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Civil Society concerns on post Murambatsvina crises
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations in Zimbabwe (NANGO)
November 15, 2005

Civil Society welcomes efforts by UN-Habitat to dialogue and provide humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe. We anticipate that UN Habitat’s presence and exposure to the human settlements conditions in the country will go a long way in assisting Government to develop effective immediate to long term strategies to address the human settlements and humanitarian situation in the country.

Our organizations are deeply concerned about the state of homelessness in the country and the living conditions of people during the current rainy season. These people are being exposed to conditions, which make them vulnerable to health problems.

Contrary to the Minister of Local Government’s statement that" there is no longer compelling need to provide temporary shelter as there is no humanitarian crisis"(Independent 4 November 2005), there are still people living in the open, five months after the demolition of their shelter in Harare (Mbare, Epworth), Kariba, Mutare and Bulawayo, while in Kadoma, 50 families who were relocated to Annex Hospital, a former TB ward are leaving in a potentially hazardous environment. Families who have been sustaining their livelihoods through engaging in informal sector activities are now living in abject poverty after the destruction of their businesses and women as well as child headed families are the worst affected.

The Portfolio Committee on Local Government recently toured Harare and saw for themselves conditions under which people are living. (Financial Gazette 3-9 November) This is a clear testimony that we have a humanitarian crisis that needs to be urgently addressed. We therefore urgently appeal to the United Nations to assist our Government to provide humanitarian relief to these people.

The reconstruction program, that was launched to counter the effects of Operation Murambatsvina, still falls short of meeting both the immediate and long-term human settlements needs for the country. Its failure is clearly seen by the number of units built, and failure by people to move into the units by the 1st of November as previously announced by Government. For instance, out of a target of 520 houses for Hatcliff Extension, only 70 units were complete by October, while in Whitecliffe 277 units were finished out of a target of 1448. (Financial Gazette 3-9 November). Prioritization for beneficiaries has also shifted to those who can afford to pay for the houses, whose costs range from $90m to $400m.

The failure of Operation Garikai to meet the set targets is a clear indication of the need for an all stakeholder approach to the human settlements crisis. In its current form, "Garikai" will not address the housing crisis unless a massive infrastructure development program is launched countrywide. We believe that the scale of Garikai is beyond the capacity of Central and Local Government, Private sector and the communities given the size of the Zimbabwean economy and therefore there is need for UN-Habitat assistance.

We anticipate that the presence of UN Habitat will result in creation of a conducive human settlements policy environment and provision of a solution to the humanitarian crisis, through collaborative efforts from Government, Civil Society Organizations and Communities.

We appeal to the United Nations Human Settlements Team to:

• Facilitate dialogue among Communities, Civil Society and Government with the view of addressing Zimbabwe’s social, economic and human settlements problems.
• Assist Government in coming up with a coherent human settlement policy that allows for all stakeholder participation.
• Mobilise humanitarian assistance on the scale that is required to avert further suffering.
• Facilitate the sharing and adoption of community driven housing initiatives and alternative approaches to human settlements development.
• As members of the United Nations, Zimbabwe is also committed to addressing the Millennium Development Goals. The achievement of Goal 7 targets 10 and 11 is heavily threatened given the human settlements and humanitarian crisis that our country is facing.
  

Housing People of Zimbabwe
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations( NANGO)
Women’ Coalition in Zimbabwe
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)

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