A number of village heads in Matabeleland North’s Bubi district have been expelled on charges of conning desperate land seekers in cahoots with land barons.
The most affected villagers are under ward 23.
The claims were made during a virtual debate organised by the Bubi Community Parliament where Bubi Rural District Council chief executive officer, Patson Mlilo, was the guest speaker.
During the discussion, villagers claimed that a man only identified as Dlodlo conned a number of innocent land seekers.
“I am one of many who lost money to this fraudster," said one irate villager during the discussion.
Another villager was very furious against traditional leaders in the area.
"I paid R10 000 some years ago for a stand to these village leaders. I am getting worried now because there are no receipts issued after payment," he said.
Mlilo confirmed that some village heads have been implicated in the scandal surrounding illegal land deals.
"If it's in the village, we check with the village head, we inform our chief, and some village heads have been dismissed on such cases,” he said.
“About five or so village heads have been dismissed for illegally selling stands.
"What we have always said is that if someone wants a stand, they must register with the village head, if they want a stand in the resettlement area, they must register with the office of the district development coordinator and be out on a waiting list.”
Mlilo said some of the conned villagers were also to blame as they were not following legal channels when purchasing stands.
“When you ask people they tell you they are giving each other the stands,” he said.
“When they come to us with their affidavits seeking assistance to change ownership, they will be saying, 'I have given my sibling a stand, my relative and so forth a stand.’
“They do not write that they have bought or sold the stand.
"When you ask where they got the stands, they hide the information.”
Mlilo said the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission recently visited the district to investigate cases of corrupt land deals.