LOCAL Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe has warned the public that the government will not tolerate illegal land occupation or sale, known as “Sabhuku deals”.
This comes as Sabhuku deals have become rampant in peri-urban and rural areas, where illegal settlers are buying land from self-styled “land barons” and headmen without proper documentation.
Speaking at a Press conference on Monday, Garwe said individuals who buy land from unauthorised sellers and fail to report such cases to the police would not receive government assistance.
“We have been on record for a long time as the government, telling people not to buy land from those who do not own it, because you will not receive title deeds for that land. It is illegal. But humans, as they are, often ignore the law,” he said.
“People deliberately misunderstand the point on regularisation.
“It doesn’t mean that if we agree that people should have land, you can go grab a piece and the government will come and regularise it. No! We don’t do that.”
He urged Zimbabweans to stop conducting illegal land transactions, which have long fuelled fraud and chaotic settlement.
“There are specific areas where the government will apply the regularisation policy and only on a ‘beneficiary pays’ principle,” he said.
- Garwe launches attack against ‘sabhuku’ deals
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“Those who buy land from land barons and get duped in the process often do not want to report to the police.
"They want the government to step in and say, ‘Mr Land Baron, we are going to court,’ and then we lose the case because the government is not the complainant.”
Garwe said citizens should refrain from participating in illegal land deals, warning that the government will not regularise unauthorised settlements.
“We can only facilitate the process if complainants come forward and report.
“We have been clear as government: do not buy land from people who do not own it.
“The time is over when people could simply settle on land without paying for it or for services.”
