Land barons hit Mutare
SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE
Land barons are illegally selling land in Mutare District, prejudicing the State as well as swindling hordes of desperate land seekers of thousands of dollars, Business Times can report.
The illegal land sales are occurring in Zimunya, Chitakatira, Berzeley Bridge, Odzi and Bambazonke service centres and Marange rural service centres in contravention of Regional Town Planning Act (Chapter 29:12), according to Mutare Rural District Council chief executive officer Shephered Chinaka.
“The land sellers have been previously warned against these illegal sales. We are warning the general public to guard against being swindled of their hard-earned cash by these illegal land dealers,” Chinaka said.
“The council will take necessary steps to demolish illegal structures to facilitate orderly allocation of stands as soon as its planning process is finalised.”
A number of people have been fleeced of their money through illicit land sales and developers in Mutare district and had their structures demolished by authorities.
Zimbabwe has been persistently dogged by challenges of increased demand for housing. It is estimated that over 1.3m people are on the housing list, creating a fertile ground for land barons to fleece desperate home seekers of their hard earned money.
Recently, Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo said the increasing demand for housing has led to some unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of the situation and have made themselves local authorities parcelling out land to desperate home seekers.
Moyo said land barons have to date parcelled out state land, local authority land, and even private land across the country.
He said what started off as a community driven housing development programme by the government through housing cooperatives has also now been hijacked by greedy individuals who are amassing wealth at the expense of our citizens.
Moyo indicated that some politicians are abusing their party regalia and positions invading land while “name-dropping His Excellency (President Emmerson Mnangagwa) and other high-ranking party officials as well as opposition parties”.
