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ZADHR statement on Operation Murambatsvina
Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR)
June 10, 2005

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) deplores in the strongest possible terms the ongoing destruction of informal housing and businesses in Harare and other cities in Zimbabwe as part of Operation Murambatsvina. Families are being cast on to the streets as armed police pull down their homes.

This brutal action by the Government of Zimbabwe has precipitated a humanitarian crisis against a background of severe food shortages and 70% unemployment levels. In addition, approximately 25% of the sexually active population in Zimbabwe is infected with HIV. 760,000 children have been orphaned by the disease and many more of those who are victims of the "clean up" are affected by it.

The campaign has targeted the poorest members of the community, peaceful and law-abiding citizens, simply trying to survive. A minimum of 250,000 people has been affected with some placing the figure at more than 1,000,000. Many of the affected settlements and informal businesses have been in existence for more than 10 years and were established with government approval and support.

Of particular concern to ZADHR is the impact that this campaign is having on children and families infected or affected by AIDS. Hatcliffe Extension, situated on the Eastern outskirts of Harare and previously home to an estimated 15,000 people, serves as an example. The settlement has been totally destroyed. Many families are still sleeping in the open air amongst the ruins of their homes more than one week after the destruction, as they have nowhere to go. Among those affected at Hatcliffe were 180 orphaned infants who were attending a crèche established by catholic nuns, 375 orphans and vulnerable children attending the local primary school whose fees were being paid by AIDS Service Organisations and 103 adults with AIDS who had been commenced on anti-retroviral therapy under the care of a local clinic which has now been closed. Among the homes destroyed were those of at least 6 child-headed households and 40 grandparent-headed households providing shelter for orphans.

This operation by the Government of Zimbabwe is a clear violation of international conventions including the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, to all of which Zimbabwe is a signatory. ZADHR urges the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to exert whatever influence it has on its partners at the most senior levels of government to halt these abuses and immediately institute an effective program of restitution which, at the minimum, ensures that those affected be properly re-housed and nourished.

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