Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Bulawayo Bureau
He was speaking at a recent Zimpapers-organised Land Matters Indaba held on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) last week.
Eng Muguti said never again should the law look at those who illegally sell land, yet leave out the buyers.
The indaba was held amid growing concerns over the rise in illegal settlements mainly on prime agricultural land and peri-urban areas.
Eng Muguti said illegal allocation of land must and should carry a more severe sentence than stock theft.
He said going forward, people who buy corruptly allocated land will no longer be victims but criminals as well.
“On prosecution, we have now started working on a paper, which will go to the Land Commission and other Government arms like the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to ensure that we now have a two-tier approach to prosecution,” said Eng Muguti.
“Land criminality should carry a heavier penalty than livestock theft. People are getting seven to 14 years for livestock theft, something, which can die naturally. What about something that God doesn’t make anymore?” he added.
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