Zanu PF warns land barons
ZANU PF has said law enforcement agents should go after “big fish” land barons who have made millions of dollars through selling State land which is against the Government and the ruling party’s land redistribution programme.
The party’s Secretary General, Dr Obert Mpofu, said this yesterday on the sidelines of the party’s victory celebrations held in Umguza Ward 12.
This comes as the Government has heightened arrests of those illegally parcelling out of State land.
Dr Mpofu said the party supports the arrests of land barons as their operations disregard the Government’s resettlement policies.
He, however, noted that there were concerns that police were targeting villagers who were victims of illegal settlements instead of arresting land barons.
“The party position is that we should target land barons, who in a corrupt manner, started selling land which they don’t own. Those who bought land should report the people who sold them the land so that the law enforcement agents deal with those who are selling land illegally,” said Dr Mpofu.
“Most of them have made millions of dollars selling land which they don’t own. We need to weed out the land barons.”
Dr Mpofu said he has since asked the authorities in Matabeleland North province to address the issue.
“I have been told even by the provincial police commander that they are targeting land barons. However, what we are seeing is that it is not only the land barons who are being targeted, villagers who are victims, have been arrested,” he said
Dr Mpofu said Zanu PF, through its people-centred policies, will not allow members of the public to suffer as a result of a few corrupt officials using their positions to sell State land.
He said members of the public should report individuals who sold them the land.
“No one should buy land in communal areas, but people must follow due processes by approaching the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture,
Fisheries, Water and Rural Development if they require land,” said Dr Mpofu.
He said there must be sanity in land redistribution while those who violate the law should face the full wrath of the law.
“The Government is not there to inconvenience people by displacing them. Zanu PF has no programme of inconveniencing its people, but it has a programme of resettling its people,” said Dr Mpofu.
“It is those opportunists, who are greedy, corrupt and want to violate the land reform programme. They are doing it using the name of the party, but the party has pronounced itself that people should be allowed to settle in areas that have not been identified by the Government.”
Dr Mpofu urged elected party leaders to serve the people as their power is drawn from those who voted for them.
He said he will closely be working with communities to implement development projects.
Dr Mpofu raised concerns over the Umguza Community Share Ownership borehole drilling rig which he said some elected officials were abusing for personal gains as opposed to drilling boreholes to alleviate water challenges in the constituency.