About 100 families from Glen Norah, most of them victims of Operation Murambatsvina a year earlier, had their houses and possessions burnt down by municipal police.
The legislator for the area Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said for some of the people, this was the fourth time their houses and possession had been destroyed by police.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 06HARARE721, MURAMBATSVINA ECHOES CONTINUING
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO0277
RR RUEHMR
DE RUEHSB #0721 1661540
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151540Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0220
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1239
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1084
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1245
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 0869
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1297
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 3668
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1068
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1707
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0503
RUFGNOA/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1454
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000721
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. NEULING
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE
USAID/AFR/SA FOR E. LOKEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2016
SUBJECT: MURAMBATSVINA ECHOES CONTINUING
REF: HARARE 583
Classified By: Classified By: Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Eric T. Schultz
under Section 1.5 b/d
¶1. (C) On June 15, officials from the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that municipal
police burned down the houses and possessions of
approximately 100 families in the Harare suburb of Glen Norah
early that day. City officials had served an eviction notice
to the families on June 12. An IOM official told poloff that
IOM was distributing blankets and supplies and was seeking an
arrangement with the GOZ to provide food to the families, who
remained at the site. One of IOM’s implementing partners was
negotiating with officials at Hopley Farm, where the GOZ has
moved other displaced persons, to admit families who choose
to relocate there. According to officials at the UN Office
for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN
Resident Representative was writing a letter of protest to
the GOZ and OCHA officials were seeking meetings with the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Social Welfare to discuss
the situation.
¶2. (C) MDC pro-Senate MP for Glen Norah, Priscilla
Misihairabwi-Mushonga, told poloff on June 15 that the
families were all previous victims of last year’s Operation
Murambatsvina (Restore Order), many of whom had originally
lived in the area and kept rebuilding shelters each time
government officials destroyed their homes. For some, this
latest destruction was their fourth. Human Rights NGO Forum
had tried to go to court to stop the city from carrying out
the evictions but had been unable to get a judge to attend
the hearing before the destruction began. Mushonga said
that, in addition to the supplies provided by IOM, the
Coalition of Churches was attempting to provide some of the
families with shelter. There was as yet no food for the
displaced, most of whom had not eaten all day. She was
concerned that, in the middle of Zimbabwe’s winter, the IOM
blankets would be insufficient shelter. Mushonga was on her
way to speak with city officials to find out what they
intended to do with the victims.
¶3. (C) According to a representative of the Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights (ZLHR), municipal police arrived in riot
gear and burned most of the victims’ possessions along with
the houses. Police told the victims they would return at 3
pm to remove them. ZLHR was filing an urgent application
with the court to stop officials from removing the
individuals.
¶4. (C) COMMENT: This incident is the latest in a series of
small-scale efforts by the government to complete the
“unfinished business” of last year’s Operation Restore Order,
which saw the destruction of homes and businesses of an
estimated 700,000 people. These efforts have so far affected
no more than a few hundred at a time. Nevertheless, these
events could yet lead to something bigger highlighting as
they do the GOZ’s insensitivity to the urban poor and its
priority on disrupting life in the urban centers, a
stronghold for the opposition and the natural starting point
for potential civil action.
SCHULTZ
(25 VIEWS)
