Underutilised Land Identification Complete
10/14/2015, The Herald
THE Ministry of Lands and Resettlement has identified all underutilised farms countrywide amid indications that applicants on the waiting lists could soon be allocated pieces of land. Lands and Resettlement Minister Cde Douglas Mombeshora confirmed the development in an interview recently. He said the identification process was complete and that the ministry was now verifying information from the provinces.
Cde Mombeshora said the process was long as the ministry had to follow all necessary steps to ensure transparency and accuracy. He said not all big farms would be downsized but those that were underutilised. The recommended farm sizes vary according to ecological region.The sizes range from 250 hectares in region 1 to 500 hectares in region 5.
He said some farms were big in size but had small arable land and could not be downsized. “We have not started downsizing the farms. The process is long. We have identified arable land that is not utilised and all the provinces have submitted their findings to the ministry,” said Cde Mombeshora.
“We are in the process of verifying the facts and finding out if the process was done correctly without intimidation or favouritism. We want to establish the facts before implementing the exercise. We will only allow the provinces to start downsizing the farms after we finish the verification process,” he said.
Cde Mombeshora would not reveal the hectarage of underutilised land. “Every province will submit the names of those on the waiting list so we can inspect the land allocations for transparency. “It’s not possible for everyone to get a farm since land is a limited resource,” he said.
On the evictions taking place in some parts of the country, Cde Mombeshora said there were challenges of cases of double allocations. “The issue of double allocations is also causing farm disputes with others approaching the courts resulting in evictions. Some disputes are about boundaries.
“We’ve always told farmers to approach our offices when there are ownership disputes. Disputes will always continue and will only end after the land audit. Surveys will then give correct information,” he said.
Corruption mars land re-allocation.
Rampant corruption and nepotism has marred the re-allocation of land in Masvingo with senior civil servants, Zanu (PF) bigwigs and traditional leaders allegedly receiving kick-backs in the form of gifts and other goodies.
A report by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement has revealed that this practise has resulted in some newly resettled areas being over-populated, threatening siltation of rivers and dams that are the main sources of water for rural farmers.
The report revealed that several rivers and the country’s largest inland dam, Lake Mutirikwi, had been heavily affected by siltation as a result of the haphazard resettlement of people on farms owned by displaced commercial farmers.
“There is need to revisit the allocation of land in Masvingo province to avoid massive land degradation as some people are farming on river banks,” reads the report. “Those who were responsible for illegal allocation of land should be brought to book and those who lost cash and other valuables paying kick-backs should be reimbursed.”
Lands Minister Douglas Mombeshora confirmed that there were serious irregularities in the allocation of land in Masvingo, and said investigations were in progress. Those found to be on the wrong side of the law would be handed over to the police, irrespective of their standing in society, he added.
“We have several officers, some from my ministry, who were involved in illegal allocation of land and this has come to the attention of the ministry,” said Mombeshora. “Our officers have compiled a report which we will use to nail down corrupt officials.”
The deputy Minster of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Davies Marapira, has also confirmed the illegal practice and said he would soon hand over the culprits to the police.
“We have received reports of illegal allocation of land by senior civil servants ,traditional leaders and we are investigating the issue,” said Marapira. “I will personally shame those involved in the practice by handing them over to the police.”
Marapira, who is also Masvingo north legislator, said even senior government officials like district administrators were involved in the illegal allocation of land. The country embarked on the land redistribution exercise 15 years ago under the guise of addressing the land imbalances in the country, but the move has been fraught with irregularities – rendering it chaotic. About 4 000 productive white commercial farmers were pushed off their land.
PLANT A TREE and SAVE the PLANET
Millions of hectares of forestry is destroyed every year to meet the human need in energy, shelter and food. However we seem to forget to replenish the trees we cut, to ensure that they save the same purposes for the future generations.
Remember TREES mitigate against Climate Change as they act as a sink for Carbon Dioxide a major Greenhouse Gas, that is causing global warming.
Youth Agrarian Society, is providing tree seedlings for you to plant as you mark all the memorable days of your life. Get in touch Today