By Violet Gonda

6 July 2005

Hundreds of people slept in freezing temperatures in Mbare Tuesday night and are still stranded in the open after government authorities ordered them to vacate homes where they had sought refuge.

Government officials went door to door saying it had found transport to ferry the victims to their respective rural homes. Scores of people who were living with well-wishers and relatives complied because they were told that they would be ferried to their rural homes for free.

But more than 24 hours later, people are still stranded in the Matapi / Joburg area of Mbare. Most had taken their furniture to the pick up points.

An eyewitness said that only two open trucks carried people to Buhera and Mashonaland East Tuesday, leaving hundreds still stuck in the cold.