HARARE - The Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Fidelis Mhashu, has reiterated the inclusive government's commitment to building houses for the victims of Operation Murambatsvina of 2005 which left hundreds of thousands of families homeless. (Pictured: The devastation caused by Operation Murambatsvina)We have a programme in progress aimed at responding to the victims of Operation Murambatsvina, said Mhashu. We are committed to providing adequate housing to those people who lost their shelter in 2005.
He said his ministry had already done a survey which established that about 8 000 housing units would be needed to accommodate the victims.
He, however, would not provide details of how his ministry was going to identify the actual victims of the operation and the criteria of the allocation of the houses to the victims.
President Robert Mugabes Zanu (PF)-led government embarked on the infamous clean-up operation code-named Operation Murambatsvina in June 2005 which observers say was Mugabe’s vengeance on the urban population for having rejected him and voting for the former opposition, MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai.
Thousands of people were left homeless. The United Nations Habitat Executive Secretary, Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, condemned the operation and visited Zimbabwe to assess the damage the operation.
She estimated in her report that more than 700 000 people were affected.
The government responded by launching a rushed housing programme code named Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle. Hundreds of sub-standard houses were built ostensibly for the victims of the operation but were never occupied by the intended beneficiaries.
Most of the houses went to either Zanu (PF) supporters or civil servants while many others were never occupied.
Harare has the most serious shortage of houses and the situation could be made worse if council goes ahead with its plans to demolish the archaic and dilapidated Matapi, Nenyere and Matererini blocks of flats which are overcrowded, with broken sewerage pipes exposing residents to a health time bomb. –
Post published in: Politics