By Correspondent
In 2019, President Emmerson Mnangagwa established a Commission to investigate the issue of land in the country.
The move was hailed by many but has since flopped into a monstrous inanity due to the absence of action.
The Commission, led by Justice Tendai Uchena, presented a report detailing how more than $3 billion in potential revenue had been lost to land barons.
The report revealed that the country recovered less than 10% of the intrinsic value of land that was converted from farmland to urban residential land.
Specifically, the state was supposed to realise approximately US$3 billion but got less than 10%.
This means more than US$2.9 billion is still owed and has largely been taken by land barons.
The report implicated several Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) who are reportedly facing arrest.
However, after six years, the report has still not been shared with the public.
Public Pressure
This is despite concerted efforts by various organisations to pressure the government into releasing the report.
The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations of Residents Trust (ZNOART) has demanded the release of the report.
The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) came out and spoke about the report, too.
Obert Chinhamo, Director of ACT-SA, indicated that members of the public who bear the brunt of land corruption should have access to the report.
“It’s the ordinary people hungry for land that suffer most from land corruption.
“It is thus in their interest to have access to the Land Audit Report, which in essence should be a public document.
“By perusing through the report, it will help them to determine whether all their submissions to the Uchena-led committee were captured properly.
“The Government of Zimbabwe must not keep these reports as top secrets. “We are demanding that the report be made public”, he says.
In 2024, Harare Residents Trust (HRT) added pressure, calling for the publication of the report.
“The findings were presented to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2019.
“It revealed that land developers, housing cooperative leaders and politically connected individuals illegally sold US$3 billion worth of urban state land in the process, establishing illegal settlements.
“The identities of all key land barons are known to the authorities following the Justice Tendai Uchena Commission of Inquiry.
“The people who have settled on these wetlands and the sellers involved are equally culpable.
“There is no way that water will change its natural course without bothering the illegally settled,” it added.
Despite all this noise, the report remains a top-secret document, leading to questions of why.
The Plan That Misfired
The reasons why the report has since become an anathema lie in the Executive Summary.
It details how the government itself, politically exposed persons and their affiliates were at the centre of the scandal!
“The Commission established that generally, the sale of urban state land, planning and development took place on 91 farms.
These were acquired by the Ministry responsible for lands and handed over for urban development to Local Government.
“Sale of urban state land, planning and development also took place on 79 farms which were acquired by the government before such farms were handed over for urban development.
“This makes a total of 170 farms in and around urban areas where urban development is taking place.
The bottom line is that whoever profited from the land had connections to Government, through the line Ministry of Lands.
Summary adds that the Ministry of Lands had the responsibility to track and collect all the monies owed
“The Commission established that the Ministry responsible for Local Government has a responsibility to value all the farms handed over to it and recover the monetary value from the local authorities, developers and cooperatives in the form of intrinsic value.
It had not done so!
Indictment Against Government
“However, the Ministry responsible for Local Government has not been able to value all the farms utilised for urban development.
“Accordingly, planning, allocations, development and occupation have taken place without valuation for most farms.
In a nutshell government was itself culpable for the mayhem and loss of US$2.9 billion!
The government was also complicit in how the farms were allocated.
“Farm invasions by war veterans for agricultural purposes, which subsequently morphed into urban settlements.
“Allocations to co-operatives, trusts and land developers by the Ministry responsible for Lands and Ministry responsible for Local Government.
“Abuse of political office in the allocation and appropriation of urban state land
Instead of overseeing an organised program, they had allowed the whole thing to descend into a farcical land grab spree.
However, most damning were some of the people who were caught in the report and were recommended for investigation or arrest.
Politically Exposed Persons
Former Cabinet Minister Ignatius Chombo reportedly received 125 stands from Delatfin Properties for resolving a dispute with other Zvimba developers.
ZANU PF politicians recommended for investigation include Saviour Kasukuwere, Jimayi Muduvuri, Bright Matonga, Francis Mukwangwariwa and Philip Chiyangwa.
Ministry directors who should be investigated include Christopher Shumba, Retired Colonel Joseph Mhakayakora, Andrew Rhory Shawatu, Casper Ngoshi and Sekai Matimba.
Officers from the then Ministry of Lands and who should face investigation include provincial lands officer Mr Marlvern Mhaka and the district lands officer for Sanyati, Mr Mapfumo.
Zvimba Rural District Council former chief executive officers, Mr Peter Hlohla and Mr Shacky Siyamayambo, are also implicated for selling State land without authority.
