Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers) Knowledge Centre will on Thursday host a land conference in Bulawayo that seeks to increase awareness and understanding of legal procedures for land acquisition.
Dubbed Land Matters: “Empowering Communities through Legal Awareness, the conference will be held under the theme “Raising awareness of the legal procedures for acquiring land in Zimbabwe”.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Professor Obert Jiri is expected to give the keynote address while permanent secretaries in the Ministries of National Housing and Social Amenities as well as Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Engineer Theodius Chinyanga and Mrs Vimbai Nyemba will be part of the panel.
President of the Chiefs’ Council Chief Mtshane Khumalo and president of the Zimbabwe Local Government Association Dr Aaron Shamu are expected to complete the panel list.
Speaking to Sunday News, event co-ordinator Mrs Hilda Marijeni said the Zimpapers Knowledge Centre, encompassing Zimpapers Bulawayo publications, Chronicle, Sunday News, B-Metro and Umthunywa, will host a one-day conference at Holiday Inn, Bulawayo on Thursday to address issues surrounding the increasing number of illegal settlers on agricultural land across the country.
“The event aims to raise awareness of the legal procedures for acquiring land, especially in rural areas and the issue of illegal land sales. There have been concerns about massive illegal occupation of land across the country, which the Government is handling intending to bring back normalcy.
“The conference, therefore, seeks to create a platform for the Government and other stakeholders to discuss the issue and raise awareness of the need for legal settlements and the dangers of illegal occupation of land,” said Mrs Marijeni.
She said illegal occupation of land has led to, among other things, overcrowding in some settlements, dwindling grazing and cropping land, indiscriminate cutting down of trees, soil erosion and siltation of water bodies.
Mrs Marijeni said some of the topics to be covered include land distribution and economic development, traditional leadership roles, tackling land barons in urban human settlements as well as land dispute resolution.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development is on record condemning the increasing number of illegal settlers on agricultural land across the country stating that it is only the ministry that issues tenure documents as it administers relevant Acts to do with land.
Furthermore, according to media reports, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works also confirmed receiving reports where village heads were parcelling out State land and receiving payments. — @nyeve14
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