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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
THE Minister of Lands and Resettlement Cde Douglas Mombeshora has dismissed the purported move to repossess alleged under-utilised farms in Masvingo province by lands officers saying government was yet to embark on such an exercise.
Masvingo province this week said it had repossessed 10 farms from “lazy” farmers who were not utilising their properties.
Cde Mombeshora said officials in Masvingo had jumped the gun because the repossession of idle land would only be carried out once an audit has been done.
The Minister’s statement follows the re-deployment of provincial lands officers for causing chaos on the farms.
“We will first carry out land audit after which a decision on under-utilised farms will be taken.
The issue of under-utilised land and the leasing of farms to former white farmers is of concern to government,” said Cde Mombeshora.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Masvingo Cde Shuvai Mahofa said provincial lands officers had issued owners of 10 farms in the province with notices of repossession as they were not fully utilising their farms.
Cde Mahofa said government wanted those given land to ensure that it is fully utilised.
She said the government could not keep on importing food yet it has allocated land to new farmers and in some cases in areas that used to be a preserve of the whites.
The Minister said some farmers barely used 40 percent of their land and this could not be allowed to continue.
“Only those farmers that are productive should remain on the land because there is no
room for laziness in the farming sector, “ said Cde Mahofa.
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