Over 300 arrested in Zimbabwe

By Violet Gonda
20 August 2005

Despite an international outcry and claims by the government that it's controversial clean-up exercise is finished it's reported that the urban clearance of people is still continuing. The Herald reports that more than 300 people were arrested in Harare on Friday as the authorities pressed on with their bid to clear the homeless on the streets.
The state-controlled Herald said 318 people, who included vagrants, touts and street vendors were rounded up on Friday. Others arrested were those engaged in "theft, obstructing pavements and illegal gambling".
The authorities in Harare reported this week that illegal activities were returning to the streets of the capital and vowed to clamp down on them.
Around 2.4 million people were directly affected after the government embarked on the much-criticised clean up exercise dubbed operation Murambatsvina. A critical U.N. report said the operation had destroyed the homes or jobs of at least 700,000 people.
Meanwhile, a film revealing the "horrors" of Zimbabwe's homeless was shown on major UK TV networks Saturday. Amnesty International released new film footage smuggled out of Zimbabwe that it says reveals the "desperate plight" of the country's homeless.
The aid agency said the footage was filmed earlier this month to illustrate the suffering of those caught up in the slum clearance policy Operation Murambatsvina. Video footage which was smuggled out of the country in June led more than 200 international human rights groups to condemn Mugabe's campaign, which has left thousands of families destitute. Amnesty claims the new film includes shots of those currently being held in Hopley Farm, "an informal camp on the outskirts of Harare".