Desperate land seekers falling prey to conmen
THERE has been a rush and a lot of interest in obtaining land for farming and other agricultural projects across the country and demand for the finite resources has grown tremendously.
It is concerning that some people are falling victim to conmen who are taking advantage of this high demand for land.
When it comes to agriculture, the promise of a secure food supply and a steady income can be especially tempting.
However, without proper due diligence, people can end up losing their hard-earned money to unscrupulous individuals.
The practice of selling non-existent land is a serious problem that can have devastating consequences for those who are tricked into buying land that does not exist.
In some cases, the conmen even provide fake documentation, such as forged title deeds, offer letters and permits to support their claims.
Once the victims have paid for the land, they may find themselves in a difficult position, as they have no legal recourse and have lost their investment.
Some traditional leaders have also been selling grazing lands to desperate land seekers. The “Sabhuku deals” have seen many people acquiring land illegally.
People in the diaspora have also become a target of the dealers who claim to be land agencies that can facilitate easy ownership of land.
Some agents have gone on to form WhatsApp groups of land seekers and reportedly charging administration fees and registration fees.
Other land seekers have also revealed that they are asked to contribute towards the cost of the pegging of the farms they are supposed to be allocated and in some cases asked to pay survey fees before they are allocated the land. But all this is not legal.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development also does not charge any money for land application.
Some people in the diaspora and others locally have bought land, only to find out that the farms are non-existent or that they are already occupied by the legal owners.
Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Dr Anxious Masuka said Government would not regularise those that settle themselves on State land without procedurally issued tenure documents, adding that the full wrath of the law would be applied in such cases.
According to the Land Commission Act, it is a criminal offence in terms of the Gazetted Lands (Consequential Provisions) Act to occupy State land without lawful authority in the form of a permit, an offer letter or a lease.
The Ministry has been receiving several complaints from those who would have been duped and also people in the communal areas whose grazings would have been subdivided by traditional leaders for residential and farming purposes.
Recently, over 3 700 suspected land barons and squatters were arrested with 985 convictions in the courts, while 3 360 cases are pending trial since January as Government clamps down on the proliferation of illegal settlements across the country.
Members of the public should be aware of the correct procedures of acquiring farms for them not to fall prey to the conmen.
One can have access to land legally and this does not involve pumping out money to land officers or headmen.
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development acting director for land management and administration Mr Nyasha Dendere said the allocation of land was not an individual’s responsibility.
He said the headmen did not have the authority to sell land while it was also not the land officers duty to show seekers vacant farms or allocate land.
“Land allocation is not a responsibility of an individual, it is a committee’s responsibility. Land officers are responsible for carrying out verifications and bringing in reports to the committee for consideration but should not take people around showing them land.
“There is no money is required for land application, it is a free process. The Ministry also does not have agencies who facilitate allocation of land to people,” he said.
Acquiring land should be done legally, following the correct procedures.
For the A1 scheme, which is more of a villagised settlement, although there is more land for a household.
Under the A1 model, farmers have half a hectare allocated to the household for residential purposes and plus or minus 6 hectares allocated for cropping.
“Each household gets grazing land that should sustain seven livestock units. A unit has 500kg of live mass of livestock. The land for livestock is communally allocated.
“For one to qualify to be an A1 farm owner, there are not much requirements except that one should be a Zimbabwean at least 21 years and have an ID,” said Mr Dendere.
A land seeker will go and register at the district of choice and is put on the waiting list. When the land is available, one is allocated.
The district land committee makes the recommendation which goes to the provincial land committee which then makes a recommendation to the Minister of Lands who then approves by giving a permit to the applicant.
“A1 farmers used to get offer letters but now they get permits. Only when one is in possession of a permit should he or she be taken and shown the piece of land that he or she would have been allocated.
“One cannot occupy land on the basis of being recommended or just being on the waiting list. From the process of registering until one gets a permit, there is not even a cent of money required from an applicant.
“Only when you now have a permit will you get an invoice to pay your rentals. A1 farmers are required to pay US$22 for the whole year,” he said.
Mr Dendere said A2 was for commercial farming.
“To get land under this model, one has to complete an application form and a project proposal with cash flow projections. These are submit at the district or provincial office of choice where one will get a waiting list number and the application will be vetted in terms of capacity and ability. When we do vetting there are issues we consider; gender if you are a man you score five points but of you are a woman you score 10 points.
“We look at education which is agricultural related, experience in the agriculture field and also your resource capacity in terms of farming equipment. Some have equipment while some have finances.
“When put on the waiting list and suitable land is now available the district lands committee will then make a recommendation to the provincial land committee which will make a recommendation to the Minister. When the Minister is satisfied with the recommendation, he will issue a permit,” he said.
Mr Dendere said after a settlement permit is issued, one will have to be shown boundaries by the lands officer and given a layout map which indicates boundaries and plots of neighbours if sharing the parent farm with other farmers.
“Only when you get your permit will you get an invoice for land rentals. For A2 it is currently US$3 per hectare for farmers in region 1 and 2 and US$2 per hectare per year for farmers in region 3, 4 and 5.
“We also want to inform our farmers that they have an obligation to pay development levies to the RDC but only after getting tenure documents,” he said.
There have been instances where land seekers move around farms in search of idle or vacant farms.
“There is no person who has capacity to declare a farm idle or vacant except the lands officials or ministry officials who know the criteria used. In case where the land seekers suspect the land is idle, they should alert land officials as they are the ones who can declare a farm idle, vacant or underutilised,” he said.
Mr Dendere said “Sabhuku deals” were threatening to reverse the land reform.
“The reason why people fought during the liberation struggle was to get land. The colonial government had cramped our fore fathers in tribal trust lands, living them with unfertile land which was not enough to sustain them or even to economically empower them.
“The land reform sought to address the most critical issue which to de-congest communal areas. We are happy to note that after the land reform, there was a forest regeneration taking place in communal areas which is a direct effect of the process.
“Sabhuku deals are taking people back and congesting the land again. We say no to Sabhuku deals. The traditional leaders are expected to ensure there is order and tradition and culture are being observed in the communal areas. The fact that some land officers take specific individuals to show them vacant pieces smells of corruption,” he said.
The Ministry of Lands has been using social media, print and electronic media to educate people on the corrects steps of acquiring land.
“We are also encouraging our officers to explain the proper procedures to land seekers. We have ministry’s policy and guidelines on resettlement and we share with people to address these pertinent issues,” he said.