via Farm invaders must go — Mombeshora – DailyNews Live 15 July 2014 by Lloyd Mbiba
HARARE – Douglas Mombeshora, Lands and Rural Settlement minister, has warned that all illegal farm invaders will be evicted, and those who bought land from resettled farmers will not receive A1 settlement permits.
Mombeshora told a news conference at his Harare office yesterday that his ministry was carrying out a land audit.
“We are here not to protect corrupt people. Anyone who settled illegally on any land will be removed,” Mombeshora said.
The minister warned those invading grazing land that they would be weeded out.
“I need to emphasise that settlement on areas designated for grazing is illegal,” he said.
“The ministry is aware, again, of some rogue elements who sell land and have resorted to parcelling out grazing land to unsuspecting members of the public.
“This deal may have been done quietly between two people but soon names of those duped people will be known once issuance of permits to those found to be settled on grazing land is denied.”
Mombeshora warned that illegal timber plantation settlers also face eviction.
“The ministry of Lands and Rural Settlement would like to make it clear that no one is allowed to settle on any piece of land without lawful authority from the ministry,” he said. “Any such settlement is therefore illegal.
“Those who continue to settle on timber plantations must heed this warning. The ministry has a list of those farms illegally settled and has documented evidence of people cutting down and harvesting timber which they do not own, for sale. We are cooperating with the office of the minister of State for Manicaland province to ensure that normalcy returns to the areas affected mainly in Chimanimani, Vumba and Nyanga.”
The minister said the new land permits will be issued by the district lands officer and not the district administrator, who used to issue offer letters.
Mombeshora warned farmers to be wary of “unscrupulous people” selling permit application forms, when they are for free.
He said 2 000 A1 model permits will be issued by the end of the year.
President Robert Mugabe launched the A1 settlement permits a fortnight ago, to ensure that farmers have security of tenure and that permits can be used as collateral.
Mombeshora said he would introduce farm rental charges before the end of August.
“We are not proposing any levies but we are proposing rentals,” he said. “If you don’t want to pay the rent you simply leave the farm. We have consulted with (Local Government minister Ignatius) Chombo and made recommendations. We will present them to Cabinet in the next two weeks. It is my hope that by the end of August, we will begin charging the rentals.”
COMMENTS
Permits used as collateral-sure! I can just see a bank trying to grab the land because of default and all hell breaking out. And who would even buy the land from the bank? Now the banks will be owning and selling land to whomever and not the Government!! I’d like to see that happen. Breeetishhh banks owning land and choosing who to sell it to!! Permit collateral indeed.
I can not imagine that a revolutionary land reform program during which the constitution of the country and properties rights were suspend would produce illegal settlers. How is this possible? Is someone being used here?
I wonder what’s cooking ??? !!!!
We are sick and tired of these empty threats. So annoying
Zpf think with their bums,all along it was all good to invade farms destroying a country endowed with the beauty it deserves now they are trying to reverse the dire situation. I hate them.
Very good point JT. Since when has zanupf respected its own laws? Talk is cheap for this Mombeshora guy. Nothing will happen to nobody as long as their skip is black and as long as they possess the zanoid membership card.
There are “legal” farm invasions???? Wow! I suppose he means farms grabbed by ZPF heavyweights (in every sense of the word)
But – it is too late. Agriculture has been ring-barked, and we all know that no tree can survive that, it will always die.
Trouble is, there are very few “saplings” (competent farmers) around to grow new farming trees. It took 100 years to grow the tree we had, and just a couple of years to ring-bark it. Shem, shem!
Well there you have it Zimbabwe. Mugabe claimed to take back the land in your name but now you will have to pay rent according to Mombeshora. These ZPF guys just make it up as they go along, no wonder the country is in such a mess and then the chief clown wants to remove the remaining competent farmers because of their skin colour. Will those who vote for ZPF ever learn – nothing for nothing!
“Farm invaders must go” . Does that include those that invaded earlier or not. The whole policy stinks and just shows Zanu has no policy strategy whatsoever.
land audit again and again for how long guys
So long as you have selective application of the law in Zimbabawe – Zimbabwe has no future. Full Stop.
All cheap talk why is it no one has ever been arrested after these rhetorics
Clever Zanu-PF. Appoint a beneficiary of the “legal” land invasions as Minister to to sort out the “illegal” invaders and other miscreants.
Presumably the rent will only be for the A1 little people and not the A2 chefs like himself.