Tuesday 31^st May - Dialogue on Shelter Reports:

 

By the end of Saturday we had information coming from at least four other towns of widespread evictions on backyard shacks as well as informal settlements.

 

Mutare

 

Areas affected include the Sakubva and Dangamvura. Over 30,000 people are estimated to be affected as most of the poor live in backyard shacks.

 

Gweru

 

Areas affected include the market as well as a community living in banks of the Gweru River.

 

Masvingo

 

Communities affected include the Mucheke River community.

 

Victoria Falls

 

Most of Chinotimba as well as the Federation community at KoMfelandawonye the settlement the federation is building. Despite the Local Authority having given the Federation permission to stay in temporary shelter the Police went ahead and demolished their shacks. All they left were the houses built with permanent material. Out of a community of 500+ families only about a 100 had built permanent houses.

 

Harare

 

Nine areas are affected with the worst hit being Hatcliffe Extension and Mbare's backyard shacks. In Hatcliffe Extension people have defied repeated calls by the police to move from the debris that used to be their homes to a relocation site. However anticipating that they might move back to a Holding Camp close by. Police also torched the holding camp late last night. In both the Holding Camp and new stands we estimate

that over 2000 families are affected. In the afternoon we went into the holding area where they are holding the few people who agreed to be moved. They are being

guarded by over 20 police details and all families are living in the open with all their belongings. We were detailed and questioned for 2 hours by the police and accused of spying. We were only allowed to go after a Senior Officer came and told us if we wanted to assist the displaced we were more than welcome but we needed to get permission first.

 

Progress with Court Order

 

There has been very little progress with the Court order that the Hatcliffe Extension Community instituted to try and halt the evictions. Over the weekend we could not get a judge to hear the urgent application and it was only today that a judge was assigned. However he has only set the matter for tomorrow (June 1^st).

 

We have established a wider coalition to try and respond to the crisis. We are meeting tomorrow to look at the immediate humanitarian issues we need to address as well as map out a strategy to deal with Government and the Local Authorities involved.

 

 

 

Subject: Widespread Evictions in Harare – note from Dialogue on Shelter, Zimbabwe: May 30^th 2005

In the past week the City of Harare in Collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government has been demolishing market stalls as well as a flea markets that informal traders use in and around Harare. They have been doing this under the guise of a clean up campaign to 'rid Harare of undesirable elements'. Over 9500 people are languishing in jail for breaking Harare's by-laws by 'trading in undesignated areas.' For the past week we have been trying to get a meeting with the Commission running the City to no avail. They are not talking to anyone. Last night they moved into peri-urban residential settlements and as I write they are burning Hatcliffe Extension. There are over 1000 families living in land that was allocated to them by Government in the pre-run to the 2002 presidential elections.   We have tried again to seek clarity and engage the Minister but they will not even allow us to get to the Ministry. We are in the process of trying to get a court order to halt the evictions. In a country where the legal system works the Hatcliffe residents have a strong case. They have allocation letters from the Ministry for the land where most of them are living. However we are not hopeful as it is unlikely a court order will stop this government that is a law unto itself. We are all very dejected and sad. We feel very powerless and it is an awful feeling. People have lost their livelihoods and now they are loosing their homes. There is no rational for these actions except that the Ministry and City know they can do this and people are too powerless to challenge them. Any ideas would be welcome.