Church leaders say government has done nothing for Murambatsvina victims

By Violet Gonda
30 August 2006

15 months after Robert Mugabe’s Operation Murambatsvina, thousands of victims are still homeless. This is according to a report published by The Solidarity Peace Trust, church leaders in Southern Africa who are committed to human rights, freedom and democracy in their region.

The church leaders say the government’s so-called clean up exercise has left even more people impoverished and failed to live up to its promise as almost nothing has been done to house the 700,000 displaced people.

Co-chairperson of the Trust and Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube told us; “The government had said they were going to build 300 000 houses. Now since 15 months ago, they have done nothing. People are out in the cold. It is the churches that have been left to feed and house them.”

The report says the housing allocation has led to one scandal after another. Priority in the allocation of houses should be given to those who were affected by Operation Murambatsvina but most of the houses built under operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle (Operation live well) have been “allocated to government officials, children of cabinet ministers, police, army, multiple house-owners and others who were not on any official housing list.”

Meanwhile the regime has denied the allegations in the report. State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa is reported to have said the church report was “absolutely not true.”

Asked by the BBC how many new houses had been built Mutasa replied: "I can't tell you the number immediately, I will have to check. But everyone in the country whether affected by Murambatsvina or not is being considered for decent housing."

But the Solidarity Peace Trust said in Bulawayo for example an Inter Ministerial Committee set up on housing released a list showing that 95% of Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle houses in Bulawayo were initially allocated to people who were not victims of the demolitions.

The Mugabe regime promised to build 300,000 houses but only a few hundred houses have been built since last year. The Solidarity Peace Trust says; “ In August 2006, not one single OGHK ( Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle) house in Bulawayo is ready for occupancy. Nor is there any prospect of this situation improving before the end of the year. In other words, the total number of people now housed as a result of OGHK in Bulawayo is – nil!”

Speaking on the situation in Matabeleland North, South and Bulawayo in particular Archbishop Pius Ncube said none of the houses built there have been inhabited because they are useless and have no services like toilets. “It’s all a cover up because the UN report had condemned what they (government) had done, so they wanted to save their face.”

The cleric said a documentary has also been launched together with this report to show the full extent of the crisis. “We have produced a very good video of these people saying what befell them and how much they are suffering. That video just brings you to tears as you watch it because there is so much suffering, honestly.”

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