Land And Space Barons Should Be Criminalised - Mafume
The Harare City Council plans to craft a Private Member’s Bill for the criminalisation of land and space barons allegedly involved in parcelling out land on wetlands and river courses to desperate home seekers.
Private bills are proposed laws that seek special powers or exemptions for a particular person or group. They are sometimes called private legislation.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume (CCC) told NewsDay that the local authority will push for legislation that defines land and space barons as criminal offences. He said:
All those who are being threatened and extorted must report to the council, district officers and the police.
We will not tolerate the issue of land and space barons and accordingly, we will be drafting a private members Bill to clearly define land and space barons as criminal offences.
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Mafume’s remarks come after dozens of families in Budiriro and Kuwadzana suburbs were forced out of their homes by floods follwing torrential rains around Christmas.
On Sunday, resident associations condemned the continued parcelling out of land on wetlands by land barons, especially in Harare.
Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director, Precious Shumba, said corrupt council and government officials were working together with land barons to allocate people residential stands on the wetlands. He said:
If you visit and interview some of the victims, they reveal that identified council officials have misled the City of Harare by collecting money from the land barons and promising the desperate home seekers that nothing will happen to them.
The government should come hard on these land barons as the victims have lost their savings through corruption.
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) director Reuben Akili said:
As long as we do not address these needs, we are not accomplishing anything.
This is the third time people in Budiriro have been hard hit by floods and we would have loved a situation where they are allocated land suitable for housing.
Land barons, most of whom are linked to ZANU PF, have been illegally selling council and State land to home seekers over the years.
Last week, ZANU PF distanced itself from land barons illegally parcelling out land in different parts of the country using its name and demanded that law enforcement agencies ensure that the law takes its course.
In a statement, ZANU PF acting secretary-general Patrick Chinamasa said that the ruling party did not condone the unlawful land occupations and illegal activities of land barons.
More: Pindula News
