The land reform programme began in 2000, allocating over 4 500 farms to new farmers on more than 7,6 million hectares.
The exercise has seen thousands of Zimbabweans being resettled following decades of colonial injustice.
It is an ongoing process where more than 240 000 people are still on the waiting list for land allocation.
Many resettled farmers have proved their mettle by being highly productive, showing the entire world that Zimbabwe is capable of reclaiming the bread-basket status of southern Africa.
Not everyone has excelled in agriculture as some so-called farmers have held on to large tracts of land without any sensible production, rendering their farms non-productive, underutilised or extinct.
Such people are retrogressive and one wonders why a whole 1000-hectare farm can lie idle for many years yet the country has more than 240 000 land applicants still on the waiting list.
Corruption has been reported in many sectors of the economy in the country and it is estimated that about US$2 billion dollars is lost to corruption in Zimbabwe on a yearly basis.
The elephantine figure is nauseating considering the size of our economy.
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Many people have complained about the rottenness in the Ministry of Lands with some officials being implicated in unwarranted allocation of land while others are valuing cronyism, favoritism or nepotism when land allocation is done.
You hear the whole Lands ministry claiming that land is no longer available for allocation yet the next day a friend of some officials is allocated fresh land next to you.
This is sad as capable people are discarded merely because of corrupt activities by some officials in the Lands ministry.
There are many officials who have been involved in shady land deals in Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West provinces, but they remain roaming in the streets, a sign that there is a well-oiled syndicate that is cashing on land allocation.
One senior land official who caused havoc in Mashonaland West has now been transferred to the Lands ministry headquarters in Harare possibly in a bid to cover up for his previous shenanigans.
Seke, Chegutu, Kadoma, Chinhoyi have seen a lot of complaints being raised against them, alas, no concrete action is taken against the officials that are destroying the Lands ministry.
In 2021, medical practitioners applied for land via the office of the President and it did not take 24 hours to respond positively.
Pieces of vacant land were identified, some in Seke in Mashonaland East. Inspections were done, recommendations were done to re-plan some of the identified farms so that doctors would even get 10 hectares each.
It is now three good years and no movement has occurred and the most nauseating thing is that at one of the farms, new farmers have been settled there despite the subdivision being earmarked for medical practitioners.
What is all this and why are the land officials behaving that way?
I understand that the Politburo wields more power and authority over government and it is my appeal to the secretary for lands to reign on ministry officials that are putting the name of the entire ministry into disrepute.
If the President did not know what is happening on the ground, then it is time the Politburo secretary through his directors, informs the highest office in the country.
The ruling party should know there are many detractors in government departments who are bent on derailing national progress. Heads should roll in the Lands ministry if sanity is to be restored.
ZACC should investigate all cases of corruption involving land allocations.
Corruption is one serious way of sabotaging the country.
