What the people said about the proposed land Commission Bill

ix. The Ministry of Lands should be given adequate resources to conduct surveys and pegging of land in order to resolve disputes associated with boundaries.

x.    The principle of 'one-person, one-farm' should be implemented through a state of the art database, with software that can detect multiple ownership.

xi. Land taxes should be calculated based on the ecological region and agricultural practices.  At the same time, the taxes should be gazetted after broad consultations that involve farmer associations and other interested stakeholders.

xii.  Complainants should be allowed to sue and pierce the corporate veil of the Commission in the event that it is not happy with its decisions.

xiii.  Land rights for women should be removed from the private sphere of marriage and family and placed in the public domain of human rights. Traditional leaders should be at the forefront in leading this process.

xiv. Previous white farmers need to be compensated for the improvements made on the farms so that the new owners can source investment and become productive. Therefore, Treasury, in the 2017 should set an allocation for the compensation of improvements on farms previously owned by white farmers.

xv.  The Land Commission should be visible in the ten provinces of the country and this should be made mandatory. Hence Treasury should avail funding.

xvi.The Commission must look into ways of making sure that infrastructure in the former white farms such as dams, irrigation infrastructure, and homesteads is shared equally be shared by communities and not monopolized by particular individuals. The Bill should be clear on the authority that regulates the use of such infrastructure.

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