Wallace Ruzvidzo — The recently introduced moratorium on urban State land by Government has been welcomed by Zimbabweans as a step in the right direction towards ensuring sustainability and transparency on land allocations.
This comes as Government on Wednesday announced the imposition of a moratorium on the allocation of urban State land with immediate effect.
The imposition, Government said, was to allow the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to finalise the ongoing process of reviewing and strengthening existing policy framework and guidelines on the administration and management of urban State land.
This moratorium is critical in eliminating corruption in land administration, enhancing investment in land, boosting production and productivity, stimulating industrialisation, and stimulating development in line with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) towards the full realisation of Vision 2030.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana explained the modalities of the moratorium to the generality of Zimbabweans in vernacular.
"In Shona, vedhorobha vose, kubva zvino kusvika zvazosandurwa, munoyambirwa kuti muchimbomira kugovera nzvimbo dzekuvaka kuruzhinji muchishandisa ivhu renyika," he wrote on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
In an interview, former Bindura Town Clerk Shangwa Mavesera said the imposition was welcome as it had been overdue.
"I think the moratorium was overdue because what we have been seeing over the last few years had been getting out of hand.
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"It is a good move, but I think we have to see how they will operationalise it because I presume they have been reviewing the framework to be implemented for a while now," he said.
Harare citizen Shadreck Gona said the moratorium was a welcome move as some were now abusing urban State land, a situation which was now getting out of hand.
"The imposition of this moratorium is very much welcome because a lot of people were now acting in an unprocedural manner when it comes to the allocation of the land so if Government is working on bringing sanity and transparency then as citizens we are fully behind that," he said.
The Second Republic is on record pledging to usher an efficient and transparent system so that urban State land facilitates sustainable and functional developments.
"The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is mandated to administer, on behalf of His Excellency, the President, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, Urban State Land, itself a finite heritage resource that is central to the national development thrust as espoused in the National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030.
"It is therefore imperative that an efficient and transparent system is put in place to ensure that Urban State Land plays a role in facilitating sustainable and functional developments," reads part of the statement by Local Government and Public Works.
