The government is in the process of drafting a legal document that would lead to the prosecution of both illegal sellers and buyers of land in the country while proposing mandatory prison sentences.
Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Engineer Tafadzwa Mogoti, speaking at the recent Land Matters Indaba conference organized by Zimpapers, held on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) last week, said the law should never again look… Those who sell land illegally and exclude buyers.
The indaba was held amid growing concerns about growing illegal settlements mainly on prime agricultural land and areas surrounding cities. Topics covered by speakers, including the guest of honour, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Giri, included land distribution and economic development, traditional leadership roles, addressing land barons in urban human settlements, as well as resolving land disputes. .
Engineer Mogoti said illegal land allotment should and must carry a harsher penalty than stock theft.
He said that from now on, people who buy corruptly allocated lands will no longer be victims but also criminals.
“With regard to prosecution, we have now started working on a paper, which will be sent to the Lands Commission and other government agencies such as the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to ensure that we now have a two-tier approach to prosecution,” Engineer Mogoti said. .
We are tired of the land lords being prosecuted without their beneficiaries. It is known how land is acquired, and if you choose that you want a stolen bike and it is recovered, you will also be arrested, and the same approach should be in the land issue as well.
“Land crime should carry a harsher penalty than cattle theft. People are sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison for cattle theft, which can lead to a natural death. What about something that God doesn’t do anymore?” he added.
Engineer Mogoti was presenting a research paper on the current path of the lands from the government’s point of view and the expectations of local authorities. He said one of the grave mistakes during the First Republic era was the presence of “political animals” who used land as a tool for political campaigning, saying the nation was badly damaged by the issue of political persuasion.
“At some point in the history of Zimbabwe in the old republic, we made the mistake of using land for election campaigns, and as a result, we found it appropriate for me to be a councillor, to be able to acquire land to give to the people because the demand for land is Real, and it existed at that time and still exists today.”
He said President Mnangagwa has a very clear position on land, which is order and development that is planned transparently and seriously.
Engineer Mogoti also used the opportunity to appeal to the media to expose all negative developments and corrupt activities in the distribution and allocation of land in the country.
He said the role of the media is to professionally expose illegal deals that erode the strength and value of Zimbabwean land.
“Talk frankly about what needs to be done. No country can attract investment without respecting property rights,” Engineer Mogoti said.
In February this year, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission arrested a senior government official, Joyce Munamati, who is the Manicaland District Civil Registrar, over allegations of selling state land after she falsely provided information to a buyer that the land was hers.
According to ZACC, Monamati fraudulently sold a 32.5-hectare parcel of land, subdivision 22 of Wallacedale in Odzi, to Calvin Zeke for US$15,000 after she gave him false information that she owned the land. Announce
