The Movement for Democratic Change has called for an investigation into land barons following a public spat between property developer Phillip Chiyangwa and Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere in which Chiyangwa alleged that the minister demanded a $5million bribe to speed up the process of compensating him for land that was compulsorily acquired by the government to resettle the homeless.
Chiyangwa said he had purchased 1 286 hectares of land at Nyarungu Estates, Stoneridge and Orda farms from private owners but the land was compulsorily acquired by the government to resettle homeless people.
The permanent secretary for Local Government George Mlilo announced recently that the government was transferring Tantallon Estate to compensate Chiyangwa for 586.9 hectares acquired from Stoneridge.
MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu the party was extremely concerned by the public disclosure that a private individual like Phillip Chiyangwa had managed to amass for himself huge pieces of land that he is now busy selling to desperate home seekers at huge profits.
“We call upon the Parliament of Zimbabwe and indeed, the Zimbabwe Anti–Corruption Commission, to immediately institute a thorough investigation into how certain individuals in Zimbabwe have somehow managed to corruptly acquire huge pieces of rural, urban and peri–urban land,” he said.
“There are reports that several ZANU-PF politicians, including senior cabinet ministers, own several farms whilst thousands of Zimbabweans are struggling to be allocated agricultural land…..
“Revelations that a senior cabinet minister also solicited for a US$5 million bribe in order to facilitate a land deal for Phillip Chiyangwa should also be taken very seriously.
“The scourge of corruption has ripped the socio–economic fabric of Zimbabwe and it is high time that corruption, particularly by politicians and other well – heeled people in both the public and private sectors, be ruthlessly dealt with.”
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