adminMunyaradzi Doma in Zvishavane
Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Cde Owen Ncube yesterday said all land barons who fleeced unsuspecting home-seekers will face the full wrath of the law. Besides duping thousands of desperate home-seekers, land barons in the town, he said, would be charged for duping Government and the local authority through dubious land deals. Minister Ncube issued the warning to land barons last week during a tour of Izayi Park where council officials apprised him of rampant illegal land dealings. Some of the housing stands beneficiaries at Izayi Park confirmed to Minister Ncube that some unnamed land barons in the town were milking them.
“The situation here is not good, residents have been paying money to land barons and none of that money is finding its way into Government coffers or into Zvishavane Town council. It’s a cause for concern that instead of paying money to council or Government the money is going into the pockets of an individual.
“Of course we will look into the issue of beneficiaries of the housing stands but definitely the law should take its course on some of the private land developers who have not paid even paid a cent to the State. This is the reason we have visited Izayi Park,’’ he said.
Minister Ncube said it was shocking that even some business operators with commercial stands had built their structures without the involvement of the Department of Physical Planning. He however ruled out the possibility of demolishing illegally built structures saying Government will devise ways of regularising them.
“For the benefit of the beneficiaries in this new political dispensation I think we will try to come up with the best way to assist but on the illegal land developers behind the whole mess should face the music. We are still investigating (the identity of the culprits), that’s why we are in Zvishavane.’’ Minister Ncube said Government was forced to take action against Zvishavane land barons following incessant complaints against them by residents.
Zvishavane-Ngezi Member of Parliament Cde John Holder said efforts to decisively deal with land barons in the mining town were being frustrated what he claimed to be some powerful forces. The legislator said he was surprised to see the mushrooming of settlements on land allocated by illegal land developers.
Online Reporter