THE government has issued a stern warning to land barons invading private and State land in Harare South and other provinces saying their days are numbered.
Illegal land invasions have resulted in wars between legal owners and duped land seekers.
Speaking at the official opening of Irvine’s Zimbabwe Growers Shop and Training Centre (IZGSTC) last week, the secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution in the Office of the President and Cabinet Tafadzwa Muguti expressed concern over land invasions in Harare, adding that the government would take action against the illegal practice.
“The message from the government is very clear. We do not want people to become law unto themselves. We have had incidents where people invaded Irvine’s land.
“As a government which is quick to support Irvine’s that land is being protected. We also see that a number of people are putting up fences around the Irvine’s area.
“We will be investigating to look into those areas to find who exactly is behind it. But as it is, our main task as the government of Zimbabwe is to ensure that we continue maintaining a peaceful, harmonious and profitable business environment,” Muguti said.
The City of Harare in January this year promised to craft by-laws which criminalise land invasions including parcelling out land on wetlands to desperate homeseekers.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said homeseekers who were being extorted should report to council, district officers and the police.
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Meanwhile, the opening of the IZGSTC which is located in Waterfalls has created jobs for many in the area after Irvine’s invested more than US$150 000 in the project.
The modern facility is targeting to train more 2 000 people annually.
