200 000 Zimbabweans waiting for land but highly unlikely 10% will get it

HON. PETER MOYO: How long does it take for the Ministry officials to identify the unutilised land in Zimbabwe because every person who is here knows exactly that this is unutilised land across the country.  Like what Hon. Sikhala has already alluded to, to say how many members of the opposition have benefited from the land in Zimbabwe?  We are all Zimbabweans here, we are supposed to benefit what we are supposed to benefit.  There is no need for us to beg or…

THE HON. SPEAKER: What is your question?

HON. PETER MOYO: My question is how long does it take for the Ministry officials to identify the unutilised land in Zimbabwe for allocation to those who want land?

HON. DR. MASUKA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I thank the Hon. Member for the question. I will start by putting things into context.  When we started the Land Reform Programme, we called it fast track Land Reform Programme (jambanja).   To that extent, the allocations were done at district, provincial and at national levels.  The challenge we have is that these allocations were not integrated in a single system at head office, which is why initially the Government took the route of undertaking audits to find out who was where.  That process is technically low and it will take us another three to five years to complete that through the Zimbabwe Lands Commission, at the rate at which the resources have been availed to the Zimbabwe Lands Commission.

However, to fast track this process, we have requested production returns and we gave a deadline of the 15th of February.  We are in the process of now collecting this information, which would allow us to accelerate the pace at which we identify underutilised terrains and abandoned farms.  So, I expect the pace to hasten and therefore we should be able to accelerate this process.  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.

THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order, Hon. Sikhala, you cannot be up standing when there is an Hon. Member taking the floor.  Secondly – [HON. SIKHALA: She wanted my assistance.] –   Go and sit down next to her.

HON. T. MLISWA: I have a point of recommendation.  I think we must be a structured Parliament.  The land audit was discussed here.  It was undertaken, whether it takes 20 years or not, it was seen as a proper way of recording.  Secondly, the aspect of resources, Agribank, which is supposed to be the bank which is supposed to give money to the farmers, has not been set up.  So how can you then carry on an audit and say people are not farming, yet the resource is not there.   What comes first, the resource or the land?  This is the last time I talked about sanctions that they talk about sanctions at the wrong time.  The farmers are underutilising the land because there is no resource and the land audit, when it is out, we are supposed to follow that because the Lands Commission is funded by the fiscus.  So, what role are they playing and when are we going to get the report of the land audit so that we are able to deduce and understand how far we have gone.  My recommendation is can we have the report of the land audit from the Lands Commission, which is a constitutionally set up board.

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