The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
NYANGA village heads who are illegally allocating undesignated pieces of State land to land seekers in their areas have been warned to desist from the criminal activities as they risk prosecution.
Acting Chief Saunyama, Mr Victor Saunyama, said the unsanctioned parcelling of land was becoming a cancer in his area, and said heads will roll for those found on the wrong side of the law.
The traditional leader aired these sentiments during the inauguration of Village head Mapara, Mr Simon Chibvuri.
He said those fronting such acts risk prosecution as well as being discharged from their duties as stipulated in the Traditional Leaders’ Act and the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“We have been having a lot of challenges with village heads who are demanding money from land seekers and settling them on undesignated areas like pastures, water sources, wetlands and other protected areas. I am urging people to quickly tip us when such things happen in their respective areas,” he said.
“As a traditional leader, I am having serious challenges with some of my village heads, especially those newly appointed, as they are busy parcelling out land for a fee.
“That is unacceptable and should be stopped henceforth as this has resulted in the mushrooming of haphazard settlements,” he said.
The acting chief also said settling people on wetlands and water sources is strongly affecting farming activities in the district.
“Nyanga is well known for potato farming, and most of these farmers use water to irrigate their crops. When someone is settled on these water sources, this disturbs the natural flow of water. Some of the new settlers end up illegally diverting water to their small plots, which is a disservice to the country,” he said.
He added: “The Traditional Leaders’ Act also states that village heads should not parcel out land to land seekers on their own. Instead, they should consult the village assemblies and their teams and agree on the land to be parcelled out. People should only be settled in designated areas.”
