“This was a direct instruction from the minister and more demolitions are yet to come,” The Mayor of Chitungwiza, Philip Mutoti, told The Zimbabwean. He advised this reporter to confirm the developments with the Town Clerk, George Makunde.
But neither Chombo not Makunde would answer their mobile phones. Mutoti said the isolated demolitions in progress were Chombo’s strategy to test the waters before rolling out the ‘mother of all demolitions’.
Midnight demolitions of houses and business structures in St Marys, Units A and G extensions took place last week, leaving dozens of families without shelter and exposed to the rains – despite a ruling by a Chitungwiza Civil Court magistrate, Ms Marehwanazvo Gofa, against the demolitions.
“The court rules that the respondent (Chitungwiza Municipality) has no power to demolish homes as stipulated in Section 74 of the constitution which says ‘no person may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished without an order of court made after considering all relevant circumstances,” reads part of the court ruling in favour of Chitungwiza Residents Trust.
Tsungai Munyengwa of Unit A had her house destroyed down to the foundation around 2am without notice on Friday, September 26. Her children narrowly escaped from the falling structure, as the council bulldozers pulled it down while the children were asleep inside.
Cashier Matasi of Unit G said he had invested his life’s savings in his house which was completely destroyed. “I had never witnessed such cruelty by a government against its own people. Zimbabweans live with the hard reality that the country is not yet independent, as evidenced by the continued indiscriminate demolition of shelter,” Matasi said, likening living conditions to those of war-torn Somalia and DRC.
His borehole was filled up with gravel by the demolishers. Ratidzo Masenda of Unit A said the demolitions code named “Operation makapuhwa nani ma stands” were selective, as some houses were spared.
“It pains me to realise that the thousands of dollars I spent on the property have gone to waste under the wheels of the council bulldozer. What makes us even more bitter is that we purchased the stands from land barons who continued to walk scot free despite having been identified,” lamented Masenda, a flea market vendor.
Another victim, Boniface Manyonganise, had eight shops demolished in St Marys, despite having official lease letters from the local authority.
He showed this reporter the offer letter A/12/45 of June 27, 2006 in respect of stand 6927 St Marys, issued in the name of Noster Gomo. The document was signed by the then Acting Town Clerk Govera.
Disturbed by the contempt of the Chitungwiza court ruling, the Harare Metropolitan Province Residents Forum, has asked President Robert Mugabe to intervene personally. Police Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri, was also petitioned to bring to justice the people behind the demolitions.
“If the national leadership and responsible state institutions fail to come up with a solution, residents would be mobilised to resist further demolitions,” warmed the forum’s chairperson Simbarashe Moyo.
“If it takes being locked up at Chikurubi Maximum Prison to take our anger to the offices of the insensitive local authorities, let it be,” said Israel Mabhoo, a stakeholder in the forum. He called upon Zimbabweans to stand up against government’s criminal activities.
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