Mliswa threatens to blow the whistle on multiple farm owners in Mashonaland West

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, Backbenchers, please leave the front bench for the Executive.

*HON. MLISWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. This Land Board has got a lot of work before it. It requires people who are courageous because we can see that even up to now, the Commissioners from the Commissions – I agree with what Hon. Mandipaka has said that the Commissions that are being put in place in the country do not have anything to do. Even those from ZACC or Anti-Corruption Commission, they do not have any work to do. So, if Commissions are in place, they should be allowed to investigate people. Is this Land Commission going to be a toothless dog again like ZACC?

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are the one who said you are talking about Land Commission, but now you are referring to ZACC –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-  Order Hon. Members.

HON. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I am still contributing to the debate on the aspect of the functions of the Commission and credibility of the Commission and the roles of the Commission.

*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Member, you are allowed to use one language either Shona, Ndebele or English.

*HON. MLISWA: We are talking about the Land Commission but I am saying it does not help if we put toothless dogs Commissions like the ones that I pointed out as examples. I am still in order. It does not help to put toothless Commissions in place because tomorrow, if the Commissions recommend for example that Minister Chombo’s land should be taken away from him, it will not help because they will be toothless. We have come here to work. Parliament should have an oversight role on Commissions.

When I am looking at my role as a Member of Parliament, mine is an oversight role, which means that we see and investigate. Our function is to investigate so that if these Commissions are working, they should have the mandate to do it. So, we need courageous people because there is a lot of work which needs to be done. There is an issue of boundaries which are still being done. The chiefs think that they are supposed to parcel out land. We do not know who is supposed to parcel land. These Commissions should look at all these issues because chiefs also have land which they are giving out.

These Commissions should look into that and sit down with chiefs. We respect our chiefs but the chief should sit down with Commissions so that we will not come up with two Commissions of land, the one headed by chiefs and the one headed by these Commissions. I am saying this because in the rural areas, there are problems when it comes to the youth. There is an issue concerning big farms. I am one of those who have a big farm.

I want to thank the Comrades or the Government which gave me the land not ZANU PF. Madam Speaker, I want to repeat that I want to thank the Government, not ZANU PF – which gave me land because my offer letter does not have a letterhead of ZANU PF, but a Government letterhead. It is a noble idea, even when I campaigned in Norton; I campaigned with the proceeds from my farm. This issue of saying that the Minister wants to go and reduce the farm sizes have you given them enough inputs? This is because if you do your audits, you find that the Government is not providing enough inputs.

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