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More specific information on the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sale of State Land in and around Urban Settlements which completed its probe last October and presented its report to President Mnangagwa in December is  beginning to emerge.

We reported yesterday on how politicians and top civil servants gobbled up land in Harare, sub-divided it into residential stands which they sold to desperate home seekers, in some cases later evicting, without compensation, those who would have bought the properties. The irregularities are staggering in terms of their sheer scale and the impunity with which the suspects went about it. 

At least 132 people in Harare, including former First Lady, Mrs Grace Mugabe, former Minister of Local Government, Dr Ignatius Chombo, former permanent secretary in that ministry, Engineer George Mlilo, prominent businessman, Dr Phillip Chiyangwa, former legislator, Mr Shadreck Mashayamombe and ex-Cabinet minister Ms Nyasha Chikwinya allegedly corruptly allocated themselves State land which they sold.  They and others from the 132 identified cases, face arrest for alleged fraud, abuse of cooperative funds and criminal abuse of office.

More localised reports like the Harare one are expected to be availed soon, covering other cities — Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, Rusape, Chinhoyi and so on to show how land barons, cooperative leaders, property developers and politically-connected people, illegally sold US$3 billion worth of urban State land since 2005 and pocketed most of the cash.

In Harare, Mrs Mugabe is accused of grabbing stands at Carrick Creach Farm and transferring ownership into the names of her relatives without paying for the land.  Some stands at the farm were allegedly allocated to people whom she later pushed out, said the commission.

Dr Chombo is named as having not only facilitated Mrs Mugabe’s alleged land grab, but also helping himself to some land in his personal capacity for personal benefit.  He must be probed for allocating himself land on the same farm allegedly registering several stands under three companies without paying any money.  Dr Chombo is named in two additional cases — at Philadelphia Farm where he is said to have taken five stands and at Ordar Farm where he unlawfully handed over State land to a company linked to Dr Chiyangwa.  

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) and police are expected to launch investigations on the cases on Monday to firmly establish if indeed, crimes were committed after which arrests and prosecutions can be made.  

Before law enforcement agencies complete their investigations, suspects brought to court and convicted we have no standing to condemn anyone.  Be that as it may, the public already knows most of the shenanigans over urban State land as some among them were duped and have evidence to prove it.  In any case, the probe was instituted because there was suspicion of land theft and corruption.  

We, therefore, have no doubt that the commission of inquiry has already done more than half of the work that must be done and has solid cases against the named figures.  The public wants the soon-to-be-launched Zacc and police investigations to be thorough and rapid so that the culprits are arrested and brought before the courts.  If found guilty, as many citizens believe, the corrupt must not only be jailed but the land they stole must be handed back to the State.  They must also compensate the State, whose land they fraudulently acquired, and their unsuspecting clients.  Their clients deserve restitution because many of them were cheated, after they bought stands that had not been serviced and which are on wetlands, servitudes, sites set aside for schools, clinics and recreation or other places where housing was not allowed.

According to the main report presented to the President in December, at least 431 cases of suspected corruption in selling State land were identified countrywide and recommended for further investigation.  Harare Metropolitan has the highest number of cases at 156, followed by Mashonaland East (120), Mashonaland West (50), Midlands (27), Mashonaland Central (25), Manicaland (22), Masvingo (21), Matabeleland South (five) and the combined Matabeleland North and Bulawayo Metropolitan (five).

After the Harare probe, we expect Zacc and police to swiftly move to Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Midlands and other provinces where land barons also stole from the State and the public.  

This is yet another opportunity for the country to demonstrate that it abhors corruption and severely punishes those who engage in it, in that way, sending a strong message to those who might be tempted that crime does not pay, it, in fact, only ends in their misery.  

The political will under the Second Republic to deal with corruption is certainly there.  Zacc is really working hard — the arrests of former minister Prisca Mupfumira over alleged crimes at the National Social Security Authority and other high profile figures — are cases in point.  

Convictions plus relevant, painful punishments must follow.