Minister Garwe Warns Land Barons

National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe has warned land barons who are selling State land thereby promoting the growth of unplanned settlements that they will be dealt with.

Speaking during an official handover ceremony of Millennium Heights Block 2, a project undertaken by West Properties, in Harare recently, Garwe said the illegal parcelling out of land will soon be a thing of the past. He said:

We are not backing off on the call to put an end to the land baron scourge which has led to urban sprawl, therefore, promoting the growth of unplanned settlements.

This will soon be a thing of the past as we work towards sanitisation which is supported by strict enforcement measures to ensure that we put an end to mushrooming settlements.

Land barons, who include politicians and traditional leaders, have been blamed for the mushrooming of shanty settlements across the country.

Some of the land sold by land barons to desperate home seekers would have been set aside for schools, and recreation, among other uses, and in the case of peri-urban areas, the land barons parcel out grazing land. | NewsDay