on social media as “Sabuko Deals.” The deals are said to be widespread in most parts of the country, especially in areas close to towns and cities.
In response to questions from Sunday News, Director of Communications and Advocacy at the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Gabriel Masfora, confirmed that they are receiving reports. Where village heads divided state lands and received payments. He said their ministry organized workshops with the aim of curbing illegal land deals by traditional leaders.
“The sale of state land is illegal. The duties of the village head are clearly stipulated in Section 12 of the Traditional Leaders Act 29:17 and do not include land allocation. Land is allocated by the relevant Rural District Council after the names of those who want the communal land are submitted to the council and then The decision is made. Our Ministry implemented capacity building workshops from May 2022 to April 2023 in all eight rural districts in each district, and the meetings were attended by chiefs, chiefs and village heads. The duties of each traditional leader were explained and irregularities were pointed out. “The hon. Chiefs and chiefs over village chiefs, and where land is sold on a large scale, are empowered by law to recommend separation.”
He said Section 13 of the Traditional Leaders Act 29:17 spells out the disciplinary action that will be taken if a village chief commits an offense or misconduct.
“We continue to engage the Council of Chiefs which is a gathering of elected traditional leaders and district council chairpersons to further raise awareness of the illegality of land sales and the consequences thereof. Many village chiefs have been convicted of illegal land sales in the country, the latest example being the chiefs,” Mr. Masfora said. Dima villages who were convicted on January 8, 2024.”
In an interview, Chairman of the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs, Chief Mchane Khumalo, said that as traditional leaders, they know that state land should not be sold, and if there are traditional leaders selling state land, law enforcement agents should arrest them.
He said: “It is known that state lands cannot be sold, and whoever does so will be violating the law and be a candidate for prosecution.” Sunday news
