Resist, Reject and Report Violence, #RRRV2023
NOVEMBER 2022
4.2 Harare and Chitungwiza Demolitions
The Harare City Council (HCC), in liaison with the Chitungwiza Municipality
(CM), embarked on a 45-day crackdown against illegal structures in Harare,
Chitungwiza and Ruwa. On 3 November, the HCC demolished several houses
in Mabvuku at New Tafara, accusing the owners of illegally settling
themselves on a piece of land reserved for council employees. On 4
November, HCC and CM demolished tuck shops at St Mary;s Chigovanyika
shopping centre areas in the afternoon, with council officers claiming that
the structures were illegal. Some informal traders were left counting their
losses. The municipal police allegedly threw teargas to disperse some
victims, leaving several families homeless in the rainy season.
ZPP recommends the adoption of the following interventions to ensure the
reduction in demolition cases:
4.2.1
Harare City Council and the ZRP should intensify investigations,
arrests and prosecutions of land barons who pounce on unsuspecting and
vulnerable home seekers.
4.2.2 Encourage impartial law enforcement against politically-motivated
land invasions by land barons linked to political elites for protection from
the law.
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The Zimbabwe Peace Project
Monthly Monitoring Report