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200 families displaced in fresh Murambatsvina style demolitions in Glen Norah
Violet Gonda, SW Radio Africa
June 15, 2006

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news150606/glennorah150606.htm

At least 200 families have been thrown out into the cold in Harare’s Glen Norah high density area after municipal police demolished their makeshift homes Thursday morning. The MDC MP for Glen Norah, Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga, said Harare Municipal Police used brutal force when they demolished the informal structures created by victims of last year’s so-called clean up exercise.

The MDC said in typical "Operation Murambatsvina" style in which the city of Harare officials have demonstrated their insensitivity to the plight of the poor, the demolitions have been carried out with brutal force and in a cold winter season when it is clear that the victims of the demolitions, especially the elderly and children, are likely to be exposed to the vagaries of cold weather."

An angry Misihairabwi who was speaking on the phone while she was in parliament and trying to table a motion about the effects of the evictions said; " As I speak right now there are more than 200 families – mothers and children. Some of them as young as 4, 5 months that are outside in the cold."

Misihairabwi said the residents were only given 48 hours to vacate and an NGO forum could not find a judge when they were trying to get an interdict to stop the evictions.

The opposition MP said the winter months are the worst time to embark on such an operation, but this is just the same as last year’s Operation Murambatsvina which also took place in winter and was described by the United Nations as a "disastrous exercise" that made 700 000 people homeless and affected at least 2.4 million countrywide.

Meanwhile Mutambara MDC spokesperson Gabriel Chaibva said in a statement; "MDC wishes to express utter shock and disgust over the demolitions of homes, vendors’ wares and properties in the Glen Norah Constituency by the Municipality of Harare early this morning. The demolitions of homes is coming at a time when the scars of "Operation Murambatsvina in which more than 700 000 Zimbabweans were rendered jobless and left without homes are still fresh in the minds of many Zimbabweans."

Speaking from parliament Misihairabwi Mushonga, who is also the Deputy Secretary General for the Mutambara MDC, said, "I am actually trying to push through a motion on rape and basically what I am trying to do is that – you create the environment for sexual abuse because if you destroy people’s houses, you let women stay outside in the night. All you are doing is you are creating an environment where sexual abuse does take place."

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