Story by Peter Chivhima
THE Government has stepped up its crackdown on land barons, warning that the illegal sale of land and proliferation of unplanned urban settlements will no longer be tolerated.
Authorities say land barons continue to defraud citizens by selling residential stands outside legal frameworks, creating settlement patterns that undermine urban planning and service delivery.
Addressing the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in Harare this Thursday, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Honourable Daniel Garwe, called for a united front in tackling the menace..
“We must stand united as Parliament and Government to put an end to lawlessness in land allocation. Land barons are fleecing people of their money and causing challenges in urban planning, so let’s work together. Our people deserve dignity, not deception,” he said.
Chairperson of the Committee, Honourable Maxmore Njanji, welcomed the government’s intervention.
“We want to thank the government for this initiative and call for us to join hands in fighting the issue of land barons. So as Parliamentarians, we are facing a lot of challenges because of these land barons who are displacing our people countrywide,” he said.
The government is taking a firm stance against land barons who engage in illegal land sales, including arresting unscrupulous individuals found on the wrong side of the law.
