Govt rolls out yet another land audit 

Source: Govt rolls out yet another land audit – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY SILAS NKALA
THE Zimbabwe Land Commission has embarked on yet another land audit to ostensibly fish out multiple farm owners, while also targeting neglected agricultural land by new owners.

In a notice, Zimbabwe Land Commission (ZLC) chairperson Commissioner Tendai Bare said the audit will run until July 22.

“The audit will be carried out in the gazetted categories of agricultural land which include old resettlement schemes, A1 villagised, A1 self-contained, A2 small, medium and large scale, peri-urban farms, large-scale commercial farms, small-scale commercial farms, commercial farm settlement scheme, commercial agricultural plots, 3-tier farms and institutional farms,” Bare said.

He said the land audit will be carried out in Makonde district, Chegutu in Mashonaland West, Bindura, Guruve (Mashonaland Central), Murehwa, Marondera, Seke (Mashonaland East), Mutare, Nyanga (Manicaland), Mvuma, Zvishavane (Midlands), Masvingo, Chiredzi (Masvingo), Bubi (Matabeleland North) and Umzingwane, Gwanda in Matabeleland South.

Bare said the ZLC wants to analyse land allocation data and extent of land distribution with respect to gender, equity classification, environmental management, extent of multiple land ownership and double allocations.

The audit is also meant to assess land use planning with respect to farm sizes, ecological and farming enterprises “to identify challenges and constants in order to successfully address the agrarian reform agendas”.

Bare said during the audit period, farm owners would be expected to be present with their identity particulars, tenure documents, production records and development plans.

Government launched a similar land audit last year targeting more than 220 000 farms allocated to indigenous farmers during the land reform programme.

The $3,5 billion exercise was meant to expose multiple farm owners and those leasing farms without authority from the Lands and Agriculture ministry.

At the time, more than 71 614 farms had been audited under two phases of the land audit against a total of approximately 300 000 subdivisions on agricultural land.