Govt trains surveyors to speed up the processing of 99 year leases

The Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Dr Herbert Murerwa says government has embarked on a programme to train surveyors as part of efforts to speed up the processing of 99 year leases.

Speaking in a question and answer session before the senate, Dr Murerwa said the inception of the land reform programme has created a situation whereby government is prompted to institute new boundaries for the newly resettled farmers.

Dr Murerwa, who attributed the delay in the processing of 99 year lease applications to the critical shortage of surveyors and resources, said government has moved in to train more experts to conduct the surveys and speed up the issuance of leases.

The explanation by Dr Murerwa comes at a time when thousands of beneficiaries of the land reform programme are yet to receive their 99 year leases amid reports that there is a huge backlog of applications at the responsible ministry.

Most farmers are also crying foul, saying that the delay in receiving 99 years leases, which can be used as security of tenure and collateral, has become an obstacle for them in their quest to access loans from banks.

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