Zanu PF forced into Murambatsvina U-turn
By Staff Reporter
Public anger has forced President Robert Mugabe’s regime to back down from a planned controversial demolition of so-called illegal structures and houses.
Last Wednesday residents in Ruwa and Damofalls fell victim to the ‘clean-up’ as bulldozers backed by police demolished tuck shops and homes on land deemed “illegal” by the Local Government Ministry.
The campaign was similar to Operation Murambatsvina which in 2005 displaced an estimated one million people and destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands in a country bedevilled by high unemployment.
Harare Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi announced a deal that would give residents two months to negotiate a deal with Council that would regularize illegal structures before demolitions begin.
“We are not demolishing the structures tomorrow (Tuesday) as some media reports have said. Rather, within the next weeks leading into next year residents can come to council to ascertain the way forward,” Mahachi said.
The Zanu PF MP for Mbare Tendai Savanhu sought to milk propaganda value from the U-turn by claiming Zanu PF could never order the demolition of people’s houses because their party is for development and welfare of the masses.
“You voted for Zanu-PF because you know it is the only party that has people’s welfare at heart, we are there to solve and not create problems,” Savanhu said.
“Zanu-PF ministers in Government should not be complacent in their offices because they are surrounded by many opposition party members who may have strategies to reverse people’s gains,” he said.
“Government will have to provide alternative accommodation for the people before it can effect any demolitions. After all, my ministry still has enough land to build alternative accommodation for the people. We will provide that land if the need arises. It is unconstitutional to destroy people’s houses,” he added.
Perhaps Savanhu, the new Deputy Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement was on Planet Mars when Zanu PF ordered ‘Operation Murambatsvina’ in 2005. During that operation, Mugabe’s regime destroyed so-called ‘illegal’ houses and market stalls belonging to hundreds of thousands of people.
