Council warns public

Municipal Reporter
Manyame Rural District Council has warned members of the public against allocating themselves or being allocated communal land without permission from the local authority. Villagers in Seke are reportedly sub-dividing their homesteads into several residential stands measuring about 1 600 square metres and selling them to home-seekers at prices ranging between US$1 500 to US$2 500.
This has seen aspiring home-owners from Harare pay as much as US$14 000 for small stands.

However, the rural district council said it would embark on a joint operation with the police to patrol all villages on a daily basis and anyone found making any developments on any piece of land without a valid permit would be arrested.

“It is illegal for anyone (village head, committee member or ordinary villager to allocate communal land without involving the full village assembly. Communal land is not for sale and anyone who pays or receives money or any other form of payment in return for communal land allocation commits a punishable offence.

“Any occupation/use and development of communal land should be done after obtaining a communal land permit issued by council and anyone who occupies or makes some developments without this permit is committing an offence,” said the council in a statement.