Govt officials under fire over land allocations

GOVERNMENT officials from the Department of Lands and Rural Resettlement in Makonde District are under fire for presiding over double allocations of resettlement land.

The officials are accused of working in cahoots with community and traditional leaders in the corrupt activities.

The development follows the recent displacement of youths who were allocated land at Two Tree Farm in Mhangura early last year.

The displacements were allegedly effected to pave way for individuals who allegedly paid for land.

The youths who have offer letters alleged, in recent interviews, that those who benefited from the corrupt activities have since moved in onto their land.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Tatenda Gonouya, who was allocated Plot 146, Lot 4 of Two Tree Farm in Mhangura, Makonde District, on April 7, 2017, alleged, recently that a manager at a local bank in Chinhoyi is claiming the same piece of land.

Reads the offer letter: “This letter serves to certify that Mr/ Mrs/ Miss Tatenda Calvin Gonouya ID Number 70 -251510 L44, Address Plot 146 Two Tree (Lot 4) Farm has been allocated Plot No. 146 of Two Tree Lot 4 Farm, measuring approximately 6 ha in extent, in Makonde District, Mashonaland West Province.”

Mr Gonouya has since been displaced from the piece of land amid reports that structures he had built at the farm, allocated under the A1 resettlement scheme, had also been destroyed by the new claimant. Mr Gonouya said he raised the anomaly with Makonde District Administrator Mr Joseph Manyurapasi who referred him to the District Lands Officer Mr Maxwell Muvondori.

“I approached the DA for on the issue, who referred me to the lands office after a senior official from a bank in Chinhoyi had moved onto the farm claiming that he was allocated the same piece of land,” he said.

“At the offices I was told that I had to move to another plot, a development I objected to. They said they would look into the issue and come up with an acceptable solution.”