Source: Parly committee rejects Land Commission Bill – DailyNews Live
STAFF WRITER 26 April 2017
HARARE – Parliament’s Legal Committee (PLC) has rejected the Land
Commission Bill, arguing that its attempts to give chiefs authority over
agricultural land were ultra vires the new Constitution.
This was revealed in a PLC report released last week by Parliament.
Early this month, Senate president Edna Madzongwe announced that she had
received an adverse report on the Bill from the committee, stating that
chief’s jurisdiction remains confined to communal lands.
The Bill seeks to provide for a new Zimbabwe Land Commission referred to
in Section 296 of the new Constitution adopted in 2013.
The proposed amendments had been approved by the Senate on March 29.
The adverse report was explained to the Senate on April 4, and Senator
Chiefs expressed their disagreement with it.
“Having considered . . . provisions of the Constitution, the (PLC)
committee was of the opinion that the amendments proposed to the Land
Commission Bill were ultra vires the Constitution,” acting PLC chairperson
Fortune Chasi said in the adverse report.
“The roles of the Land Commission are patently clear as are the roles of
traditional leaders and the two are not expected to interact.
“The Commission has jurisdiction over agricultural land while traditional
leaders have authority, jurisdiction and control over communal land or
other areas for which they have been appointed noting that the definition
of agricultural land in section 72 excludes communal land,” he said.
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