Land commission inspects state land

The Land Commission chaired by Justice Tendai Uchena on Monday started making inquiries into the sale of State land in and around urban areas in Mashonaland Central dating back to 2005.

Justice Uchena said they have invited a number of people to come forward with information. He said the Commission will dig deeper into the sale and allocation of urban land and he advised people to be diligent when buying pieces of land.

“What is important is for people to be sure before they buy land. We have come across instances where people buy land that remains undeveloped for a long time and they end up building houses in an area without road, sewer and water.

“The public should inquire from relevant authorities before they pay for a stand. A stand is a long term investment and people should be careful of the areas where they buy land.”

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs Virginia Mabhiza who is secretary to the Commission said Mashonaland Central is the seventh province that the commission of inquiry is visiting since it started inquiries into the sale of urban land and they will look into the regularity of the allocation and ownership of the land.

“We are here to inspect State land that was allocated, the land is supposed to have been developed from 2005. We are mostly concerned with the regularity of the allocation, ownership of the land and other issues to do with human habitation,” said Mrs Mabhiza.

“In instances where land is supposed to have been developed our interest is to see whether it is suitable for human habitation, are there sufficient facilities like sanitation for people to occupy the land and live decent lives.

“We will make recommendations to His Excellence President Emmerson Mnangagwa in our final report. Today (Tuesday) we will visit farms in and around Bindura. We will do the same in Mazowe, Muzarabani, Mt Darwin and other districts in the province.

“As much as we are looking at land acquired in 2005 and beyond we are also authorised to make any other suitable recommendations to the President and because of that we shall venture as much as we can in Mash Central in order to make appropriate recommendations.”

Mrs Mabhiza urged people with information they wish the Commission to know in terms of how they acquired land, how they paid for it and how it was allocated, to come forward.

The commission will be in the province until March 18.