The Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army Veterans Trust has called on the government to institute an audit of the farms in Matabeleland North to flush out non-productive farmers.
The war veterans said priority must be given to farms that were given to more than one beneficiary.
Interim chairman of the trust, Buster Willie Magwizi told NewsDay on Tuesday that some new farmers were abusing or not utilising the farms they acquired.
Magwizi who was allocated the Sotani Ranch in Gwayi said government must start investigating the farms because some of the beneficiaries of the land reform programme had never set foot on their properties.
“Those who have been in the land for the past two years and have not done anything productive must be chucked out,” Magwizi said.
“The government must investigate and get details of what the new farmers have produced so far and also know where they sell the produce.
“As for those who are hunting, they must be made to produce their hunting permits because there are a lot of illegal activities on the newly-resettled farms.”
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development deputy minister, Seiso Moyo on Thursday confirmed several farms were lying idle.
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He said when the government jointly allocated farms the idea was for the farmers to pool their resources and carry out effective agricultural production.
“This was meant to enable them to combine their resources and ideas since they did not have adequate resources and ideas in commercial farming,” Moyo said.
The land audit is part of the provisions of the Global Political Agreement but parties in the inclusive government have been bickering over it.
Zanu PF is reportedly dragging its feet over the issue while the two MDC formations want the audit carried out soon.
