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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomePress ReleaseCrisis Coalition condemns Harare house demolitions

Crisis Coalition condemns Harare house demolitions

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition condemns in the strongest terms, the continued demolition of houses in Harare which are leaving several families homeless.

On Thursday, December 10, 2015, when the world was commemorating International Human Rights Day, the City of Harare demolished about 50 houses in the High Glen and Marimba Park areas in Harare and the destruction left hundreds of people without shelter.

The local authorities’ justification was that the houses were built on undesignated land.

As the world commemorates International Human Rights Day, the action by the City of Harare has just but amplified civic society’s concerns over the increasing trend of violation of people’s fundamental rights in the country.

Emirates

CIZC is of the view that the action by the City of Harare, which comes after the Mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni had earlier on promised civic society organisations that any demolition would be accompanied by a court order and would follow due legal processes, is wanton violation of the law.

According to Section 74 of Zimbabwe’s constitution, “No person may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished without an order of court made after considering all the relevant circumstances.”

The demolitions, which seem to have the support of central government, have just but reaffirmed our position that respect for people’s fundamental rights remains a farfetched dream in Zimbabwe even after the country adopted a new constitution with a rich Bill of Rights two years ago.

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We implore the City of Harare and central government to respect people’s right to shelter and desist from demolitions without offering affected families alternative accommodation.

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