adminBlessings Chidakwa
Municipal Reporter
Land barons and corrupt council officials in the capital have snatched more than 115 000 hectares of State land and parcelled it out to desperate home seekers, Harare provincial development coordinator Mr Tafadzwa Muguti said this week.
Mr Muguti told the inaugural Harare Environmental Management forum 2020 that this criminal activity was allowed to go on for a long time because people remained silent as greedy men and women in authority invaded land.
“We continue to witness that selfishness, greed and corruption that has played a major part in the decay of our moral fibre as a society, leading to the invasion of hundreds of hectares of our wetlands,” he said.
“Over 115 000 hectares of land across the country has been illegally occupied by criminals. Many have amassed so much wealth at the expense of our hard-working citizens who simply yearn for a home of their own. We, therefore, need to stop this madness and join hands in bringing these culprits to book.
“As a young citizen with aspirations and hope for a better Zimbabwe, I say without remorse nor fear that everyone who has illegally benefited from the sale of State, private and council land should be arrested and prosecuted for the crimes they committed.”
Mr Muguti said many homes are being built on wetlands, some on top of sewer lines and on land reserved for recreation.
“It is and remains my understanding that development starts at ward level and that is where we vote our councillors into office and where we should have appointed competent men and women who have the ability to protect, promote, develop and unite our communities,” he said.
“But in Harare Province it is a sad reality that all these unwarranted and illegal developments have happened and continue to take place under the watchful eyes of our community leaders. All the development control departments of our local authorities are seriously incapacitated.”
Disregarding of environmental protection laws such as the Environment Management Act, the Urban Councils Act and the Regional Town and Country Planning Act was leading to climate challenges.
“This strategic meeting of our provincial leadership in environmental protection advocacy comes at a time when our nation at large is seized with illegal land settlements, sand poaching, illegal commercial water distribution and destruction of our last remaining water bodies,” said Mr Muguti.
“For far too long each one of us has looked the other way when high profile individuals have been parcelling out land in the name of politics, community development and at times even religion.”
Mr Muguti warned citizens against paying bribes to Government and council officials to acquire land, but instead work with them to implement a transparent system that ensures those who have the resources should acquire land openly.
Online Reporter