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Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
WORD of Faith Church bishop was yesterday arraigned before the courts for allegedly possessing State land unlawfully after he was found pegging a farm in Burnside. Munyaradzi Pundo, 40, from Trenance suburb, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa facing a criminal trespass charge. Maphosa ordered the State to go and verify certain issues on the document before commencement of trial.

Dumisani Ndlovu for the state alleges that on August 26, Pundo hired a Harare-based company Mike Construction and Civil Engineering Company.

“The company representatives started pegging stands at Criterion Farm which is owned by the government. He together with four men entered the farm and pegged stands knowing that they had no permission to enter or peg the stands,” said Ndlovu.

He said Pundo was then arrested by a member of the police force.

Pundo and his team were arrested on Wednesday and were supposed to appear in court on Thursday. The matter did not go to court on that day as the area prosecutor suggested that it was Pundo who was supposed to be charged as he is the one who hired the construction company.

This week beneficiaries of the land reform at Mthwakazi Fox farm, a resettlement area on the outskirts of Bulawayo, were up in arms with a self-proclaimed land baron who is allegedly parcelling out land to desperate land seekers at a cost ranging from $300 to over $1,000.

Jeorasy Dube, who is also known as Jealous, is a villager who benefited under the government’s land reform programme.

Villagers said they wanted Dube driven out of their area after settling “over 700 people in an area meant for 20 families”.

They said the area “invaded” by the new families is meant to be grazing area for their animals.

A fortnight ago 15 land barons were arrested in Harare for allegedly selling State and council land to desperate home-seekers, pocketing thousands of dollars from the illicit deals.

The arrest follows a probe triggered by the mushrooming of illegal settlements across the capital.

Most of the suspects were from Harare South and are believed to be aligned to former Zanu-PF Harare provincial youth chairman, Godwin Gomwe, who is also appearing in court facing similar charges.

The government on Thursday ordered police to arrest land barons, politicians and housing cooperative chairpersons who were illegally parcelling out land.

Last week Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, said the government had noted that a number of land barons had emerged over time.

He said the government was now invoking the law and all the land barons who have been in the habit of stealing State land and selling it will be investigated.

“There’s no one allowed to sell land, be it municipal land or State land, without the consent let alone authorisation by the State or the councils, said Minister Kasukuwere.

“So all those who have been building illegally and have been paying to land barons must now know that it is illegal, it’s criminal and unacceptable.”

Minister Kasukuwere said over the past few months people have been abusing Zanu-PF’s name, using their positions in the party to carry out illegal activities.

He said the government had instructed police to carry out immediate investigations on a number of cases which were already documented and known at Caledonia Farm and various other settlements within the City of Harare.