Several families have been left homeless and are now living in the open near the Harare-Mutare highway after their homes at Cloverdale Farm in Ruwa were demolished by authorities.
The farm, located about 25 kilometres outside Harare, is reportedly owned by former Cabinet minister Petronella Kagonye.
The families are accused of occupying the land illegally, but many say they had nowhere else to go and were caught off guard by the sudden evictions.
Ashel Chibutse, a 43-year-old father of five, is one of those affected. He says his four-roomed house was torn down without warning, leaving his family out in the cold. Said Chibutse:
I was alerted earlier in the morning that houses were being demolished while I was at work. When I was near Ruwa, that’s when I was told that Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers were beating people.
I got my stand in February and finished construction in six months. So since August, we have been living in Cloverdale. When we came here, we were told that the stands were being given to ZANU PF youths.
We were not given any papers. We were just told to go and see Chairman SaMutoko—he would give you a piece of land—and true to that, I was given a stand.
Many families woke up to the shock of their homes being torn down by authorities. As some tried to resist the demolitions, chaos broke out, leading to violent clashes between residents and officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). Said Chibutse:
Police officers were beating anyone they came across. The beatings intensified when it was reported that some police officers had been killed. They were baying for the blood of all the men, and some were beaten thoroughly.
The evictions have come at a particularly cruel time, with the harsh winter already setting in. Families are now battling the cold out in the open, and children who should be in school are facing serious hardship.
The situation at Cloverdale Farm stretches back several years, when land barons reportedly linked to the ruling ZANU PF party began selling plots to desperate home seekers for as little as US$200.
The land was allegedly handed out as a reward for political loyalty, with a ZANU PF figure known only as Chairman SaMutoko said to have been leading the charge.
Human rights activist Farai Maguwu has questioned why authorities allowed the illegal settlements to develop in the first place.
He also criticised the lack of accountability, pointing out that those responsible for selling state land are rarely, if ever, brought to justice. He wrote on X:
Hurumende yaivepi paivakwa dzimba idzi? (Where was the government when these houses were being built?) Who sold the stands to these citizens?
Why are the land barons never arrested, let alone mentioned? Isn’t govt supposed to protect citizens from such losses?
More: NewZimbabwe.com
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