Masebo and the deep rooted corruption in land administration

By Daily Revelation Editor

Lands and Natural Resources minister Sylvia Masebo yesterday admitted the rampant corruption in the administration of land, describing the same as deep rooted and not easy to take out

“Even as minister l have been waiting to see some land being advertised. I don’t see them in the districts of Zambia. But, you just hear that land is being allocated. Then, you ask a question, when was it advertised? Because now, those days there was only Times and Daily Mail, we still used to see it,” said Masebo. “Now, we also have social media, now we have social media. Social media makes it easy because some people in rural areas in a community of five hundred maybe two people with a smart phone, and they can show their friends. You hardly see it. So the corruption there is deliberately not giving information to everybody so that it is not known. Because if too many people know, it will be difficult for us.”

It is a very good thing that the minister in charge of Lands is honest enough to admit the sickening situation in land administration, a matter right under her ministry. Actually admitting something is, or should be, the starting point in addressing any matter. However, most people end at just that without proceeding further. We definitely hope that is not the case with Masebo.

We expect that as she has become aware of the problem, she has also set out plans and crafted policies, and beyond that has put in place firm strategies to address the problem, so that once she is out of the ministry, she will look back with pride and say, ‘I managed to have that long time problematic situation addressed.’ It should actually be the goal of any public official appointed to serve any area of public responsibility to achieve a greater good for society which posterity will remember them for. It is said that good deeds will always follow someone long after they are gone.

Therefore, commendable as it is that Masebo has admitted the corruption, the important question is what is she doing about that problematic situation? Since she is talking about corruption, has she conducted any investigations to establish some of those involved in maladministration? Besides that, we expect that as a minister she also comes across a lot of information that would be crucial in helping her to stem the vice.

We urge her to also incorporate the Law Enforcement Agencies in trying to address the matter. If she hasn’t done so, we urge her to fully incorporate the same going forward. While corruption in land administration may be difficult to get out, however, what will be unforgivable will be the failure to use one’s position of influence to approach the problematic area with the firmness that that situation demands. The issue is not really in the problem per say but in the failure to hold firm to the commitment to have the problem area addressed.