| As if the poor of Zimbabwe had not suffered enough... | ||
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| Operation Murambatsvina (Remove Filth) | ||
| Cattle found in city house Herald story | ||
| STATE
IN FEAR: Zimbabwe’s tragedy is Africa’s shame A report on
Operation Murambatsvina by Archbishop Pius Ncube & Dr Roger Bate Bate & Richard T Tren |
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| Evictions disrupt HIV/AIDS treatment programmes | ||
| Defiant informal traders battle to survive: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks | ||
| Operation restore the right to housing in Zimbabwe IAI - International Alliance of Inhabitants | ||
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Appeal to the Zimbabwe Medical Association, the South African Medical Association, other national medical associations in Southern Africa and worldwide, Health and Human Rights organisations, and the World Medical Association click here |
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| From
The Times (UK), 1 July Mugabe 'clean-up' victims describe plight to UN envoy From Jan Raath in Porta Farm A UN special envoy was confronted last night with the misery of President Mugabe’s devastating "clean-up" campaign when she walked among the ruins of hundreds of homes destroyed a few hours earlier. Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of Habitat, the UN agency for the homeless, cradled a sickly 14-day-old baby in her arms at Porta Farm, 25 miles from Harare, where residents and human rights agencies said that up to five people had died yesterday as riot police and bulldozers razed the homes of about 12,000 people. "This is a very sad situation," said Mrs Tibaijuka, as a crowd, mostly of women, appealed to her: "You are our saviour - we cannot stand this suffering any longer." The deaths were reported to have occurred as riot police forced people to board trucks to Caledonia Farm, a notorious transit camp on the other side of the Zimbabwean capital. When they refused, they said, police had assaulted them with batons. Sources said that Mrs Tibaijuka, sent by Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, has privately expressed severe criticism of Mr Mugabe’s "Operation Marambatsvina" ("Drive out the Rubbish") that is estimated to have made a million people homeless in six weeks. Otto Saki, from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights who toured Porta Farm yesterday morning, said that one of the dead was a heavily pregnant woman who had been tossed on to a lorry by police. An elderly woman also died falling off a lorry, a four-year-old boy was crushed under a truck and a two-year-old child died of exposure, he said. Residents told Mrs Tibaijuka that the body of a fifth victim, an elderly woman, was under the ruins of her home , buried by bulldozers. Porta Farm has been "a holding camp" since 1991, when authorities dumped squatters there from a township in a similar operation. Most of the residents have built sturdy brick houses and have secured court orders barring the Government from evicting them. Police have ignored the courts. "Police are warning people not to stay there tonight, because they are coming back," said Nick Utano, an unemployed barber whose house was demolished. In the first indication of a reaction from African leaders to Mr Mugabe’s campaign, the African Commission, the administrative arm of the African Union, said that it was sending Tom Nyanduga, its rapporteur on refugees, to investigate. |
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| Zimbabwe Peace Project - Latest report | ||
| The Legal Implications Of Operation Murambatsvina And Operation Restore Order - Zim Lawyers for Human Rights | ||
| Reports from Mbare from Fr Oskar Wermter, Jesuit Communications | ||
| Solidarity Peace Trust - Discarding the Filth | ||
| Where is the Church? - Sokwanele Comment : 30 June 2005 | ||
| Operation Murambatsvina Emergency Appeal | ||
| Submission to the UN Special Envoy investigating the recent actions perpetrated against the citizens of Zimbabwe by the mugabe regime by The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) | ||
| Zimbabwe Diaspora Coalition statement on Operation Murambatsvina | ||
| They will not stop until they are stopped by Judith Todd - June 30 2005 | ||
| Reporters Without Borders, Open letter to Nelson Mandela 29 June 2005 | ||
| TROCAIRE and Catholic Institute for International Relations CIIR letter to Mr Godfrey Magwenzi 29 June 2005 | ||
| The Bishop of Natal Message Of Solidarity To The People Of Zimbabwe 24 June 2005 | ||
| Zimbabwe Diaspora Coalition statement on Operation Murambasvina 27th June | ||
