Chiefs, headmen to face arrest for selling State land

THE recent programme by the Government to flush out people who have been resettled irregularly in resettlement areas has opened a can of worms that is likely to see some land officers, chiefs and headmen facing arrest for selling State land to desperate citizens, Sunday News can reveal.

The revelations come in the wake of reports that some of the affected people were demanding back their cattle and money that they had paid to the chiefs and headmen in exchange for State land which is not for sale. Those that paid to be resettled in areas reserved for pastures are threatening to report the traditional leaders for selling State land and for gross corruption. Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora had set 6 September as the deadline for illegal settlers to go back to their places of origin, or face prosecution. He said incidents where people have either resettled themselves or have been resettled irregularly by corrupt chiefs and headmen were a national problem causing the ministry a headache.

Dr Mombeshora said the country’s land allocation and settler emplacement was carried out in an orderly manner and on the basis of farm layout maps and people and communities should respect the layout maps that clearly demarcate residential areas, arable and grazing areas.

“Given the elaborate carefully considered planning undertaken in resettlement areas that took into account ecological aspects, such as natural resource management and conservation, as well as issues of viability, the Government will not tolerate illegal settlements that have mushroomed in undesignated areas including grazing and catchment areas of dams and rivers. Any person occupying rural land without an official temporary permit issued by the District Land Committee, an offer letter or permission of the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement is deemed an illegal settler,” reads part of the statement released by the ministry. Minister of State for Masvingo Province Cde Shuvai Mahofa confirmed the anomalies in most resettlement areas and said those that were forced to pay for land by the chiefs and headmen were free to take the legal route.

In Masvingo, she said, a number of people who were illegally resettled by the chiefs and headmen were identified prompting the provincial lands committee to start the process of looking for alternative land to resettle them.

“We have always been telling people not to be made to pay for resettlement land. The land is the State’s and should not be sold. As a province we have started looking for alternative land to resettle those we are going to move — those that were illegally resettled and I think this applies to all the provinces,” she said.

Some of the people who were illegally resettled in Mwenezi, Chiredzi and Masvingo districts said they were made to pay a beast by the chiefs and headmen while others claimed that the traditional leaders were working hands in glove with district land officers who they would share the loot with.

“We were told there was land. And when we came the chief made us pay a beast each and he gave us the land. We have since built our homes and transferred our school going children. In fact we are now established here and now the Government is saying we should move. Are we therefore going to be given back our beasts and money that we paid to the chief, is he going to refund us given that he had sold the beasts?” queried some of the people who were resettled by Chief Neshuro in Mwenezi.

Vice-president of the Councils of Chiefs Zimbabwe Chief Mtshane Khumalo said chiefs were not allowed to sell land to deserving Zimbabweans adding that those that were doing so were supposed to be reported to the police.

“We are told such incidents are happening in some provinces where the land reform was done. But if chiefs were benefiting or working in cahoots with land officers to get bribes or whatever they call it then that is corruption and we do not condone it in our rank and file.

“Legal settlers should have documents and we hope the Government will ask those that have no documents how they were settled and expose the corrupt traditional leaders. No chief is above the law and those that were doing that should face prosecution if the cases are proven,” said Chief Mtshane.