HARARE Most victims of the 2005 controversial Murambatsvina (clean up) operation have trickled back into the areas they were evicted from because the government has failed to provide them with decent housing .
Close to a million people were left homeless in a ruthless operation that was carried countrywide and condemned by the international community.
The government attempted to save face by building new houses in an operation that was code named Operation Garikai Hlalani Kuhle (live well). The project was a failure as five years on victims are still homeless and are running away from the deplorable conditions they are presently staying in at a farm they were resettled by government.
Most of the people who had been resettled at Hopley Farm at the outskirts of Harare said they had decided to return back to their original places because they could not afford the high rentals charged by landlords in many suburbs because many of them were not employed.
Their return has resulted in landlords pushing up rentals. A room in Chitungwiza costs an average of US$50.
Harare and Chitungwiza combined have a backlog of over a million people in need of houses.
“I built the two rooms out of desperation. I am not employed and I cannot afford to rent, said Andrew Nyoni.
He said he had decided to build an extra room which he is renting out so that he gets an income.
The houses are built with sub-standard material because the people are afraid they may get evicted again.
“People from Chitungwiza town council have not said anything… and therefore we hope that we are going to be left alone. I pay US$30 for my room and even though it is small I have a roof over my head ad have access to water and electricity things that I did not have at Hopley Farm where the government had resettled me,” said Munyaradzi Gwena.
At Hopley Farm residents had no basic necessities such as water and electricity. The houses are in deplorable state.
Pregnant women and babies have been dying at the farm due to lack of nearby health facilities.
Amnesty International Deputy Africa Director Michelle Kagari who visited the Farm recently said: “Women we spoke to felt that their minimal access to healthcare contributed to the deaths of their babies. Others suspected that their babies died of cold because they lived in plastic shacks.”
“I came back here because this is my home. Family and friends live here and here schools are available. The schools at Hopley are far away and my son who is now at secondary school had to walk for at least 8 km to get to the nearest school,” said one resident.
“When people were settled in Hopley the government promised them a better life but things have gone from bad to worse,” said Kagari.
Post published in: News