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On becoming a Chinese Colony Sokwanele Special Report : 21 June 2005 |
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| Hon. David Coltart MP - Crimes Against Humanity | ||
| Scotland Zimbabwe Group Newsletter 12 July 2005 | ||
| “Order out of Chaos, or Chaos out of Order? - A Preliminary Report on Operation “Murambatsvina” Zim Rights NGO | ||
| Zim Peace Project May05 .pdf (740kb) | ||
| Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference - The Cry Of The Poor | ||
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| Chipinge door to door
Lance Guma 21/06/05 The very first houses built in Chipinge, were razed to the ground by police on Tuesday, in the ongoing operation 'clean up'. The area known as 'New Stands' in the Gaza area was demolished with police saying no grass thatched houses in the area will be spared. Desperate residents were seen busy looking for shelter for the winter nights, until they can figure out what to do next. Most of the home owners were given twenty-four hours to pack their belongings and move them out of the houses, to enable easier destruction by police. Ironically the stands were allocated to the residents by the Chipinge Town Council which like most councils remains powerless to intervene in the matter. Police have advised those affected to re-apply to council for permission to build temporary shelter to stay in while they rebuild their homes according to the new standards. Another operation, code-named, 'murivangani' or 'how many are you' is said to be in full force. Police are going door to door in Chipinge counting the number of people per household. They have set a limit of 8 people per household and the remainder are told to go to the rural areas. It is further alleged that those who cannot produce pay slips and are unemployed are also being asked to justify their stay in town. It is believed they are also being told to go back to the rural areas. Residents interviewed by Newsreel said they found it difficult to separate the police actions from political developments in the country. Since independence, the town has been an opposition fortress, firstly with Zanu Ndonga and then the MDC. It is only in this year's election that Zanu PF rigged its way into taking the Chipinge seat, after twenty-five years of trying. |
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| Recent reports | ||
| THE MOST INFORMATIVE REPORT on Operation Murambatsvina to date! 28-06-05 | ||
| UN to probe Zimbabwe demolitions - BBC 21 June 2005, 09:43 GMT 10:43 UK | ||
| Watch secret filming of homes razed to the ground BBC Video | ||
| Mugabe eyeing posh suburbs in blitz - IOL June 20 2005 at 09:46AM | ||
| Zimbabwe bishops condemn demolition of shantytowns - Catholic News Service Jun-20-2005 | ||
| Zimbabwe Now Totally Totalitarian Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) June 20, 2005 | ||
| The Chinese Influence by Zvakwana | ||
| Zimbabwe destroying urban vegetable gardens CNN June 21, 2005 | ||
| The faces behind Operation Murambatsvina | ||
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| Robert
Mugabe Ruler of Zimbabwe since 1980, although he has had to cheat heavily in recent elections to maintain his hold on power. Mugabe has publically supported the campaign against the poor. He is thought to be influenced by the Chinese in ordering this operation. |
Didymus
Mutasa Minister for state security with a lands portfolio. Long time Mugabe henchman. Known in his area for extreme acts of cruelty. He has a torture room in his Rusape home. Mutasa has voiced clear support for genocide in Zimbabwe, once saying, "we don't need these extra people." |
Ignatius Chombo
Minister of Local government Public Works told the pro-government Herald newspaper that the administration would provide affordable urban housing to people on farms around Harare and would make sure that "genuine" informal traders were relocated to designated areas. This was a straight out lie. |
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| Augustine Chihuri Zimbabwean police commissioner justified the Operation by saying, “We must clean the country of the crawling mass of maggots bent on destroying the economy.” |
Sekesai Makwavarara
The acting Harare executive mayor, who defected from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change after being elected on that party's ticket has been roped in to support the clampdown. |
Kembo Mohadi, Minister for Home affairs has remained tight lipped on the Operation prefering Chombo and Chihuri to answer questions. When interviewed by Violet recently, he referred all questions regarding Operation Murambatsvina to Chombo. |
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