LOCALS NOT BENEFITTING FROM THEIR LAND

There have been cases of corruption and unfair distribution of land in resettlement areas in Matabeleland.

There are some instances whereby the locals of Matabeleland were not benefiting and were not being given preference when there were land distributions in those areas. Some locals have lamented that  people from outside the region were the ones who are given first preference instead.  

A number of war veterans from other areas especially from the northern part of the region  are alleged to have  been planted in some resettlement areas at the expense of the locals.

This situation in Matabeleland  paints a gloomy picture for the locals in Matabeleland resettlement areas. As the locals of those areas, they are the ones who are meant to benefit whenever there is land distribution but instead first preference is given to people from outside the region.

During the tenure of the Joint Monitoring and Implimentation Committee (JOMIC) concerns over the resettling of people outside Matabeleland were raised by villagers of various districts in Matabeleland with village heads reportedly stating that the people in their villages were having little land left for them to settle in.

The land issue has not only been of concern in the rural areas but also the urban areas with increasing popularity of purchase of stands by people from outside the region and at times, outside the country.

It is becoming a norm in Bulawayo that residential stands and houses are kept by those who rent whilst the landlords come from a community outside the city or country. this can be attributed to the low income earners of the region as has statistically the highest number of unemployment, with Bulawayo alone having a 27% unemployment rate according to Zimstat